I don’t know what it is about chocolate, but for some reason, I cannot stop thinking about it. Even though as I have gotten older, I have been more thoughtful about my consumption of sugar, the one thing that remains is my passion for chocolate. I have all of these secret stashes around the house – some that the kids are aware of – and some they are not. I allow myself one square per day of a salty dark chocolate bar, or a leaf of a Terry’s dark chocolate orange. I’m like an addict that needs my fix to get through my day.
So, when it comes to chocolate cake, I’m pretty much a perfectionist. I want the right amount of cocoa and the right amount of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate. It has got to be moist and with the perfect ratio of icing to cake. Every birthday, I want chocolate cake. No yellow, white, or fruit cakes for me! And I still love chocolate cake with chocolate icing. Some habits never change.
Over the summer, one of my closest friends, Kelly, came to visit with her daughter Caroline. They brought us half of Beatty’s Chocolate Cake, a recipe developed by Ina Garten and presented in her book “Barefoot Contessa at Home.” I had made this cake once before, but something about tasting Caroline’s cake again reminded me of how excellent it was to the point that I could not get it out of my mind. I joked with Kelly that Caroline is seriously the best baker I know (she is pretty good!) since very few treats leave that kind of impression. But it got me thinking: what is it about that cake that makes it so memorable?
Apparently, this cake is one of the most searched for recipes on the internet, so there must be something magical about it. I decided to make it and remind myself what all the fuss was about.
First, let me start by saying that I am an avid Ina Garten fan. So much so, that on the three occasions that I have been out to the Hamptons, I have traveled to her favorite places for provisions, including Loaves and Fishes, Iacono Farms, and Citarella. I love that virtually every recipe I have ever made from Ina turns out perfectly due to her testing, which for a home cook, is incredible. And, let’s face it, Ina is charming, fun, and her husband Jeffrey also seems like someone you would want to hang out with over drinks. Weirdly, in a strange coincidence, I started a correspondence with her former assistant, Lidey Heuck, after falling in love with her Welsh Terrier, Winkie and deciding I had to have a Welsh Terrier too! So, we’re talking big fan.
There is no question that the best part of this cake recipe begins with a cup of coffee. Who doesn’t love coffee and chocolate? I basically have these two flavors every single day, sometimes together and sometimes when I’m sneaking that square of chocolate.
Making the cake is well, a piece of cake! You simply mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and add the wet ingredients. Nothing too complex there. It does have buttermilk, which for some reason where we live, is only sold in a large size bottle. It routinely goes bad since I buy it for a recipe and it sits in the fridge until its past due date. But I try to find other uses for it in pancakes or biscuits!
Once the cake comes out of the oven, you note that it is a deep dark color, and it appears to be rich and moist. It bakes up into two fairly thick and fluffy layers. The required chocolate buttercream icing is the best part though. This contains butter, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla, melted semisweet chocolate and the piece de resistance – espresso. More coffee and chocolate, what could possibly be better?
The bottom line: I don’t know who Beatty is, but he makes a pretty darn good cake. It’s truly delicious and stays fresh for days, which is great if you are having company and are looking for a quick and easy dessert to share. It’s also the perfect birthday cake. I have one of those big birthdays this year and I might be inclined to make it again to celebrate with a glass of Veuve Cliquot of course!
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