Mocha Cake with Coffee Buttercream

I made this, with some help from sis, for Dad’s 45th birthday.

Over 20 years that I’ve been his daughter, I think this is the closest we’ve ever been. I can only remember snippets of the past – riding on his shoulders when I was a toddler, being caned by him for not doing too well in exams in Primary school, me being distant and indifferent during Secondary school years, not talking to him for 2 months during the course of the divorce between him and Mum, the screams, tears and struggling that followed after… And of course many other little details that really made us who we are today.

He’s both my dad and my mum, all rolled into one. I know, I was already 19 when the divorce happened. I subconsciously took on the role as little Mummy to my younger brother and sister when my Mum moved out. It wasn’t difficult, since I had been the bossy older sis all along. But for Dad, he not only had to be a better Dad, he had to play Mum too… More for me than anyone else. I was the most attached to Mum before the whole fiasco… And honestly, I can’t care less now. Dad’s the only one I need.

While divorce breaks some families, it made mine stronger. Thanks Dad, for being all that you are.

Recipe after the jump.

Double Chocolate Layer Cake
from Smitten Kitchen, originally from Gourmet, March 1999

Makes 2 10″ layers. I used 1/3 of the recipe below to make 2 6″ layers.

3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease pans. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper.

Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well.

Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

Coffee Buttercream

Okay, this is actually quite silly because I used 1 egg and made 2 recipes out of this. I used the egg white for Swiss Meringue Buttercream, and used the egg yolk to make a coffee buttercream from here. Then I just mixed the two buttercreams together and flavoured the entire thing with a coffee syrup and a drop of vanilla extract. I made the coffee syrup by dissolving 2 tsp instant coffee in 2 tbsp water, and just adding it to the buttercream to taste. I probably added about 3/4 of the syrup into the buttercream.

I just didn’t want to waste either the egg yolk or egg white and that was why I did what I did. The resulting buttercream was delicious though. I put a bit of leftover in a bowl and my sister just ate it straight from there.

Cake was randomly decorated with walnuts and silver dragees, courtesy of my sister. (: