A few weeks ago, I went on an Iron Chef-style mission to empty my fridge by cooking creatively. With plans to leave town for the next 15 days, I did not want to come home to any nasty (green, fuzzy, smelly) surprises. And I hate to waste food.
When I found a pint of buttermilk lurking in the fridge, I thought chocolate buttermilk cake might be the answer. This recipe sounded promising but needed to be scaled down. Although I was a little nervous about the success of my sketchy mathematics, I forged ahead.
I shouldn’t have worried. As my husband took his first bite, I asked, “Is it as good as the Guinness Chocolate Cake?”
“Better,” he said with a smile.
Iron Chef: 1; Waste: 0
This buttermilk chocolate cake is moist, dark, and moderately sweet. Sweet-tart raspberry sauce and a bit of whipped cream are the perfect accompaniments.
(Adapted from “P@perseed“)
For the cake:
-1 c. all-purpose flour
-3/4 c. sugar
-1 1/3 tsp. baking soda
-1/4 tsp. salt
-1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Dutch-process)
-1/3 c. + 1 Tbsp. oil
-1/2 c. buttermilk
-1 large egg
-1/2 c. strong, hot coffee
-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour an 8-in. round cake or springform pan.
2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl.
3. Whisk in oil, egg, buttermilk, coffee, and vanilla extract until smooth.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 30-35 min., or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in the pan before serving with raspberry sauce and fresh whipped cream.
For the raspberry sauce:
-1 c. thawed or fresh raspberries
-3 Tbsp. sugar
1. Purée fruit and sugar in a blender.
2. Strain any remaining seeds before serving the sauce with the cake.
No way, even better than the Guinness cake? A must-try now, for sure!