Buttermilk Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Happy Wednesday, friends!

We’re celebrating the blog birthday today, would you like to join us? I mean, technically, the birthday was two days ago.. but we’re running on lockdown time, which is really such a different ballgame.

Eight years ago, on April 27th 2012, I made the decision to start up this little corner of the internet as a distraction from reality. Baking was a newfound love for me back then, and Passionate Baker would be my personal place to document my trials & errors. Obsessed with Joy the Baker and spurred on by loved ones, I began baking nearly every single day. Soon I realised that I wasn’t half bad at this whole baking thing. Pretty soon, I shared my first ever recipe online: a humble post about simple, no-churn Honeycomb Ice Cream.

To this day, I stand by both my decision to start the blog and also that mighty fine ice cream recipe.

Over the course of those eight years, my blog has developed into something much more for me than just a record of my baking. Sure, I do still think of this as a journal of sorts – a place where I come to store memories of past travels or recipes for exceptionally good cakes – but also as a sort of friendly space where I can come to clear my head & post about anything I see fit. Which, needless to say, has been extremely comforting during these strange Covid-19 times.

Another thing that has developed over the course of those eight years: my baking skills. I am extremely proud of the cake I’m sharing here today, it’s one of my finest. It even sounds impressive: Buttermilk Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting.

In the spirit of Covid-19 baking, I thought it wise to keep this bake as simple as possible.

This recipe makes a single layer, 7-inch round cake, finished off with generous swoops of chocolate fudge frosting. Thanks to the buttermilk, the sponge itself is wonderfully tangy, but also buttery, soft, and crumbly. The thickkk layer of chocolate fudge frosting is pure perfection – extra light & silky smooth. There aren’t many frostings I could eat by the spoonful without restraint, but this is definitely one of them; it is luscious.

Thanks for reading along, friends. It means a lot that you keep showing up, making my recipes & using my travel guides. Here’s to another year of Passionate Baker!

Vicki xo

P R I N T

Buttermilk Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting

A single layer 7-inch buttermilk cake, topped with generous swoops of chocolate fudge frosting.

Yield: 8 slices

Author: Vicki @ Passionate Baker

INGREDIENTS

for the cake:

• 190 g plain flour

• 3/4 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

• 85 g salted butter, at room temperature

• 185 g caster sugar sifted

• 1 large egg

• 1 large egg yolk

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

for the frosting:

• 85 g unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped

• 255 g icing sugar, sifted

• 170 g salted butter, at room temperature

• 45 g full fat milk

• 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 190C. Grease & flour the base and sides of an 7-inch cake tin; set aside.

• Sift together the flour, baking powder & bicarb in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine; set aside.

• In a different medium bowl, beat together the butter & sugar until fluffy and pale in colour. Beat the egg & the egg yolk into the mixture one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract, ensuring it is well combined.

• Add half of the flour mixture into the butter mixture & beat on low speed until just combined. Add all of the buttermilk & beat until just combined. Add the remaining flour & beat until just combined, using a spatula to finish mixing everything together. If you notice a slight separation of the ingredients, don’t worry, this is a very forgiving recipe.

• Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth out the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown all over & a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 5-minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

• While the cake cools, make the frosting. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a medium saucepan filled with a few inches of simmering water (not touching) & cook until the chocolate has melted. Once melted, set aside.

• In a large bowl, use an electric whisk to combine the icing sugar, butter, milk, & vanilla. Pour the melted chocolate into the bowl & beat until the frosting is smooth & light brown in color, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

• When the cake has cooled, use an offset spatula to spread the frosting evenly over the top of the cake. Alternatively, transfer some of the frosting to a piping bag & pipe a line along the sides of the cake.

• Slice cake into generous slices & enjoy wholeheartedly with a large cup of coffee.

NOTES

• the frosting recipe will make more than you’ll need for this cake, but having extra frosting is never a bad thing. Simply store any leftovers in a sealed bag in the freezer.

• I always use homemade vanilla extract!

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to know! Please leave a comment & a rating below, or tag me on Instagram @imvcki. Thank you so much for supporting Passionate Baker!

ALL BLOG BIRTHDAY POSTS 

Buttermilk Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting, 8 years
Triple Chocolate Birthday Cake, 6 years
Rhubarb Panna Cotta, 4 years

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