Did you know that the first book devoted entirely to chocolate, “Libro
en el cual se trata del chocolate” came from Mexico all the way back in
1609. Chocolate has been on everyone’s mind for even longer that, I read some
where that chocolate was keeping the Mayans happy all the way back in the 6th
century AD. They called it xocolātl. Nice huh? I love how what word roles off my tough xocolātl.
There is nothing
like chocolate in the world is there? It’s my go to happy place. Thank you
Aztecs, Mayans, Columbus and Briton
John Cadbury and Rodolphe Lindt for
bringing this to my doorstep. Chocolate is amazing all by itself but add strawberries to it and you’re in heaven. Take deep red
strawberries and dark satiny chocolate and you have a gift for the gods or any
other person.
Lets get baking
Ingredients
Cake
1 ¾ flour
1-cup coco powder
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ salt
¾ or 188grams butter
¾ cup castor sugar (that’s just
fine sugar)
2/3 cup Demerara sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ cups buttermilk (mix 3
tablespoons yogurt mixed water)
Chocolate frosting
113 unsalted butter at room
temperature
1 cup icing sugar sifted once
2 teaspoons good vanilla extract
200 grams dark chocolate melted and cooled a bit (to
melt - cut into pieces add 1 ½ teaspoon
water and microwave for 1 minute mix with a metal spoon if not melted
completely microwave for another 30 seconds)
Strawberries
Chocolate chips (white, dark)
- Turn oven up to 170 F, butter and flour 2 round
cake pans.
- Sift dry
ingredients- flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt onto a newspaper twice.
- Cream the
sugars and butter together with a hand mixer until it lightens (for about 5
minutes). Add the eggs and vanilla and continue to mix.
- Fold in
the dry ingredients alternating with the butter, milk and ending with the dry
ingredients. Don’t over mix.
- Divide the
batter between the 2 cake tins. Pop in the oven for about 30 to 35 minutes till
toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan. Once cooled move to
a rack and bring to room temperature
Chocolate Frosting
- Cream butter and sugar till it turns a pale
shade of yellow. Add the vanilla and chocolate and beat until smooth.
- Place one cake on a turntable; spread a little
the frosting on top. Line with thinly cut strawberries, place the 2nd
cake on top of the strawberries and smother with frosting. Decorate with lots
of strawberries, either thinly cut or whole. Sprinkle with chocolate chip
swirls.
