Beatty's Chocolate Cake with Champagne Buttercream Frosting

Cake Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten
Frosting Recipe adapted from Andrea Ballus - Cupcake Wars 2010

OK, let me start out by saying two things. Most importantly, I don't know who Beatty is...so don't ask. Secondly, if you know me at all, you know that I do not bake. I have a cooking blog, so obviously I love to cook, but baking is...not.my.thing. I don't like to measure things, or time things, or take the patience to frost things. However, two of my friends had birthdays this past week and I felt the need to bake them a cake for the Housewarming Party Saturday. Yes, I baked my first cake FROM SCRATCH. This is a big deal people. The entire time I cursed about how I hated baking and won't do it again...I even threatened to throw it out, but Nick wouldn't let me. It's a good thing because everyone LOVED this cake. It got absolutely demolished. I'm not saying I'll be baking anytime soon, but this was a major hit. The frosting was a separate recipe, but I got rave reviews on both and thought the combination sounded good. I apologize for the lack of creativity in the picture as well -- I didn't get a snapshot before the cake was demolished, and yes, it's on a paper plate.

Beatty's Chocolate Cake

• Butter, for greasing the pans
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups good cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal (or a random Christmas plate in my case since I do not own a cake appropriate plate).

Champagne Buttercream Frosting

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 box powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons Champagne
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the butter until creamed. Add the powdered sugar, champagne, and vanilla and mix until the ingredients are evenly incorporated and the frosting is smooth and creamy.  Brush the top layer of the cake with a small amount of champagne. Let sit for a couple of minutes and then begin frosting!