The Chocolate Cake Formally Known as Beatty's

This recipe used to be Beatty's Chocolate Cake from Ina Garten (aka The Barefoot Contessa). Click here for the original recipe!

I made this cake for Mom's (Barbara) Birthday on May 30th.
Now, since we don't use coffee and I don't keep milk in the house, I changed that. I'm posting my version! I also cut the icing recipe in half, I just knew it was going to be WAY too much.
This is a very light and moist cake. I usually like dense cakes, but this one was really good!

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 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 almond milk, plus 1 T lemon juice
  
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup freshly brewed hot Teechino (or any roasted herbal drink)
  

Directions

Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows

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 almond milk with lemon, 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 Teechino 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. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Frosting:

3 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut)

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 small egg yolk, at room temperature (you can omit this or use half a large egg yolk)

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 C + 2 tablespoons cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons instant roasted herbal drink (or 2 teaspoons of hot Teechino)

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.