Thursday, July 29, 2010

Happy Birthday Chocolate Cake

March 1, 2009 by Culinary Cory  
Filed under Cakes & Cupcakes

Happy Birthday Cake Slice

Happy Birthday to me!  March 2nd is my birthday, and to celebrate, I decided to make a luscious two-tiered chocolate cake.  Now, don’t be fooled by the pictures.  This cake is quite intense, but not overly sweet.  That’s how I like it.  The combination of ingredients are designed to bring out the flavor of the chocolate.  Coffee is used in the cake to add moistness and elevate richness of the chocolate.  The sour cream in the icing adds a hint of tang that balances the sweetness of the white chocolate shavings.

Happy Birthday Cake

Happy Birthday Chocolate Cake

Beatty’s Chocolate Cake (just the cake portion)
Adapted from: Barefoot Contessa at Home
By: Ina Garten

Sour Cream Chocolate Icing:
Adapted from: Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes
By:  Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne

12 oz semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 stick butter, unsalted and softened
2 Tbl. light corn syrup
¼ cup half-and-half
½ cup sour cream

Melt the chocolate with the butter and corn syrup in a double boiler over barely simmering water.  Remove from heat and whisk until smooth.  Whisk in the half-and-half and sour cream.  Spread on cake while still soft.

White Chocolate Shavings:
3 – 4 oz. white chocolate

Run a potato peeler along the top of the white chocolate bar to create tiny curly shavings.  Sprinkle on the top of the cake before the icing dries.  You can also use a hand shredder for a finer look.

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Comments

31 Responses to “Happy Birthday Chocolate Cake”
  1. Maggie says:

    Happy Birthday! The cake looks wonderful.

  2. celine says:

    what a beautiful cake! happy belated birthday to you, Cory.

  3. Susan says:

    Happy belated birthday, Cory! My birthday is later this month and I just may make this for myself – it looks fantastic!

  4. Kelli says:

    mmm! All that beautiful cake needs is a big glass of milk beside it.

  5. Cheffresco says:

    My boyfriend’s birthday is March 2nd as well! I made him a very similar looking cake – too funny :) You can check it out if you want! http://www.cheffresco.blogspot.com/

  6. ingrid says:

    Hey, I (& Charity) just made that same cake and posted it yesterday…great minds, LOL! Yours looks terrific. I made the Ina’s frosting though,too. I like how you added the white chocolate shavings!

    Happy Birthday, hope it was a GREAT one!!!! :-)
    ~ingrid

  7. Culinary Cory says:

    Hey Everyone! Thank you so much for the wonderful birthday greetings. The cake was wonderful and my day was delightful.

    Thanks again for reading my blog and posting all these great comments. Cheers!

  8. camille says:

    Happy birthday! And nothing’s wrong with baking your own birthday cake – at least that way you know you’ll like it!

  9. Happy Birthday Cory!! Is there anything better than a luscious beautiful chocolate cake to celebrate with? I don’t like an overly sweet chocolate cake either but I do love adding a bit of coffee into the batter.
    Gorgeous cake and beautiful photos as always! Enjoy your day. Cheers!!

  10. Marie says:

    Happy Birthday Cory! It’s my birthday today too- the big 50 (groan). The cake looks yummy. I love chocolate. I’ll have to try this recipe.

  11. Hillary says:

    Your cake looks fantastically moist! Happy birthday to you!

  12. Biz says:

    Happy Belated Birthday Cory! And that cake looks delicious!

    I am a March baby too – not until the 19th though – and my daughter’s birthday is March 7!

    Happy Monday!

  13. Memoria says:

    Is there a substitute for the coffee? I don’t drink the stuff anymore.

    • Culinary Cory says:

      That’s actually a good question Memoria. I don’t drink coffee either, which is why I opted for decaf in the recipe. You can’t really taste the coffee, it just makes the chocolate more intense. Does anyone out there have a suggestion?

  14. Sues says:

    Happy birthday!! I just made a cake with very similar frosting and it was goood. I LOVE your white chocolate shavings though. perfect touch!

  15. Cherie says:

    Happy Birthday!! Me too! Your cake looks luscious–enoy!

  16. Moira says:

    Happy Birthday, i hope you have a wonderful day between family and friends.
    The cake looks very delicious, i wish i could have a slice with a cup of coffee.

  17. brilynn says:

    That cake looks like a wonderful way to celebrate, happy birthday!

  18. Jennifer says:

    Happy Birthday! BEAUTIFUL cake!! :D

  19. Pearl says:

    Happy birthday, Cory! Wow! You are so talented! Do you mind if I add you to my blogroll? I love your blog

  20. Dimah says:

    Happy Birthday!
    Cake looks so rich and delicious

  21. Melissa says:

    Happy Birthday! I don’t comment here as much as I should, but I always read you. Your food and your pictures, especially, are amazing. I hope you have a lovely day.

  22. Jackie says:

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
    This cake looks delicious! The photo is great too! The colors are vivid!

  23. Nicholas says:

    Awe, Happy Birthday. It is a shame you had to bake your own cake.

  24. Joyeux Anniversaire…!

    I wish you a very happy day with lots of yummy chocolat…
    beautiful cake, just what I would want for my birthday.

    A birthday hug to you…! ! !

  25. I am coming to Pburg for a slice!

    Happy birthday CC!

  26. VeggieGirl says:

    YOU HAVE THE SAME BIRTHDAY AS MY BROTHER!!!! :-D Happy birthday!!!

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  1. [...] The cake is based on Ina Garten’s (The Barefoot Contessa) recipe (just the cake) and the icing is a Sour Cream Chocolate Icing with White Chocolate Shavings. You can find the recipe on Cory’s website: http://culinarycory.com/2009/03/01/happy-birthday-chocolate-cake [...]



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