Ok so this is chocolate cake recipe no. 3. I liked this because it has Kahlua in it, which I like the flavor of. The mixture of coffee and chocolate really go well together. The original recipes was a mess, however. It listed baking soda twice, no baking powder at all, nor any sugar, among other things. Then a friend sent me the previous recipe and I realized that it was basically the same cake, modified to have Kahlua in it. And not messed up. So between the two I was able to figure out what it should and shouldn’t have in it and fixed it. Also this one called for strawberry frosting as well, which I thought would be gross with the coffee flavor of Kahlua. So instead I used a chocolate ganache frosting. Enjoy!

Kahlua Chocolate Cake with Whipped Chocolate Ganache Frosting

Cake:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups Dutch processed cocoa powder (the darker the better)
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 4 large eggs, at room temp
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup Kahlua
• 1 tsp espresso powder
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp. real vanilla extract

Frosting:

• 9 oz chocolate, chopped (I used dark)
• 9 oz heavy cream, hot
• 1 tsp espresso powder
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temp*
• 8 oz cream cheese, at room temp
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350° and spray 3 round 8″ cake pans with non-stick cooking spray, line with parchment paper, and spray again.

Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder & soda, and salt in a large bowl.

Nuke the water until warm, about 1 minute. Add in the espresso powder (this really enhances the chocolate flavor).

In a large measuring cup, beat together the eggs and sour cream. Add in the buttermilk, oil, Kahlua and vanilla. Pour the warm water mixture and the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients. Use a spatula to fold all the ingredients together until combined. Like brownies, you don’t want to over mix it or you’ll get a chewy cake.

Divide the batter evenly between 3 pans. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to completely cool.

Microwave the heavy cream for 1 1/2 minutes until hot. Pour over the chocolate and let sit for 3-4 minutes. Beat until smooth (you may need to nuke it again, do so 15 seconds at a time). Beat in the espresso powder. Allow to cool, beating every 5 to 10 minutes, until it’s barely warm.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth. As in the previous two recipes, make sure the butter is super soft. Add in the chocolate ganache and beat the crap out of it until it’s smooth and somewhat fluffy. Turn down to low and slowly add in the powdered sugar, beat until incorporated, and then turn it up and beat the crap out of it again. Once it’s light and fluffy you can frost your cake.