Chocolate Strawberry Layer Cake

Sometimes, when I'm too distracted and excitable to meditate, I cook. So far, though, I've only touched the baking realm; I'm taking it slow, transitioning from making desserts to more adventurous elements (roast lamb, homemade pasta) and ultimately, souffle. But I won't be expecting that for a very very long time.

The other day, I decided to test out a chocolate strawberry layer cake recipe. I think I'll stick to a denser batter and ganache instead of proper frosting next time.

Add 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups granulated sugar, ¾ cups unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, and 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt into a large bowl.

 Combine.

For the wet ingredients, add 2 large eggs, 1 cup buttermilk, ½ cup vegetable oil, and 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract. I prefer separate eggs into small ramekins first, a guarantee that no stray slivers of shell make it into the batter. Additionally, I prefer cracking eggs on a hard, even surface instead of on edges, which, in turn, makes the shell easier to break open.

Add the wet ingredients into the dry; I prefer using a whisk, but a spatula is more than appropriate. 

The consistency should not be excessively runny.

 Pour in a cup of boiling water; stir.

I preheated my oven to 350F and lined a round cake pan with parchment paper. Make sure to grease the sides. Separate the batter into three batches and bake for 17 minutes.

Combine 1 ½ sticks unsalted, melted butter, 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons milk, 4 ½ cups sugar, ½ tablespoon pure vanilla extract and 2 teaspoons light corn syrup.

 To create a silkier complexion, I utilized a double boiler. 

Wash a few strawberries for an optional garnish

Because cooking is such a strenuous process (for me), I like to indulge in nutella.

I spread strawberry jam between the layers to intensify the strawberry persona. Drizzle the frosting.

Voila! C'est tout.

My darlings, as I am not a professional baker at all, I decided to test out the hardest recipe for me as of yet: layer cake. Upon cradling the cakes out of the oven, I realized that the batter was more moist than I initially believed, which benefits the palate but takes away from the general presentation. Next time, I must search for a more successful recipe.