I feel pretty lucky to work with some lovely ladies. There are seven young women on my team and we are all very close. Literally. Like within 3 feet of each others faces. Besides just sitting close, we are friends too. We come in on Monday and chat about our weekends, eat lunch together at noon on the dot, and are drinking wine by four (just kidding! We save that for Fridays). These ladies keep me sane and are a major part of why I enjoy going to work everyday.
To share my love for said coworkers, I baked the January birthday girls a cake (4 birthdays within 2 weeks!). Ya ya, you know I like baking already so you are wondering how that shows my love? Well, let me tell you. I packed that cake up in my cake carrier, and brought it to work on public transportation. Muni no less! I am scared to hold the cake carrier with the handle, so I held it like a baby and hobbled to the bus stop. I managed to keep it out of fellow bus riders’ way, but it had a little bit of a rough time sliding around with the SF hills. I got some good stares, worked my arm muscles a bit, and the cake made it safely to the office building.
We had a delish team birthday lunch at Fringale, ate this delicious chocolate buttercream cake, and tried to work through the afternoon food coma.
Antique “Ombre” Chocolate Buttercream Cake
Three Layer Chocolate Cake
Recipe from Cooks.com
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
- 1 1/4 cups hot water
- 2 squares (1 oz. each) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Heat oven to 350°F. Line three 9-inch round cake pans with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Dissolve espresso powder in water; stir in chocolate until melted. Cool. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in bowl. Beat butter and sugars in mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. With mixer at low speed, add dry ingredients alternately with chocolate mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients, until blended. Spread batter in prepared pans; bake 22 to 25 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 20 minutes. Invert and remove pans; invert cakes again, right side up, on racks and cool.
Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com
- 1 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons milk
To make the frosting, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Slowly add the sugar one cup at a time while beating on medium speed. Add in the milk one tablespoon at a time and beat until light and fluffy. Make sure to not add too much milk as when you go to decorate, you will need a bit thicker frosting that normal.
The restaurant sliced and served it for us, and even drizzled some vanilla sauce on top. Mmm good.
The only downside to 4 of 7 work birthdays in one month is that I won’t have as many excuses to make more cake. I think cake decorating might be my new favorite hobby.
Anyone else have an upcoming birthday??
20 Responses
It has espresso in it!?! That’s, like, coffee…
haha i know…this time it actually made it taste better. imagine that?!
It’s 6:30am and I desperately wish I could eat that cake for breakfast! It’s beautiful! Maybe we can practice our piping skills together!
It was unbelievably delicious! I also loved how Fringale drizzled Vanilla on our slices to make it look extra fancy pants. 🙂
By far the best chocolate cake, I’ve ever had! 🙂
It is such a pretty cake! I will have to bring my piping tips to next craft day so you can teach me some tricks 🙂
you should! i don’t know much yet either…but we can learn together
wow! I think I got my chocolate fix just reading this 🙂
Very pretty, I’ve always wanted to do one of these. Congratulations on Top 9!
it was actually pretty easy- you should try it!
Wow, what a gorgeous cake! Impressive frosting. And the flavors sound absolutely to die for 🙂
This cake looks delightful!
Oh sooooo pretty! I wish I could have a piece 😉
Congrats on Top 9!!!!!
Lovely cake and lucky co-workers!
Congratulations for being Top 9! This is such a pretty cake and i bet it tastes even better!!!
I love this cake! It’s sooo pretty 🙂
The cake is beautiful! And I love hearing about how you travelled to work with it!
thanks! that is the worst part of baking for an event…trying to get it there in one piece!
Your cake looks beautiful and delicious:) Congratulations on the Foodbuzz Top 9.
What a beautiful cake! And so sweet that you baked it for your coworkers 🙂 Congrats on Top 9!