Kit Kat Cake and a Birthday

I have five adorable nephews one of which celebrated his 10th birthday last month.  And one thing he knows is that his auntie will make the cake he desires.  The one thing I can count on when it comes to his birthday cake is that it will include chocolate.  This year he decided he wanted a cake that would reflect his favorite candy bar, Kit Kat.  This was not a surprise as last year he wanted cupcakes, you guessed it, Kit Kat.  I decided that the cake would look like a normal chocolate cake on the outside but I would try to make the cake look like the layers of a Kit Kat when it was cut into. My nephew agreed to this but he had one stipulation, there MUST be Kit Kat pieces on top.  I think he was happy with the results.

Friends came over, pizza and cake were eaten and presents were opened.  We had a wonderful time socializing and celebrating this very important mile stone, the first decade of life.

Kit Kat Cake

Vanilla Buttermilk cake (make a double batch)

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1-1/4 cups sugar
4  large whole eggs, room temperature
1 cups buttermilk, room temperature
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 baking pan.  I used a deep roasting pan in order to insure it would not spill over while baking. REMEMBER - YOU NEED TO DOUBLE ALL INGREDIENTS.  Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a small mixing bowl.

 

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium. Add eggs, beating until each is incorporated, scrape down sides of bowl as needed and continue to beat on medium heat until pale yellow. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until combined after each. Beat in vanilla, continue beating for 1 minute.

 

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until cake springs back when lightly touched and a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 50-55 minutes. Transfer pan to wire racks to cool 20 minutes; turn  cake onto cooling rack and cool completely.

 

Chocolate Frosting (make a double batch if using for Kit Kat cake)

Very slightly adapted from Our Best Bites

2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup (2 sticks) real butter, softened
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

REMEMBER TO DOUBLE ALL INGREDIENTS.  Melt your chocolate chips and set aside to cool to room temperature.  chocolate shoud not harden but should still be stir-able and soft.

In a small saucepan, whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa, and milk. Bring it all to a low boil, whisking frequently. Boil 1-3 minutes or until thickened like a thinned pudding.  Do not allow to get too thick or the next step will be difficult.  Remove pan from heat and strain mixture through a mesh strainer, stirring and pushing it through and into a small bowl to remove any lumps. Cool completely in the refrigerator or freezer stirring occasionally.

When chocolate flour mixture is completely cooled, beat the butter until creamy, about 1 minute.  Beat in the cooled chocolate mixture until well combined fluffy, about 1 minute.  Finally add in cooled  melted chocolate and beat again until well combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Spread frosting on  cake and use to decorate.

ASSEMBLE CAKE

Cut the cake into three even layers.  You may use a long serrated knife or a long piece of floss by wrapping it around the cake at the level you want to separate the layers, cross the ends of the floss and pull it through the cake.  Remove the layers.  

Place bottom layer of tray.  Spread a thin layer of chocolate frosting over the top of the bottom layer and top it with the second layer.  Spread another thin layer of frosting over the second layer and top it with the top layer.  Frost and decorate the cake as you like.