Worst Blog Ever

A couple of weeks ago, I celebrated my 42nd birthday, and…oh, thank you!  No, please stop!  Thank you!
Anywho…Kristie and I made this totally kick-ass birthday cake that we found on the intertubes.  Which, as it turns it is the exact same recipe as the bad-for-your waist, but good for the taste cake in Eat Shrink and be Merry.  Ok, the recipe for the cake was the same, but the frosting was different.  The frosting for the inter-cake was using seven minute frosting, whereas the frosting for the paper-cook-bookish-cake was a type of butter frosting.
Anyway, where was I going with this?  Oh yeah!  Today, I decided to use the cake recipe to make some cup cakes.  I just pulled the first batch out of the oven and they look and smell great (see pic).  As soon as they cool down, I’m going to make a batch of seven minute frosting to put on them.
Here is the recipe for the cake, courtesy of Smitten Kitten.  And here is a picture of the cupcake with the seven minute frosting.
Note: We didn’t try the ganache frosting.

Chocolate Cake Layers

• 3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
  
• 1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
  
• 3 cups sugar
  
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
  
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
  
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  
• 3 large eggs
  
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  
• 1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
  
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Method

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease pans. Line bottoms of 2 10-inch* round cake pans with wax paper and grease paper.
   
2. Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
   
3. Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well.
   
4. Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.
   
5. Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

* Note: This cake will overflow if baked in 9-inch cake pans. If you only have 9-inch pans, you might want to 2/3 the cake recipe instead, as following: 2 ounces chocolate, 1 cup coffee, 2 cups sugar, 1 2/3 cup flour, 1 cup cocoa, 1 1/3 teaspoons baking soda, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup oil, 1 cup buttermilk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, etc. and reduce the baking time by at least ten minutes.
 

Marshmallow, or Seven Minute Frosting

• 2 large egg whites
  
• 1/2 cup sugar
  
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
  
• 2 tablespoons water
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Method

1. Combine frosting ingredients with a pinch of salt in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and beat with a handheld electric mixer at high speed until frosting is thick and fluffy, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and continue to beat until slightly cooled. Use frosting the day it is made.

Ganache Frosting

(Used in the first and second options below)

• 1/2 pound fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
  
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
  
• 1 tablespoon sugar
  
• 1 tablespoons light corn syrup
  
• 1/4 stick (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter

Method

1. Finely chop chocolate. In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. Cut butter into pieces and add to frosting, whisking until smooth.
   
2. Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable (depending on chocolate used, it may be necessary to chill frosting to spreadable consistency). I found that stirring this over a bowl of ice water did a great job of cooling it off quickly and evenly.
   
3. Spread frosting over top and sides of cake. Chilling the cake will harden the chocolate coating.

Make Your Own Hostess Cupcake, Ding Dong, Ring Ding, King Don Cake: Bake two cake layers as directed. Halve one layer horizontally into two thin layers. Place the first one on a cake plate. Take the second cake and cut a large hole out of the center, about 6-inches across — you won’t be using this. As carefully as possible, place this on top of the halved cake layer on the stand. Fill the entire cut-out area with frosting, leaving a half cup aside if you wish to pipe the signature loops or a message across the top. Lay the second halved layer on top of this, sealing the filling in. Spread the ganache coating over top and sides of cake. Once ganache is firm and chilled (the fridge does a great job of this, quickly), you can decorate it with a piping bag or a makeshift one, a sandwich bag with the corner snipped off.
Make Your Own Little Debbie Devil Square Cake: Proceed as above, but bake the two layers in square cake pans.
Make Your Own Devil Dog Cake: Bake two cake layers, in an oblong or long rectangular pan (you can round the edges after you bake it) if you have. Use the frosting only between the cake layers.