Another chocolate cake

To celebrate my sixth year at Kalmbach, I made a chocolate cake with mocha frosting. I love this Hershey chocolate cake so much, it’s hard to try other recipes.

A couple of weeks ago, I found a frosting recipe on the wrapper of an unsweetened chocolate bar — when I made a different, less tasty chocolate cake. I tend to view frosting as a waste of calories, but I couldn’t in good conscience serve a naked chocolate cake to my co-workers. There’s something uncelebratory about that. So I tried this recipe.

And loved it. It’s like having a layer of mocha fudge atop the cake. I figure, it’s not a waste of calories if it actually tastes good.

A couple of notes:
It’s best to make the frosting right before you use it. When it sets, the solid consistency makes it hard to spread evenly. Also, I used 2 Tbsp. of strong brewed coffee (Alterra) instead of the instant granules, which I think are a travesty. Finally, I reduced the powdered sugar a bit.

Ghirardelli mocha buttercream frosting
(Yield: one 9 x 13” cake)

2 tsp. granulated instant coffee
2 Tbsp. boiling water
1 bar (4 oz.) Ghirardelli 100% Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate Baking Bar, melted
2/3 cup butter
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup milk
1½ tsp. vanilla extract

Dissolve the instant coffee granules in the boiling water. Stir into melted chocolate and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla extract, mixing until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and mix until well combined.

For you Ghirardelli purists, here’s a devil's food cake recipe that goes with the frosting (there’s yet another one on the chocolate bar wrapper). It looks rich — butter and buttermilk, whoa! If you try it, let me know how it is.