Three layers of my go-to dark, dense and rich chocolate cake sandwiched by balsamic cherry compote and an intense chocolate frosting. Jump to Recipe
Last week marked three years of The Brick Kitchen. Three years! Sure doesn’t feel like it. It started as a small thing and graduated into a medium hobby and now, at least to me, it feels like a decent piece of my life. And it was only on the back of a minor disappointment that it even occurred at all. I had just missed out on a position at the university college I stayed at, and whinged to a friend that next year I would be SO BORED with just lectures to fill my time. “You should start a food blog!” was the response. So that was that. Said friend later became one of my housemates in Melbourne, so it at least procured her a steady supply of baking!
It’s taught me more that I could have conceived at that stage, and not just from the writing/photography/website skillset. Here are four points that come to mind:
1. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Sometimes people won’t like what you do (ignore them), sometimes recipes refuse to work out, sometimes a photoshoot turns to crap, sometimes you get sick at the worst moment, sometimes (most of the time) you simply overshoot and don’t find enough hours in the day to get through that to-do list. It’s fine. Keep those high expectations but accept that not everything is always going to go your way. Breathe. Get some sleep. Tomorrow is always a new day!
2. It’s SO HARD not to compare yourself to everyone else (’s instagram feeds). Social media has made the world a much smaller place – it’s built wonderful communities, but also puts us into other people’s pockets every time we switch on a device (the very polished, pretty, most perfect pockets of those lives, I should add). With that in your face, it’s near impossible not to wish you could do X like that or that you aren’t as good at X as someone else [insert whatever you look at: photograph, organise, design, travel, LIVE, be as thin/pretty/friendly/funny as…]. Just because their life looks like the pages of a magazine doesn’t mean it is, or that it’s any more fulfilling than yours. I’m trying to switch off more – I’m starting to find that scrolling through what should be inspiration too often means it ceases to be inspiration, and becomes a fairly negative distraction.
3. Goals are not the be all and end all. Can I admit I still have no idea what I want to do? It’s a bit scary. I have no concept of the finish line right now. But as long as you find things you enjoy, put in the mileage for things that seem worth it, persist and improve – I’m sure you don’t need a spreadsheet mapping out quarterly goals for your 10 year life plan (if that’s your thing, go for it – it just isn’t mine yet!).
4. A few keys to energy balance while creating and loving food constantly (this remains a work in progress): surrounding yourself with family and friends who will help you consume it, moving your body every day, choosing your sweets wisely, baking cakes for occasions (my friends/family are very used to that slice that has already been cut and photographed!). I love butter and sugar, but when I eat them it has to be worth it – e.g. an Alison Roman salted butter chocolate chunk shortbread cookie vs a random store bought biscuit in the cupboard. Maybe some would say I’m a food snob, but I’ll own that if it means I can make my cake and eat it too. Don’t stress about it or let it consume you. It comes back to Michael Pollan’s infamous food rules – eat food. not too much. mostly plants.
Most of all, thank you for being here along for the ride! Let me introduce you to this celebratory chocolate, coconut & cherry layer cake. It’s a solid 10, ok? Three layers of my GO-TO chocolate cake – dark, dense and rich but also very easy. The secret is lots of dutch process cocoa, tangy buttermilk, oil instead of butter and espresso to amp up that chocolate flavour. It’s sandwiched by Thalia Ho’s chocolate frosting – the best I’ve ever tried. No sickly sweet buttercream around here! And the best bit? A sticky, syrupy balsamic cherry compote infusing every bite. Enjoy!
Claudia x
- Most popular posts: Roasted Eggplant Shakshuka and Lemon, Almond & Raspberry Layer Cake
- 2 year post: Peach & Blackberry Pie with Olive Oil Gelato
- 1 year post: Momofuku German Chocolate Espresso Cake
- First post: Plum, Coconut & Lemon Syrup Cake
Three layers of my go-to dark, dense and rich chocolate cake sandwiched by balsamic cherry compote and an intense chocolate frosting.
- 1 3/4 cup plain flour (275g)
- 1/2 cup fine dessicated coconut (50g)
- 2 cups white sugar (400g)
- 1 1/2 cups dutch process cocoa powder (170g)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 eggs , room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 3/4 cup canola oil (vegetable oil)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla essence
- 1 cup hot coffee (I used 2x double shots, topped up with boiling water)
- 1 cup fresh cherries , cut into quarters
- 2 cups fresh cherries , pitted and halved
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn flour / starch
- coconut chips for decoration
- 200 g dark chocolate (70%)
- 260 g salted butter , at room temperature
- 200 g icing sugar
- 60 g dutch processed cocoa powder , sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence or paste
- 2-3 tbsp cream
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If making the cakes the same day as layer it together, make the cherry compote first and melt the chocolate for the frosting to give them enough time to cool down.
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Preheat the oven to 170°C. Grease and line 3 x 20cm round cake tins with baking paper.
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In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, coconut, white sugar, sifted cocoa, baking soda and baking powder.
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Add the eggs, buttermilk, canola oil and vanilla and mix to just combine.
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While mixing on low speed, gradually pour in the hot coffee and mix until fully combined.
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Divide the chocolate cake mix evenly between the three cake tins. Scatter the chopped cherries over the cakes.
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Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out with a few moist crumbs (it doesn’t have to be completely clean). Keep in mind that the cakes may cook at different speeds depending on where they are in your oven.
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Cool in the tins for 10 minutes then remove to cool completely. At this point if there is a slight dome I press down with the palm of my hand to flatten it - don’t worry, it won’t squash the cake or make it too dense!
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Put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before you frost the cake - this just makes them easier to frost.
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In a small pot, combine the pitted halved cherries, balsamic, 1 tablespoon of water, 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of cornflour.
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Stir over a medium heat until the cherry juices start to bubble. Simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the cherry juices are sticky and thick, and the cherries are tender.
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Transfer to a bowl and set aside (or in the fridge) to cool. This must be at room temperature or colder before you layer it into the cake or you will have very melted frosting
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Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Set it aside and let it cool to room temperature (must, or your frosting will be melted!)
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Place the cooled cakes in the refrigerator for 30 minutes while you make the frosting.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and creamy, 3-4 minutes.
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. Add the icing sugar and cocoa powder a little at a time until evenly blended.
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Add the melted chocolate and vanilla and mix on low until blended. Gradually add the cream and increase the speed to medium - beat for a few more minutes until the frosting is smooth, thick and shiny.
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On a cake board, plate or cake stand, smear a teaspoon of frosting and place the first layer of cake on top of it (the frosting acts a bit like glue).
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Fill a piping bag with frosting.
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Spread a thin layer of frosting on top of the first cake. Use the piping bag to pipe a circle around the edge of the layer (see photos). Fill inside this with half of the balsamic cherry compote.
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Gently place the second layer of cake on top and make sure it is even. Press down gently.
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Spread another thin layer of frosting on top of the second cake, pipe a circle of frosting on top and fill with the remaining cherries.
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Gently place the final cake on top. Use the remaining frosting to coat the remaining cake. At this point if it is a warm day it can be very helpful to put the cake in the fridge for 15 minutes before finishing frosting. See this post for more frosting tips. (LINK) Decorate with whole cherries and coconut chips.
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Store leftovers refrigerated but bring to room temperature before serving.
- If making this in advance, store the cake layers tightly wrapped in plastic wrap inside an airtight container for up to 3 days .
- Make the cherry compote first as it needs to cool completely before being used. The same goes for the melted chocolate for the frosting.
- Make the chocolate frosting right before serving.
- While frosting the cake, it can be helpful to intermittently place the cake in the fridge if you are in a warm room.
- The cake is best served on the day it is constructed, but leftovers keep well in the fridge for about 5 days in an airtight container. Just bring to room temperature before serving.
Congratulations Claudia! You have achieved a huge amount in 3 years!!! As someone who has been following since nearly the beginning I have loved watching your blog evolve over the last few years and all the beautiful recipes you post. This cake looks divine! Love that frosting! Your blog in a sea of food blogs is a true pleasure to read 🙂
Ah Ruby thank you so much! It really is a sea (oceans, even?) of food blogs, so that puts the biggest smile on my face to know that you enjoy mine! Hope you are well xx
Congrats on your third year of blogging! All your words of wisdom resonate so much (even though I’m more of an Instagram foodie than a fully fledged blogger). Thanks for sharing! And that chocolate cherry cake looks delicious, I’ll have to add it to my list of recipes from your blog to try. Your smart writing and drool-worthy photos keep me coming back for more!
Thanks so much Felicia! Not sure how wise they are, but also glad you can relate (and come on, it feels like half the work of blogging is the instagram part anyway, right??!).
Haha i love reading this post! Congratulations, I started my fashion, motherhood and food blog last year while on maternity leave and it is so motivating. I love when you call yourself a food snob as a former colleague called me that and I was proud of it. Like you say, if you eat and especially sweets they should be great and worth it! This cake recipe looks so yummy I will definitely do it for my husbands birthday this month. Thank you for the tips especially don’t sweat the small stuff as tomorrow is another day. Sometimes my monday’s post gets published on Tuesday but I tell myself well at least it gets done. Better late then never.
Great work studying and having a successful blog.
http://www.citruslove.com
Thank you!!! Glad we can be food snobs together haha. My blog posts often run a bit late too but it is so true that better a day late than not at all! Would love to know what you think of the cake 🙂
Hi Claudia,
I made the cake and these are my thoughts….my hubby absolutely loved it!!
It’s a great chocolate cake but I had to modify some things.
– I used raspberries instead of cherries since I did not have any on hand.
-i did not put the coffee since I wanted to give some to my toddler and did not think that coffee would be good for him or me haha! So I added 1 cup of milk instead.
– I made 2 layers instead of 3 since I found it to much cake for us 3.
– I actually would have loved to have more compote instead between the layers…next time I would double the recipe and keep some aside for additional dipping…yum!
I like that the coconut cuts the sweetness a little as well as balsamic. It is a great cake recipe to keep on hand.
Will post pictures on Instagram for you to see it. 😀
http://www.citruslove.com
Congrats lady! As a compulsive over-comparer, I totally appreciate how tricky it is not to compare yourself. I legit JUST caught myself saying to rich “Oh man. I wish I was that good / could do things like that”. The worst.
This cake looks like allll kinds of perfect and I’m going to have to try that frosting ASAP. The other night I dreamed about a chocolate cake made in a pullman pan with frosting on the top, and I think this will be the frosting! hahaha.
Hopefully your time in the UK includes a wee visit to NYC every now and then! Always a couch here for you! xx
hahaha alllll the time!! And omg I would LOVE a wee visit to NYC this year… I’ll keep in touch xx
Excellent advice and congratulations! I’ve always enjoyed your creations but also your words. It’s a joy to take some time to not just look at what you’ve done but to read too. And whoah that chocolate-it’s so deep and dark I’m seriously getting lost in it.
Meg that means so much! Wish I could send you piece. Thank you, hope you’re well! x
happy blogiversary!!! this looks like such an awesome cake to celebrate with, from that velvety smooth chocolate frosting to that ridiculously dark cake to the slightly tangy cherries. and we’re still young- i feel like college is a hotbed of stress and not quite quarter life crises, applicable to both personal and work/school (; as long as you’re enjoying the journey, the goals can come later!
Thanks Heather!! I feel like I need to replace my cake description with yours…ridiculously dark and velvety is so spot on! that is so true – quarter life crises EVERYWHERE.
Congratulations Claudia, love the blog, recipes, photos and words and thoughts. All the recipes I have tried have been fabulous. Still can’t believe you can do this AND study medicine. Looking forward to seeing what the future holds for you.
Thanks so much Gabrielle!! I have no idea what the future holds either…we’ll see! So glad you guys love the recipes xx
This is such a masterpiece! I love this beautifulicious chocolate layer cake with cherry and coconut! By the way, I had tried and commented your banana bread a few weeks ago but it seems my comment ended up in your spams. Could you double check maybe? 🙂
Thank you so much! Yes I just checked and it was in the spam folder – sorry about that! It doesn’t usually catch normal (human!) comments but occasionally does. So glad you enjoyed the banana bread on the other side of the world! 🙂
Amazing. I’m sure it tastes as good as it looks.
Hi Claudia. How many servings do you think you could get from this cake?
Hi Melissa! I would say probably 20 serves? It’s a pretty tall cake. Depends how big slice you are planning on doing, but at least 15-20.
Hey Claudia! So I absolutely love this chocolate cake and I’ve made it before with 8 inch pan’s like you specify…however, I want to adapt it a bit and make it into a three layer 6 inch cake. Do you have any idea how I could reduce the quantities? My maths is terrible so any help would be greatly appreciated! xx
Hi Pasha! No worries at all. For a 3 layer 6 inch cake, I would do a 2/3 mix (so using 2 eggs, 1 cup buttermilk, 1/2 cup oil etc). The layers will be slightly thicker than the original 8 inch cake, but I think it would still cook well.
The way I worked that out was the area of the 20cm tins is 314cm2 (just put area of a circle into google), then the area of 6 inch tin is approx 185cm2. So you could do a half mix but that would be too small (and its hard to halve 3 eggs), and a 2/3 mix will be slightly bigger but I think it’ll still work well. You could always make a couple of muffins out of the mix too if you want the proportions exactly the same as the original! Hope that makes sense.
thanks so much for this! I’ll let you know how it turns out 🙂
Hey! So cutting it into 2/3 for a 6 inch 3 layer cake worked perfect! I don’t think I would have needed it any thicker, such a good moist cake-the person I was baking it for gave it rave reviews!! 🙂
So glad that worked so well! Thanks for letting me know 🙂 🙂
Hi there! Could you leave the coconut out of this recipe without having to make any adjustments to the dry ingredients?
Hi Mari! I would add 1/4 cup more flour to the recipe (so increase the total flour to 2 cups) . Hope that helps!