Chocolate Donut Birthday Cake
This fun and whimsical chocolate donut birthday cake is so delicious and indulgent!
Okay, for reals, I think this chocolate donut cake is the most fun cake I've ever made. Just look at it! My sweet little Lizzy turned seven years old this week (which is totally mind-blowing to me!) and asked for a chocolate cake to celebrate. Since she was endlessly jealous of her sister's donut cake from last May, I decided it would be fun to make her cake into a chocolate donut. It turned out so adorable, and the birthday girl's jaw dropped when she saw it. That's a cake win in my book!
I used my favorite easy chocolate cake recipe (baked in a ten inch ring pan), then filled it with Nutella frosting and drizzled it with chocolate ganache. It was surprisingly easy to make, and turned out even better than I had imagined. I topped it with a fun sprinkle mix I got at Bruce's Candy Kitchen on our last visit to Cannon Beach (the cutest candy store ever!) and it looked so pretty and festive. I'm totally digging this new sprinkle mix trend. I love all the different colors, shapes, and sizes of sprinkles all jumbled up together into a fun mix!
The cake is so rich and chocolatey, and gets an extra boost of flavor from the luscious ganache on top. The Nutella buttercream filling is the perfect touch! We served our cake with some Tillamook Fireside S'mores ice cream on the side (my favorite and Lizzy's favorite ice cream), and it was chocolate heaven. The birthday girl absolutely loved her cake, and we had fun celebrating our cute girl!
Chocolate Donut Birthday Cake
for the cake:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 ounces) cold butter
5 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
for the filling:
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup Nutella
for the ganache:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy cream
pinch of salt
sprinkles (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350. Butter and flour a 10 inch ring pan and set aside. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the sugar, flour, cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Grate the butter into the flour mixture, and mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the sour cream and vanilla, and mix well. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and spread to level. Bake 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
To make the filling, in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the powdered sugar and salt, beating until smooth. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. Add Nutella and beat until light and fluffy. Slice the cake in half horizontally and spread the filling over the bottom layer, then replace the top.
To make the ganache, add the chocolate chips to a small mixing bowl. Heat the cream to boiling on the stove or in the microwave, then pour over the chocolate chips. Let sit 1-2 minutes, then whisk until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Stir in the salt. Let the ganache sit until it firms up to a good pouring consistency, then spoon it over the cake. Top with sprinkles if desired.
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