Vanilla Bean Chocolate Cake.
Here’s the big question.
Are you a chocolate or vanilla person?
I just can’t decide. Annoyingly, as usual.
Which shouldn’t come as a shock to those of you that know me, an indecisive food lover, occasionally flashing my flakey dessert options.
The thing is, like most of desserts or indulgences, it totally depends on my mood. I love chocolate AND vanilla ice cream, but has my day been wonderful or terrible? If we’re being completely honest then most of you know that I will go for the seriously trashed up version (how many desserts can I shove inside a dessert?) but chocolate or vanilla as the base? That is the question.
I’ve always been the same way with cake, but I’d say that nine times out of ten, a fudgy chocolate version wins. For instance, if my mom was making me a birthday cake? I’d probably ask for fudgy chocolate. I might also ask for “yellow” cake with chocolate fudge frosting but let’s not split hairs here.
It’s no secret that baking cakes – actual layer cakes – is not my cup of tea due to extreme lack of patience in the cake cooling, crumb coating and frosting departments. But I was determined to make a cake for Eddie this past week after he had been traveling, because he loves COLD refrigerated cake and frosting. Absolutely loves it.
Even if he is desperately craving a piece of cake, he has to stick it in the fridge (or maybe the freezer, if the craving is so severe) before he eats it. Cold cake is the only way to go. With his side of diet Coke, of course. Why is that a thing?!
Plus, even if I don’t like BAKING cakes, I like EATING cakes. It’s a win-win either way – but there might be a tantrum or two in the middle.
Last summer I experienced the wonderful Rodelle vanilla products in this no churn ice cream (and subsequent peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough blizzard, thank you very much) and it has been the only vanilla bean paste I’ve been using ever since. I LOVE me some vanilla bean paste. Also, this reserve vanilla is pretty much the best thing that’s stashed in my kitchen right now, and I have fight Eddie every time he tries to put it in his oatmeal. I’m like – you don’t need this liquid gold in your OATMEAL.
So, this year, I’m partnering with Rodelle to bring you some out-of-this-world chocolate and vanilla recipes over the course of 2016. I’m already hungry.
Sidenote, this is how messy the frosted cake looks before you smooth it out. It’s actually quite simple. Stick that frosting on and then smooth it out with an offset spatula. If you have perfectionist cake frosting tendencies, yours will even end up looking thirty times better.
Bake to my favorite vanilla beans though – can you see the little flecks in the frosting?! Eeep. That makes me ridiculously happy.
Not only is the cake inside super chocolately and laced with vanilla bean – it’s covered in three buttercream frostings. It’s slightly high maintenance, but not as bad as you may think. If I can do it, you can totally do it. TRUST ME.
We have vanilla bean frosting – a chocolate cocoa frosting – and then a richer, fudgy dark chocolate frosting. Your valentine deserves it!
Even if your valentine is yourself.
Two frostings in the center, quick mini chocolate curls on top, lots of delicious feelings baked inside: it’s one little rich slice of love.
Vanilla Bean Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup Rodelle dutch process cocoa
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon Rodelle vanilla paste
- 1 teaspoon Rodelle vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot brewed coffee
vanilla bean and cocoa frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 to 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon Rodelle vanilla paste
- 1 teaspoon Rodelle vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon whole milk, if needed
- 3 tablespoons Rodelle dutch process cocoa
- 1 chocolate bar for curls, if desired
chocolate fudge frosting
- 5 ounces high quality chocolate, chopped
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons Rodelle dutch process cocoa
- 1 teaspoon Rodelle vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda and salt.
- In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the eggs, sugar and oil together until combined, mixing on medium speed for about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the milk, vanilla extract and paste. With the mixer on low speed, stir in the dry ingredients, and once they are all added, increase the speed to medium-high. Beat the cake batter for another 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the hot coffee into the batter and stir by hand to incorporate it – it will seem a bit thin and water, but stir and fold the batter until it is combined. Pour the cake batter evenly into both pans. Place in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the center is set. Let the cake cool almost completely (I wait about 25 minutes) before gently turning it out on parchment paper. This cake is super moist and soft, so be careful!
- I like to wrap the cakes in plastic wrap once cool and refrigerate or freeze so they are easier to frost. I freeze them overnight. Then I make the frosting the next morning and go from there. To frost, remove the cakes and place a layer of the chocolate fudge frosting on one of the cakes. Top it with a big spoonful of the cocoa frosting and even it out with a spatula or spoon. Place the other cake layer on top.
- For the multiple frostings on the outside, I start at the bottom and using a knife, place big scoops of the frosting onto the bottom of the cake, all around. I then do the same with the cocoa frosting. Finally, I do the same with the vanilla, place it on top and down the top edge. It looks messy! (See photo above.) Using an offset spatula or knife, start dragging it around the cake so all of the frosting smoothes out at once. I do this multiple times, using multiple spatulas (or just washing the one I have) until it looks smooth enough to my liking. It’s supposed to look messy and like the colors are run together.
- If desired, finish it off by topping with some chocolate curls. To do this, I simply stick a chocolate bar in the freezer for an hour or so, then use a vegetable peeler to “peel” some curls.
vanilla bean and cocoa frosting
- Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high speed until creamy. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the sugar. Beat until the sugar is incorporated and add vanilla paste and extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed. Beat the frosting on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes until fluffy and creamy. If the frosting seems too thick, beat in the tablespoon of milk for 1 to 2 minutes until combined. Once you have your vanilla frosting, remove half of it and place in a bowl.
- Add the cocoa to the remaining frosting and beat until combined, scraping down the sides.
chocolate fudge frosting
- Melt the butter and chopped chocolate together in the microwave – I do 30 seconds on medium power (once or twice), stirring each time, until melted. Place the chocolate in the bowl of your electric mixer. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and the cocoa and mix on low speed. Stream in the milk and add the remaining powdered sugar, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat the frosting on medium speed until it comes together – it might take a few minutes until it is creamy and frosting-like. Beat in the vanilla, continuing to scrap down the sides and bottom of the mixer. If the frosting appears too thin, add in a bit more powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time. If it’s too thick, add in a bit of milk, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to follow @howsweeteats on instagram and tag #howsweeteats. You can also post a photo of your recipe to our facebook page.
I appreciate you so much!
My heart is in that bite.
[this post is brought to you by Rodelle, who I’m partnering with in 2016 to make all sorts of delicious dessert! as always, I only work with products that I 100% love and use in my own kitchen. thank you for your support!]
75 Comments on “Vanilla Bean Chocolate Cake.”
Yum. This looks delicious ! I LOVE chocolate fudge cake but I do enjoy vanilla cake with chocolate fudge frosting too :)
Chocolate or vanilla? I’d say I’m all for the combination! Love combining stuff, like Cheese and Chinese food ;) But for real this cake looks amazeballs!
This cake sounds like the best of both worlds! I love the ombre frosting, such a cool effect :)
Chocolate & vanilla are the new PB & J. Better together. Especially in cake. <33
We are definitely chocolate people, but vanilla added to it makes it grander! This is a show stopper of a cake. Want it now! Thanks for sharing!
Yes! Eddie is the man – cold cake is the only way to go.. I just roll my eyes and ignore recipe instructions that insist on bringing a cake back to room temp before eating.. On that note, this cake looks fab.
YES to indecision. Like, I absolutely adore chocolate, but a good vanilla totally gets matches it. Depends on my mood. And this cake is 100% the best of both worlds. You get me. I can’t wait to make it!
(And I’m sorry, but I insist on pairing Diet Coke with weird things, too.)
Chocolate all the way!! But you’ve combined chocolate and vanilla beautifully :) Although I do find the whole cold cake thing questionable, I cannot resist a piece warmed up in the microwave! But your chocolate frosting – I CAN’T. Looks amazing!!!!
Can you please delete my comment? I got so distracted by cake that I mistakenly wrote my e-mail in the name box. Thanks!
divine!!!
Wow – this looks SO incredibly good. Putting it on the list to make ASAP!
So this looks cake looks ridic, but then I saw coffee in the cake ingredients and got nervous. I hate coffee (like, I can’t even eat coffee ice cream!) Can you taste it at all after it’s cooked? If so could I sub with something else?
Can’t taste the coffee at all! Just adds depth to the chocolate flavor.
Wow – totally speechless and in love. Who needs to pick between vanilla and chocolate? They totally complement each other perfectly!
Oh this looks tasty! Yum! I love the presentation, hah but I’d really love to eat a piece. Thanks for sharing with us.
This cake look’s SO beautiful! (:
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Jessica, this is perfect :-) I love everything about this cake. I actually think I am going to attempt it for Valentines Day. :-)
How is it that you know my heart (and my taste buds)? My daughter and I are 100% frosting people – when she was turning 3, someone asked her what kind of cake she was having and she answered “frosting.” That’s my girl!
hey girl- This looks amazing! I want a slice or two now and I haven’t even had breakfast!! Ha, Ha
The ombre frosting is so on point!
I love the ombre look to this cake and that it has some flavors for everyone!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
The frosting to cake ratio on this is right up my alley! This might be my birthday cake.
In addition to cold cake, we like when the cake starts to dry out after 2 days or so, putting a slice in a big glass of milk-delicous!!!
I couldn’t decide either Jessica… so, like you, I just use both! This cake is divine and simply gorgeous! I’d do face plant posthaste if presented this beauty and I wouldn’t share! And Rodelle’s VBP and Cocoa is sublime! Thank you for this my dear!
Oh my god! I need x
http://jessicawoods.fr
This cake looks amazing! I just posted a victoria sponge recipe on my blog! :)
http://www.gemmacarey.com/
I can never pick between chocolate and vanilla ice cream so I just have both! I always add a bit of vanilla to any chocolate things I make as well so this cake is truly the best of both worlds. I adore vanilla bean paste and get through tonnes of it as I add it to everything…
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This cake looks delicious and am planning to make it today. But when you say “High quality chocolate” what do you mean? Bittersweet, semi ??
Has anyone made this cake? I tried it today and some suck to the pans when I turned them out. The cake seems VERY dry. Belatedly I read the recipe on Allrecipes and there is milk in the cake there not listed on this site. Did you omit the milk intentionally or was it an oversite? I can’t decide at this point whether to go ahead and finish the cake as listed here or to remake the cake per the Allrecipes site. Any comments?
Mary – Oh my gosh, I am SO sorry – I absolutely DID use the milk and leave it out of the instructions by accident. I am horrified and feel terrible that you spent the time making this (because I know it takes forever) – I truly am sorry. If you send me your address (howsweeteats @ gmail) I would love to send you something to make up for it, even though I know it can’t be there this weekend.
Haha- I did the same thing! I made it without the milk and was amazed at how THICK the batter was before adding the coffee. I eventually got it to incorporate with the coffee and just baked it anyway, but it was definitely on the dry side! :) Luckily, my husband liked it anyway, and the vanilla bean frosting made up for the cake dryness. I’ll definitely be making this recipe again- just with the milk next time! :)
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YUM YUM YUM YUM YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!
ombre cake, ya know?!?! :)
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Valentine’s Day is approaching, I will definitely give this recipe a try for my loved one. This looks so devilishly delicious.
First time commenter! I have no idea why I decided to make this, I don’t bake, I don’t ice and I don’t really like chocolate. Ha! Anyway, this was so easy and absolutely delicious. The icing was a bit labor intensive but not difficult at all.
Full disclosure: I did not have Rodelle paste or extract (not available in my Wegmans) ao my review is based on using other brands of paste and extracts. I can only imagine what the Rodelle brand would add to the flavor.
Jessica – Thank you for sharing this recipe! FYI, it pairs wonderfully with Evodia Granacha red wine. ;)
This cake is amazing! I love everything about it except probably the act of making it. I just want me a big old slice. And I am totally with Eddie and a cold cake slice. Yum, yum!!!
cold cake/frosting FTW. craving so hard right now…
Hi Jessica! Is the white plate with the small lip (featured in the photo of the single slice) one of your dinner plates? If so, I am looking for new all white dishware and I would love to know where you got those. I’ve done a little hunting already and no luck so far. As always, amazing recipes and photos! I can’t wait to make this cake. :)
Made the cake on Friday and Saturday to serve at our friends’ home for Valentines Day. I was disappointed. The cake seemed dry to me (though I had removed it from the oven at 25 minutes). So I decided this morning to read through the comments here and it appears the cake recipe is missing milk. Bummer. Spent a lot of time on this one.
hi robin, i’m so sorry about that – i did get a comment on friday asking if i had accidentally left out the milk, and i had! i fixed the recipe on friday afternoon but if you had printed it or wrote it down before then, it was missing milk. i’m so sorry you spent the time making it for it to not work out.
Thanks for the quick reply. Yes, I printed the recipe days ago when I first saw it in my inbox. Oh well, it was a valuable lesson for me. Thanks again.
Those photos are stunning!
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Nice pictures. Gorgeous looks!
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Just curious … for the chocolate fudge frosting what kind of “high quality chocolate” did you use? Bittersweet, Milk, Semi-Sweet …?
I used semi-sweet but next time I will use bittersweet. With the semi-sweet chocolate, there was not enough of a color difference between the two frostings so I ended up with a two tone cake. I think bittersweet/dark chocolate would fix that issue.
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The level of moisture in this cake is insane! Such a beautiful treat for an rainy sunday afternoon :)
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Have you good
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