Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream and Strawberries

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream and Strawberries

Ingredients for cake:
2 cup of flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder like Ghirardelli or Hershey’s
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 egg
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup + 4 T. buttermilk
2/3 cup of hot boiling water
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract or chocolate extract
1 cup of unsalted butter melted
Ingredients for Frosting:
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
10 large egg whites
2 lbs. unsalted butter at room temp. cut into pieces
2 tsp. pure vanilla
Ingredients for Garnish:
Fresh Strawberries washed and cut in half
4 oz. chocolate bar grated or curled

Directions:
Step 1: Prepare three 8 inch round cake pans by spraying with cooking spray or greasing with butter then lining the bottom of the pans with parchment paper.
Step 2: Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda into a large mixing bowl.
Step 3: In a small bowl whisk together the sugars and egg.  Whisk in milk, melted butter, water and vanilla.
Step 4: Whisk the wet into the dry ingredients until blended.
Step 5: Pour the batter evenly into the pans bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Step 6: Cool on cooling rack for 10 minutes then turn out of pan and cool completely.
Step 7: While the cakes are cooling make the frosting. I use Martha Stewart’s recipe for Swiss meringue buttercream then add 8 oz. of melted and cooled semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, so please pop over there to learn her method of what I believe is the best frosting.  This frosting is perfect for the cake because it’s buttery but not overly sweet.
Step 8: Put one cake on a cake platter and frost, then put the next layer on and frost, finally the last cake on top.
Step 9: Grate or shave chocolate with vegetable peeler. Put a piece of wax paper down and gently but quickly take handfuls of the shaved chocolate and press up against the sides of the cake. Put leftover chocolate on the top of cake.
Step 10:If you want to add the top border then you will need a star tip and pastry bag with coupler and ring.  .  If you plan to do the border I did then fill the bag with the frosting and with even pressure start the star at top edge and pull down lessening the pressure as you pull it down, continue around the cake trying to stay even. When you are done decorating the cake put it into the refrigerator until  about 30 minutes to and hour before you are ready to serve.