Kit Kat Krazy!

This is Annaliese . . .

Isn't she adorable?!?!  Oh my I love that little squishy beautiful face and untamable hair!!!  She is sitting on her great-grandma in this picture - I am told her great grandma was an incredible baker!

Annaliese's mom (my best friend always and forever) had Anna when we were entirely too young to be raising a little one, but Anna has grown up to be spunky, smart, full of attitude, yet still sweet.

Aaand . . . I'm going to say we're doing alright . . . especially because she LOVES CHOCOLATE!

Side Note:  You are probably looking at this blog like I'm insane because everyone loves chocolate!  Am I right?!  (Sshhhhh . . . Except Anna's mom . . . She's a weirdo! Anna must have picked up the love of chocolate from her Aunt Cynni's Daddy Choi!  Pssstt . . . that's what tiny Anna used to call me when she was little.  I love this girl!)

When Anna turned 14 I made her a chocolate cake with a Nutella buttercream.  I asked her what she wanted this year and, after much debate and many Google searches, she said a "Kit Kat Cake."  I responded, "A what?"  And she showed me a picture of a cake wrapped in Kit Kat bars.  OK.

Chocolate.

I made my absolutely most favorite chocolate cake ever from Smitten Kitchen.

I combined it with the most amazing icing I've ever licked.

Just in case the buttercream wasn't good enough (or it wasn't Kit Katty enough on it's own), I crushed up some Kit Kat bars and mixed them with the mousse buttercream for the filling in the middle.

This does not work, by the way:

It seemed like a good idea at the time, but it just squished the room temperature Kit Kat bars.  I imagine it would work if they were frozen . . . maybe.  But I found crumbling them by hand was effective.

Double Chocolate Layer Cake

Adapted from Gourmet, March 1999

Borrowed from Smitten Kitchen, July 2007

The recipe below is for 2 10-inch layers.

3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons table salt
3 large eggs at room temperature
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

2 10- by 2-inch round cake pans

Make cake layers:
Preheat oven to 300°F and grease pans.  Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper.

Does anyone have a better way to do this?!?!?!

Finely chop chocolate and combine with hot coffee.  Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a stand mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer).  Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined.  Add sugar mixture and beat at medium speed until just combined.

Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean - 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Cool layers in pans on racks.  Run a thin knife around edges of pans if necessary and invert layers onto racks.  Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely.  Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept wrapped in plastic at room temperature.

Milk Chocolate Mousse Buttercream

Borrowed from WickedGoodKitchen

(I DOUBLED THE FOLLOWING RECIPE FOR MY CAKE, BUT ENDED UP WITH A TON OF EXTRA FROSTING.  Just in case you were wondering!!)

10 ounces fine-quality milk chocolate, chopped

6 ounces fine-quality dark chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons golden syrup, such as Lyle's (or corn syrup or honey)

1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, slightly softened (or room temperature)

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened (or room temperature)

Place both chocolates in the bowl of a stand mixer. In a small saucepan, bring the cream and syrup to a boil. Remove from the heat and immediately pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate. Let stand until chocolate is melted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Starting in the center of the bowl, whisk the chocolate and cream mixture by hand until completely smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Once the chocolate mixture has cooled, add the softened but still cool butter. Return the bowl to stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until mixture is well blended and thoroughly combined. At this point, the frosting should be completely smooth with a silky appearance.

Chill frosting in bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes. Stir with rubber spatula. Repeat 3 to 4 more times to reach desired mousse consistency. Return bowl to stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment and whip until mixture is light and fluffy like mousse. Buttercream is now ready to use.

Add Butter.  Beat it.

Then chill.

Notice how it thickens?!  Beat again and chill.

Thickens.  Beat.

Chill.

See above: Chocolate Mousse Buttercream

Sooooo Amazing!!!

OK.  I'm sure you all know how to ice a cake and put it together, etc.  I recently learned the secret to icing a cake is hot hot water.  So . . . 

First I put the icing with the chunks of Kit Kat on the bottom layer for the filling.

Then load the cake with the messy, beautiful icing,

Before the hot water, the cake looks messy!

But a little hot water for smoothing once the icing is on the cake and voilà!

Beautiful.  Next add the Kit Kats to the outside and decorate the top in whatever way you deem appropriate!  With this cake I learned to start at the outside and work my way in when doing any type of specific mosaic design.  The "15" is off centered and drove me crazy.  Good thing we ate it and it's not there to bug me anymore!!

School started last week.  I actually baked this cake a few weeks ago, but already had my Bluebook out.  Oh joy.  So excited about school . . . so excited to be back to the grind.  

Is it December yet?!

This wasn't the easiest cake to cut, but it was so rich and delicious.  It definitely tasted like Kit Kats!

So Anna isn't the cute little girl at the top of the blog anymore, obviously . . . But she's still adorable!

And she's still quirky . . . great way to eat cake, Anna!!

Disclaimer:  21 Kit Kat bars were harmed while making this cake.  

              ***  I crumbled 4 Kit Kat bars into the middle of the cake, it took 15 Kit Kat bars to line the outside of the cake, and I had 2 fallen soldiers that didn't break apart correctly to use as decoration (which obviously needed to be eaten . . . haha)!  ***