Aaaaand Bunny for Buggy!

Layla is not a cake eater. In fact, the only things she can truly be counted on to eat at this time are noodles (yakisoba, pad thai), grilled cheese, cheese pizza, cheese omelette, bananas and applesauce. And water. So when I bake for "her,"  I'm really baking for her parents. Enter "The Most Amazing Chocolate Cake" from The Stay at Home Chef.

The Stay at Home Chef, AKA Rachel Farnsworth, is a recipe developer for several companies, including The Food Network. She claims that this chocolate cake is reminiscent of the epic cake devoured by Bruce Bogtrotter in the movie "Matilda"--if you don't know that scene, perhaps you should Google it first. Everyone else, read on!


Today's cast of ingredients, with an exception...


The recipe called for buttermilk which is an ingredient I rarely keep on hand; even less so right now. Normally I would make buttermilk by adding lemon juice or white vinegar to milk and letting it curdle but I really wanted to try this. The instructions say to add the buttermilk powder to the dry ingredients, then the appropriate amount of water goes into the wet ingredients.


I debated on whether or not I should use the paddle attachment or the whip since the recipe did not specify. Ended up using the paddle. Was that a problem?


After the specified mixing time, the batter still had lumps in it so I got a hand whisk and whipped through it.


Though it did seem to help, there were still a few blobs here and there that could have been flour but seemed more likely to be the buttermilk powder.


This recipe makes enough for three full-size round cake pans. I put what I needed into the bunny pan and put the rest into two small cake pans. See those annoying lumps though?


When I turned the cake out, there were a few bits that got stuck. Enter the palette knife! Not only is it able to remove the stuck bit intact, when done properly, it doesn't scratch the non-stick surface of the pan either!


Not a bad reconstruction job!


Part of the lower face and a couple of smaller bits near his cheeks were also successfully replaced.


I decided to use the frosting that was leftover from Aiden's pumpkin cake instead of making the chocolate frosting included with this recipe. Because this cake has a more tender crumb and had a couple of patched places, I made sure to distribute the frosting well so there wouldn't be as much need for me to spread it.


The faceless chocolate bunny went into the refrigerator overnight.


Right before Layla started decorating, I drew in some quick details. She started off putting the sprinkles on, one by one, naming the colors as she went. Then she just dumped the whole bowl.


And there you have it! A masterpiece!


The guys and I got to try the cake from the extra rounds I made. Thankfully, the weird lumpiness is not apparent in the finished cake and it had a nice, light texture. Thumb's up from all of the guys. I'm going to give this one a 4 turtle rating; the lumpiness may have come from the buttermilk powder but it also could have come from not using a whip--something the instructions did not specify. I may have to give this one another try. Real buttermilk next time.

 Here's the promised link:

The Stay at Home Chef

Someone asked why I call Layla "Buggy" or "Bug"--I'm not exactly sure. She started off as Sweet Pea but now she's Layla/Lady Bug.

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