Chocolate North Pole Cake

While in my heart, I’m totes kinda grinchy, in my baked goods I’m totally Elf. I mean, the other day when I was eating waffles for dinner I totally thought that I might like maple syrup as much as that dude. (What am I saying?!)

Anyhow, this cake is easy-breezy! A perfect Tuesday afternoon cake. So I totally recommend whipping this up to take to your boyfriend’s mom’s house or to your BFF’s aunt’s house or to your therapist or your vet or whoever! But, you might want to make two… You’ll want to cut slivers of this cake to sample, and well, it’d be weird to bring a one-slice-missing-cake to whoever the hell’s house you’re taking this to, right?

Well, guys! I hope you all have an awesome Christmas! I have grand cinnamon roll plans that might turn into nap plans, so win-win! So just know that I think you’re great and so I hope your day is as great as you are! Believe it!

Chocolate North Pole Cake
Recipes adapted from Hungry Girl Por Vida

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder (Dutch process is recommended!)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 t baking soda
• 1/4 t kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, or whatever milk you have on hand
• 1 T white vinegar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 T vanilla extract
• Oh My Ganache (recipe below)
• sea salt
• snow sprinkles, deer, and trees

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Spray an 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In a smaller bowl whisk together the buttermilk, vinegar, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Scrape cake into the prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Set on a wire rack to cool.
3. Remove cake from pan. Top with ganache, sea salt, and snow sprinkles and a north pole scene!

Oh My Ganache

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. heavy cream
• 8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

Directions:

1. Heat the cream in a sauce pan until the edges start bubbling. Don’t bring to a boil. Pour over chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Allow to sit for 3 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Let cool slightly so it thickens. Spread over mostly cooled cake.

Yay! Click HERE for a printable pdf of the recipes above.

Oh deer!