Iron Chef Basil: Chocolate Cake with Basil Buttercream

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We had Iron Chef Basil about a month ago now, and I’m justgetting around to posting my recipe. I like to choose the course that seems themost disparate with the ingredient. So for basil, that was of course dessert! Ifound a lot of strawberry-basil desserts but that seemed pretty classic and Iwanted to challenge myself. When I found this recipe for chocolate cake withbasil buttercream on The Vanilla Bean Blog, I knew I had to try it. Besides,the photos were gorgeous, and we all know that presentation is half the battleat our Iron Chef competitions. I had a lot of trouble getting the buttercreamto set up, but in the end I think it tasted great. It didn’t have a lot ofbasil flavor that first night (darn it!) but it got stronger and stronger everyday. In fact, by the fourth day, it might have been a little too strong, soyou’ll want to eat it fast! This recipe is definitely kind of a process andreminds me why I don’t back layer cakes all that often, but for a specialoccasion (or a competition) it’s worth it. You need to start the night beforeto get the buttercream ready, so be prepared!


Cake Ingredients1 3/4 cup flour2 cups sugar3/4 cup good cocoa powder2 teaspoons baking soda1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon salt1 cup buttermilk, shaken1/2 cup vegetable oil2 eggs, at room temperature1 teaspoon vanilla1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
This is Ina Garten’s chocolate cake recipe, and it’s verygood. Mine was a bit dense because I may have overmixed it, so be careful! Ithink the recipe was a little hard to follow because it was written for someonewith a stand mixer and surprise!—not everyone has one of those.
Start by preheating the oven to 350 and butter or spray two8 inch round cake pans. I had non-stick pans but had a panicked moment when thecakes wouldn’t come out, so even if you do still butter. You could also put around of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan.
Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, bakingpowder and salt. I’m not a big sifter generally, but I would do it for thiscake because of the cocoa powder. For some reason that always tends to clump upon me. Stir the ingredients together until they are well combined.
In another bowl, mix together the buttermilk, oil, eggs andvanilla until combined. Then slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry whilemixing on low (it helps to have an extra set of hands for this). Next add thecoffee and stir (with a spatula not the mixer) just enough to combine, scrapingthe bottom. I can’t stress enough not to overmix this. It will be super duperliquidy. I was nervous, but don’t be. Pour the batter into the two pans andbake 35-40 minutes until your toothpick comes out clean. Then remove from theoven and cool in the pans for 30 minutes before turning them out on to acooling rack to finish cooling completely. Now, to make the buttercream.
Buttercream Ingredients1 1/2 cups whole milk1/3 cup heavy cream1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar1/3 cup all purpose flour1 1/2 cups (three sticks) unsalted butter, soft but cool,cut into small pieces1 tsp pure vanilla extract
The night before stir milk, heavy cream and basil in asaucepan. I tore the basil leaves in half, thinking that it might let them seepout more basil flavor (who knows?). Heat on low until just barely simmering andthen remove from heat. Let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerateovernight. When you’re ready to make the buttercream, remove the basil leavesfrom the cream, making sure to squeeze out the leaves.
Whisk sugar and flour together in your saucepan beforeadding the basil cream mixture. Cook over medium heat, whisking occasionallyfor 10-15 minutes, until the mixture boils and thickens. Then move the mixtureto a bowl and beat on high speed until it is cool, about 7-9 minutes. I knowit’s a pain to mix that long if you don’t have a stand mixer, but don’t skimp.If the sauce is too hot your buttercream won’t set.
You want your butter to be soft but cold. What I did was letit soften at room temperature, but then put it back in the fridge 10-15 minutesbefore I needed it. Reduce your mixing speed to low and add the butter, mixinguntil it’s fully incorporated. Then turn your mixer up to medium high speed andbeat until the frosting is light and fluffy and frosting like! Should only takea couple minutes. Add the vanilla and mix until it’s combined.
Now you need to check the consistency. If your frosting istoo soft (mine was) put it in the fridge to chill and then beat again until it’sright. If it’s too hard, you can set the bowl over hot water (simmering atmost) and beat until it softens a little. Hopefully you won’t have to do either!
You should know how to frost a layer cake but just in case…start by topping one layer with frosting, then put the second layer on top. Nowyou’re ready to frost the rest of the cake, and decorate with a few basilleaves on top. We didn’t eat the leaves with the cake though! It’s a strangeflavor combination but it definitely works, and I think the cake recipe willdefinitely become a staple of mine.