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F1 Birthday Cake

Moist Chocolate F1 Birthday Cake with Checkered Flag Design Recipe

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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 340
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup hot coffee
  • 1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for topping
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9x13 inch metal pan. Whisk flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth.
  2. Add buttermilk, oil, eggs, vanilla, and hot coffee. Stir until a thin, smooth batter forms.
  3. Pour batter into the pan and bake 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
  4. Whip heavy cream, 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, and vanilla to soft peaks. Spread over cooled cake. Cut parchment into 1-inch strips and weave them into a grid on top. Sift cocoa over open squares, remove strips, then sift remaining powdered sugar over other squares.
  5. Slice into 12 pieces with a clean knife between cuts and serve.

Notes

The cake needs about 1 hour to cool fully before frosting. You can make the parchment stencil while it cools. If the whipped cream softens after a few hours out, pop the cake back in the fridge for 10 minutes and it firms right up.