Drunken Cherry Chocolate Cake

Chocolate cake recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients:

• 12 tablespoon salted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 Tonga vanilla bean scraped
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup crème fraiche
• 1 tbsp. coffee extract
• 1 3/4 cups cake flour
• 1 cup dark cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

Cream together butter and both sugars on medium speed, 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated. Scrape down sides of the bowl after each addition. Combine all dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk to incorporate. In a separate bowl add the buttermilk, crème fraiche and vanilla bean scrapings. Whisk to combine. Slowly add the flour in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk mixture with the mixer on low until incorporated.  Evenly divide between two 8-inch round pans and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until a skewer or toothpick comes out clean.

Let cake cool and then slice each round in half. Set aside.

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks of room temperature butter (salted)
• 1 cup dark cocoa powder
• 6 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 2 tbsp. liquid from the drunken cherries
• 1/2- 3/4 cup milk
• Drunken Cherries - *Chop 1 cup of cherries and set aside

Directions:

Combine the softened butter and powder sugar in mixing bowl with whisk attachment. Beat on low speed and then increase to medium high once the powdered sugar is incorporated. Decrease to low speed, and add remaining ingredients. Beat on low until incorporated, then increase to high and beat for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.

Assembly:

Trim the top of your cake with a bread knife to make the top a flat even surface. Set aside trimmings for later

Place one layer on a flat surface or a cake turn table, and frost top of bottom layer. Add a third of the chopped cherries to the top of the frosting evenly. Add another layer of cake, and repeat with a layer of frosting and cherries. Continue until you are at the top layer. Add remaining frosting to the top center of your cake, and work your way to the edges with an offset spatula. Pull the frosting over the sides and frost the sides of the cake evenly with spatula. Crumble the layer of the cake you trimmed at the beginning, and lightly push up the sides of the cake of the cake until all of the sides are covered.

Garnish with remaining whole cherries