Hello!

Today is my day off from work and yet here I am, up at a 7am, making a cake for my coworkers birthday today because – let’s be honest – I would probably be baking by now anyway. My coworker has two great loves: lemon and chocolate. At first, this proved a challenge to me: what kind of cake should I bake for her? Her love for lemon knows no bounds, but the last cake I brought into work was a lemon and lavender concoction and I’m not one to bring the same cake twice (except for tiramisu; bring tiramisu every time, if you can!). And chocolate cake is – dare I say it – boring.

I’ve found that most problems carry their own solutions tucked neatly inside, if you look at them the right way. Such was the case here. Instead of asking “Which..?”, I should have thought “How…?” If I had, the creation of this lemon/chocolate delight would have happened a lot quicker! 🙂

So, here you have it. An unlikely, unexpectedly delightful pairing: chocolate and lemon. In cake form.

You’re welcome.

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This cake recipe is a total throwback recipe. I first started making this cake (without the lemon addition) when I was ten years old. It is, in fact, written in my very first recipe book, circa 2001.

 

For clarity (and to update the spelling 😛 ), I’ve written it out below.

 

Bumblebee Cake (Lemon Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting)

For 1 extremely generous serving, 1 three-layer 6″ cake, or 1 two-layer 9″ cake, collect:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup butter (1.5 sticks)
1 1/4 cups milk
2 eggs
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 2-3 lemons (depending on their size and how lemony you like things)

For the fudge frosting, collect:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/4 cup cocoa powder (I used dark and regular)
3 tbsp honey

Optional, but highly recommended:
Chocolate Ganache

2-4 tbsp butter (depending on how much ganache you want/need)
~1/4 cup cocoa powder
~1/2 cup powdered sugar
Splash of milk, to thin it out.

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Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375ºF. Grease your chosen pans if needed (I used two 8″ cake pans, one metal and one silicon, and only greased the metal one).
2. Cream together the butter and sugar.
3. Combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt.

4. Add your eggs to the sugar/butter mixture, one at a time, mixing on a low speed after each addition. Add the vanilla, too.
5. Add the dry ingredients and milk, alternating between the two. I like to start and end with milk.
6. Add the lemon juice and zest, but reserve some zest for decorating.

7. Divide the batter between your pans and slip them into the oven. Bake for 25 minutes if using two 8″ pans, bake for 20 minutes for a smaller size and 30 minutes for one large pan.

 

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While that’s baking, let’s make the frosting!

1. Melt the butter and cocoa together over medium heat.

2. Whisk in the cocoa powder until combined. Then, add your honey! It’s not a Bumblebee cake without a little bit of honey 😀

 

3. Remove and let cool.
4. Whisk in the powdered sugar until the frosting is thick and glossy.

The cake should be finished and looking lovely by now. Check it with a toothpick, then pull it out of the oven and let it cool on the counter or, if you want to frost it sooner, in the fridge or freezer.

Once the cake and frosting are both cooled, we can move on to assembling the beaut!

Start by leveling off the cakes so they are flat and about equal in thickness.

 

Then start to layer. One first, flat-bottom down.

 

Top this layer with a bit of the fudge frosting.

 

Then settle the second cake on top. Make sure it’s centered! And then top it with fudge.

 

 

At this point, you’re free to frost it however you wish. I like the look of an unfrosted edge, particularly if there’s something yummy peeking out between the layers. For this cake, I decided to go full-frost, as it’s purpose is to feed my coworkers at a birthday party and so it needed to be all fancy.

In addition to the fudge, I poured over the chocolate ganache. Because why not. Look at it.

 

To make the ganache, simply melt the butter and stir in the cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Add milk to thin it out until it’s pourable but not too runny. If you need to, alternate between the powdered sugar and milk until you reach your desired consistency.

 

I used the back of a spoon to spread on the frosting and ganache, since I like the way it applies. Use whatever utensil you’re comfortable with!

 

Garnish with the remaining lemon zest. If the zest sticks together, toss it in a bowl with a tiny amount of sugar. It’ll stick to the lemon oils and prevent the zest from clumping, which makes it much easier to scatter across the cake.

 And there you have it! Lemony, chocolatey goodness. Get in the kitchen and give it a go!