Big City, Little Kitchen

When I came across this recipe last week, there was little doubt as to how I would be spending my evening. Cookies and cream cake? No-brainer. This is a rich cake: lots of eggs, butter, and sugar. Make it for a special occasion, or just if you want a fun project, like I did (but be sure to give lots away!). The cookie filling is undoubtedly the best part; the mascarpone cheese is smooth, mild, and lends itself particularly well to cookie crumbles. My only complaint about the recipe (besides the frightening calorie-count) is that the frosting is excessively buttery. Next time, I would frost it with Martha Stewart’s chocolate buttercream, the recipe for which I’ve included below.

Cake:

• 1 cup hot coffee
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 3 cups cake flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Cream filling:

• 1 cup mascarpone cream
• 1/2 cup cream
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups crushed chocolate cookies (I used Teddy Grahams)

For the cake:

Preheat to 350; butter and flour 2 9-inch cake pans. In a bowl, combine cocoa powder and coffee; whisk until combined. Add 1 cup of cold water; whisk until combined. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a third bowl, cream butter and sugar; continue beating as you add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the cocoa mixture, beating until smooth. Pour equal amounts into the prepared pans, and bake for 45 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool 15 minutes, turn out of pan, and let cool completely. Trim tops of cakes to create flat surfaces.

For the cookies and cream filling:

Whisk mascarpone, cream, and sugar to stiff peaks. Fold in cookie bits. Once cakes are cooled, smooth the filling onto the leveled top of bottom layer. Top with second layer, and frost with chocolate buttercream (recipe below).

Chocolate buttercream frosting (makes 2 1/2 cups):

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 large egg whites
• 2 sticks plus 6 tb softened, unsalted butter
• 3 oz semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Combine sugar and egg whites in metal bowl; place over a pan of simmering water, and whisk until sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and beat, using either a hand-held or standing mixture, until cooled, 7 to 10 minutes. Then, adding butter 1 tablespoon at a time, beat on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in chocolate. Frost cake.