Mediterranean Chocolate Cake
Not your usual chocolate cake recipe. The unexpected combination of ingredients makes this cake both light and decadent.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1 Duncan Hines Devil's Food Cake Mix
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1/2 Cup Water
- 1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
- 1/2 Cup Coffee Room Temperature
- 3 Eggs
Goat Cheese Filling
- 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1/2 Cup Salted Pistachios ground, or finely chopped
- 1/4 Cup Goat Cheese
- 1/4 Cup Honey
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Chocolate Frosting
- 4 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 Cup Salted Butter Room Temperature
- 3/4 Cup Sweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream (or 2 TBS milk)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
Cake
- Grease & Flour 2 8-inch round cake pans, Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Mix all cake ingredients together on medium until smooth. Cake mixture should be quite thick.
- Separate the batter evenly between the two cake pans, using a spatula to spread the mixture to the edges.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted and come out clean. Cool cake completely.
Filling
- Using a food processor or coffee grinder, grind the pistachios. If you don't have these, using the flat end of a knife, crush the pistachios. Your filling will be chunkier, but still delicious.
- In a stand mixer, whip goat cheese, honey, vanilla, and pistachios on high, until well combined.
- Add heavy whipping cream, and continue to whip on medium-high until the whipped cream stiffens up (about 1-2 minutes). VERY IMPORTANT: There are a lot of "wet," high-fat ingredients in this mixture. If you over beat, it will break down and become a goopy mess.
- When finished, set filling aside.
Frosting
- Whip butter for 2 minutes until very fluffy.
- Add cocoa powder 1/4 C at a time until smooth.
- Alternate adding powdered sugar and heavy whipping cream (or milk) until smooth.
- Mix in vanilla at the very end.
Putting Together the Cake
- After cake has cooled completely, cut each round in half. In between layers carefully spread the pistachio filling.
- Frost the outside with chocolate frosting, and garnish with pistachios.
- Keep Refrigerated.
Notes
Helpful Tip: I like to prepare my cakes a day or two in advance. When they've cooled, I wrap them in Saran Wrap and freeze overnight (or for up to a month). This allows the cake to be easier to cut and frost, and holds moisture in.