Chocolate Cake/Cupcakes w. Chocolate Frosting

I am a big fan of a chocolate so naturally I wanted to search for a good chocolate cake recipe. I make more cupcakes than cakes but obviously this recipe is good for both. Infact, the recipe is intended to make a cake. I looked high and low for a recipe that had reviews worth trying. Luckily, on my first pick I found a keeper.

Recipe from Ina Garten

Cake Ingredients
butter for pan
1 3/4 cups flour (plus more for dusting pan)
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup good cocoa powder (i used ghiradelli)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk (shaken)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra large eggs (room temp)
1 teaspon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Chocolate Frosting Ingredients

6 oz. good semisweet chocolate
2 sticks unsalted butter at room temp.

1 extra large egg yolk at room temp.

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups sifted confectioner's sugar

1 tbsp. instant coffee powder (I just used a 2 tsp. of already brewed coffee)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Mix on low until combined. In a seperate bowl combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With a mixer on low, slowly add the wet ingredient to the dry. Then with the mixer still on low add the coffee and mix until just combined. Scrape down the bowl to make sure all ingredients are thoroughly mixed in. FYI- this batter will be very runny, dont worry you didnt mess it up, it is suppose to be like that. Pour batter into cupcake pan with liners. Bake for roughly 20-25 minutes or until a tester comes up clean. Keep an eye on them as baking times vary in each over.

If making a cake pour batter into 2 buttered and floured 8 in. cake pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 30 minutes then transfer to cooling rack.

Frosting- Melt chocolate in microwave for 30 second intervals until just melted. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature. Beat butter in a bowl with electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy. Turn mixer to low and gradually add the confectioner's sugar then beaton medium until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the instant coffee in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. Add the chocolate and coffee and mix on low until blended.

I love love the cake, it is super rich and moist. However, I wasnt hugely a fan of the frosting. The frosting itself tastes like the inside of a lindt chocolate. I think I was more not a fan of the frosting on this particular flavor of cake. I may try it again and use it on a vanilla cake and see how I feel. I think it is too rich to use on a cake thats rich alone. With that said, I really enjoy this chocolate cake with my previously mentioned vanilla buttercream.