i4cake

the i4cake is a cake that caroline and i made to greet the illini4000 (or i4k) as they arrived in chicago today. for anyone who does not already know, last summer i participated in a cross-country bicycle ride to raise money for cancer research and patient services. caroline and i both were both members of this student-run organization at the university of illinois at urbana-champaign and wanted to make sure we supported this year's team.

we topped the cakes with these cute little cyclists...

snow covered mountains...

cake recipe (adapted from an ina garten recipe):

3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tsps baking soda
2 tsps baking powder
2 tsps salt
4 eggs, at room temp
2 cups buttermilk, shaken
1 cup vegetable oil (i used extra virgin olive oil)
2 tsps pure vanilla extract
2 cups freshly brewed coffee

preheat oven to 350 F. in a large bowl sift together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. in a separate bowl mix eggs and add buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. add the wet ingredients to the dry while mixing slowly, then add the coffee, mixing just to combine. pour batter into 2 9x13 cake pans that have been sprayed and lined with parchment paper. bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

frosting:

1/4 pound unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
1/4 pound cream cheese, softened
3 cups of confectioner's sugar
2 tsps cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

combine butter and cream cheese. add cocoa and vanilla. mix well, then add sugar in 1 cup intervals and mix until very creamy.

frost, decorate, and make others happy : )