Claire Saffitz's Chocolate Buttermilk Cake | Dessert Person | Recipe Test Review

[@GeoffreyAlan]

How do you eat your cake? Evenly between cake & frosting? Cake first? Frosting first? Something else?

[@BathTubNZ]

Definitely cake first, frosting last!

[@biancajingles2690]

The cake only, I never eat the frosting lol

[@GeoffreyAlan]

@@BathTubNZ same here!

[@GeoffreyAlan]

@@biancajingles2690 😱🤯

[@daniellahammink6939]

All at once, or only the cake if there is too much icing 🙈

[@RiverSlant]

I've been subscribed to your channel for a month now and I just had to tell you that not only do I love your content and how it's without drama, but the way you talk sounds so pleasant to my Indian ears

[@GeoffreyAlan]

Thank you so much -- I really appreciate the compliment ☺️

[@biancajingles2690]

Those cake domes are always my favorite when I make a chocolate cake! I usually just crumble them up and make a “deconstructed” cake with some whipped cream on top and some macerated strawberries 😋

[@GeoffreyAlan]

Love it! I literally ate some frozen cake dome with melted leftover French buttercream last night for dessert. I microwaved it and it was SO good warm 🤤

[@qosmioamit]

That cocoa powder idea is gold! Thanks!

[@jennyhong2982]

Thanks for making this video! I sent Claire's recipe to my sister who is new to baking so reading the recipe to her was giving her a headache! Anyway, your video makes it even easier for her to attempt this cake! It looks so good! I need to make this cake for myself to eat soon!

[@clairemickey]

Happy late birthday to Mathew! I might have to request this cake for my birthday too 😋

[@GeoffreyAlan]

This is a great birthday cake 🎂 We even liked it chilled the next day! Claire said to let it come to room temp, but when chilled the cake had a fudgier quality which we both enjoyed!

[@alanisdominguez9605]

Overall great cake. The only thing I would change is the chocolate. To me it was way too bitter. But the texture of the cake was amazing. It was super moist. A bit crumbly, but so rich and moist. The frosting again in texture was amazing.... I wish I would’ve added milk chocolate instead of dark. It was just way to bitter for my liking.

[@catherinenguyen5612]

My cake eating strategy is always eat the tip first, then go in for the frosting edge 🤣

[@GeoffreyAlan]

🤣🙃💀

[@ryanfleming55]

Love your work, Geoffrey. Thanks as always!

[@amyaustin4858]

What a fun day! I have an unexpected day off from work, so I'm doing some baking (a chocolate wave cake and some chocolate cookies for coworkers) and now I get a new video! This looks like it came together really well and I'm looking forward to trying it, along with that French buttercream. Thanks for all you do! Oh, and I'm an even between cake and frosting person, then whatever I liked more in that cake, I'll save that for the final bite.

[@GeoffreyAlan]

What a busy day of baking for you! It's nice to have unexpected time off to do something you enjoy ☺️ Hope your wave cake and cookies turn out well! 🤩

[@amyaustin4858]

@@GeoffreyAlan my son came over for some tea and cookies and he wants me to try Claire's Linzer Torte. Any chance that is coming up on your videos?

[@GeoffreyAlan]

I have the Pistachio Linzer on my list, but it’s lower down since the food processor seems critical for that one. I’m trying to get a sponsored food processor to avoid buying one - if that fails, I’m going to break down and buy one. Lots of Claire’s tart recipe require a food processor, too, so it’ll be money well spent.

[@amyaustin4858]

Every time I hear you say you don’t have a food processor, I want to send you one!

[@GeoffreyAlan]

I'm messaging companies to try to get a "review" sample 🤣

[@WendyT1103]

Awww!! I Love Eating the Cake first then the Frosting Tooo!! And I watched ur Frosting Video last night. And I had a Feeling your Butter was just too cold to totally incorporate. Cause I’ve seen on Tv shows where they have to use the Blow torch to melt their butter. 😀🙃 I love watching you tho! You seem So down to Earth and Explain things Really, Really Well! 💜💕💜💕

[@ellieisanerd]

Definitely always save the frosting for the end!

[@GeoffreyAlan]

Yes! The grand finale / dessert to the dessert 😄

[@Price_of_Fame]

I've decided I'm making this cake tomorrow (provided I can find some Guittard wafers anywhere - also my preferred baking chocolate), wish me luck!

[@GeoffreyAlan]

Hope you enjoy! Let me know how it works out 🤩

[@Price_of_Fame]

@@GeoffreyAlan it came out great! It’s chilling in the fridge right now. My only real complaint was that I felt I didn’t have enough buttercream for decorating but o remember thinking the same for the Carrot cake cream cheese frosting so I’ll chalk that up to me not knowing how to frost a cake properly. My buttercream looked curdled, exactly like yours but it came together in the end. Gotta trust Claire!

[@GeoffreyAlan]

Thanks for the update and nice job! I understand the “not enough frosting” thought. I went a little skimpy on the filling between layers, but had *just* enough for the outside layer. I’m a big frosting fan, so I probably would’ve been happy with 1.5x recipe 🤣

[@Price_of_Fame]

@@GeoffreyAlan After cutting into it, I think my layer filling could have been a bit thinner. It's very exact regardless though, no extra frosting But the taste is delicious, all that matters! Also here's a pic! i.imgur.com/ibIosk1.jpg

[@GeoffreyAlan]

WOW!! Your cake looks amazing! The swirls are picture-perfect and the thickness of the middle layers is *exactly* what I like. Excellent work 🏆

[@susieuramoto7491]

Wow! You’re a pro!!

[@miss_m_yt]

That looks amazing!

[@geekillustratordad4982]

Wow! I want to make all of these! But I would be huge! 🤣 awesome stuff. Although I miss your neighbors banging on the walls.

[@GeoffreyAlan]

Don't worry -- they're still banging away! It just hasn't been caught on tape again (yet) 🤣

[@amyaustin4858]

I give most of my bakes away for that very reason :)

[@geekillustratordad4982]

Amy Austin , thankfully my kids help me with that! 😀

[@shanthageorge7413]

To bake the best chocolate cake with buttermilk I don't have to search for recipes anymore. You're so good at instruction and demonstration making it easy for your viewers to follow. If I don't get semisweet chocolate chips how much cocoa powder should I use for this cake? We don't travel far to buy provisions these days. To substitute 70gms butter can I add more oil?

[@venicealejandro3463]

Hi when you eat the cake, is it melt in your mouth texture??

[@greentea995]

Hi Geoffrey! That's a really beautiful cake!!! 😍 Question tho - after chilling the cake for a day in the fridge and before eating, did you thaw the cake? If yes, how long did you thawed it for? Thank you!!!

[@GeoffreyAlan]

Good question! I did a bit of both. I preferred the cake chilled (I felt the texture improved as it was a bit more firm). Though if you value a “smooth” eating experience, I’d let it come to room temp for an hour so the icing can soften a bit.

[@marildacabral1149]

Hi so i want to make this cake but live in Mexico so i cant buy liquid buttermilk, can i substitute it with the powder version? Would it turn out fine?

[@cushlayeoman1049]

YUMMY ❤🎉

[@meryemeelfatim5732]

I just made this cake and it came out so soft that it broke apart when I took it out of the pan and also it formed a crispy layer on top. Can anyone point what did I do wrong ?

[@delishkhana4668]

Awesome

[@Nishiskitchenrecipe]

Delicious

[@GeoffreyAlan]

Thank you ☺️

[@earthwormsworms7598]

When I made this cake, the cakes domed inwards, not outwards, do you have any suggestions or tips? Thanks!

[@GeoffreyAlan]

That sounds like the cake collapsed after baking? (Higher edges and a sunken center) It could be the cake was slightly under baked (would be easy to tell visually be a dark / wet center that is a different texture than the rest). It could also be the cake cooled too quickly, though this is less likely). Hope that helps

[@janehoward5245]

Geoffrey, how would you rate this cake out of 10 compared to the carrot cake?

[@GeoffreyAlan]

Oof that’s tough, but the carrot wins for me. Everyone I gave it to RAVED about how good it was. It was hands down the best carrot cake (and frosting) I’ve ever had. This chocolate cake was amazing, but it wasn’t life-changingly good. Carrot cake would be a 10/10 and this is maybe 8.5/10. IMO Rick’s blackout cake would be my preference over this one probably (I did a video on that a while ago - in the cake playlist).

[@kinzspices3416]

When I see cake I forget my manners🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@alblin]

This isn't an attack or anything. But I'm genuinely curious as to why/how someone can make content sharing the full recipe developed and sold by someone else? Does the purchase of a book allow for public sharing of contents of thay book?

[@GeoffreyAlan]

Hey, good question and totally fair (not taking as an attack). I’m not a legal expert, but from what I’ve been able to find, ingredient lists aren’t protected by copyright, but procedural text is. So in the video, I’m including only ingredients and then sharing my commentary on the process and my observations of color, texture, etc. Generally “commentary” on copyrighted material is considered “fair use” since it meets standard for being “transformative” in nature.

[@alblin]

​@@GeoffreyAlan Gotcha! Thanks! It's funny how law works. I just thought it was weird how I could basically make Claire's recipes (while you're not using her procedural texts, it's still displaying the procedures of making the recipe) without having to buy her book or watch a video she produced. In any case, good on you, and you're doing a great job!

[@elaineschneider4798]

I am an experienced baker and wanted to try a new chocolate cake recipe. I did the one from Dessert Person. I think I followed the instructions to the letter. The cake was literally falling apart when removed from pans. It was delicious but very messy. Do you have any idea what the problem may have been.

[@GeoffreyAlan]

Mmm, that’s tricky and frustrating! Initially I’m thinking either over-baking or ingredients measurement accuracy would be the cause. Over-baking will dry it out, resulting in loss of structure and crumbling. Too much flour or not enough sugar/egg/fat could also throw off the ratios in the batter resulting in poor structure.

[@shanthageorge7413]

@@GeoffreyAlan Thank you, Geoffrey for this helpful tip. All this is important things 0to keep in mind when we bake a cake.

[@roxpr2000]

The frosting recipe is labor-intensive but I might just have to make it. I love chocolate cake but I am certainly not a fan of typical American buttercream. I usually frost my cakes with whipped ganache which is easy, delicious and not too sweet but it can be a little intense sometimes.

[@GeoffreyAlan]

Whipped ganache is an incredible frosting option🤩 Hope you enjoy this frosting when you made it!

[@nursen2106]

What is A P flower? can anybody help? (asking from Europe :-) )

[@beadgaldesigns]

all-purpose, sometimes called plain flour. :)

[@nursen2106]

@@beadgaldesigns aaaaah. yes, we also have all purpose flour. Thank you!!! Now I notice, that I wrote flower ! hahahaha. ok. I did work long hours. ;-D

[@GeoffreyAlan]

I LOVE the "flower" spelling; I make that typo almost every video and have to catch myself -- Bon Appétit did it in one of their video info cards and people in the comments were ruthless.

[@Hypertoniclemon]

@@nursen2106 haha are you Dutch by any chance? In Dutch flower & flour is the exact same word so you’d never make that mistake😋

[@nursen2106]

@@Hypertoniclemon no. Austria. I guess, I just didn't pay attention :-)

[@nancyweinstock8456]

when you put the cake in the fridge overnight, do you cover it? Also, where do you get the tall cake pans? I haven't been able to find them

[@biancajingles2690]

He left a link in the description for the pans!

[@GeoffreyAlan]

I put it into the fridge uncovered (😱), but everything else in there was tightly wrapped. I didn't want to mess up the frosting pressing cling film against it. I have a lid for my cake stand, but it's too tall to fit into the fridge without moving the shelves around, so I didn't bother. RE the taller pans, craft stores or specialty cake shops usually have them. I've seen them at Jo Ann's and Michael's before. The 3-pack I linked is for all shorter ones.

[@BathTubNZ]

Looks great! How strong is the coffee taste?

[@nina_5937]

You usually cannot taste the coffee in chocolate cakes, it's just used to enhance the chocolate taste :)

[@GeoffreyAlan]

@nina_ 's exactly right -- the coffee flavor didn't really come through at all.

[@Hypertoniclemon]

@@GeoffreyAlan noooo, I love coffee flavour in chocolate. If I want actual coffee taste, do I add extra strong brew? Without adding more liquid?

[@GeoffreyAlan]

You could add Netanyahu coffee granules to intensify the coffee (or brew extra extra strong). Alternatively, you could find “coffee extract” to add (similar to a vanilla extract, etc.). Which will pack the most intense flavor.

[@kalsoomsoni]

Does the cake need some sugar syrup?

[@GeoffreyAlan]

Claire didn’t call for one. That said, the cake wasn’t overly sweet, so if you’d like a sweeter cake, a simple syrup “shower” would probably be ok.

[@nicoletrestrail9305]

Has there been any recipes you tried that you legitimately didn't like?

[@GeoffreyAlan]

None that I haven't like, but lots that I won't make again. Sometimes a recipe is tasty, but not so much that I need to have it another time (when there's a whole world of recipes to discover!). I'm planning a video ranking all the recipes I've tried; hoping to have it ready in the next couple weeks!

[@jessicacaraballo645]

matilda cake but make it classy