Maddie's Chocolate Cake

My niece Maddie had her first birthday on Saturday and I was in charge of the cake! I decided to make a chocolate cake with a dark chocolate filling and a vanilla Italian meringue buttercream. I started with my go-to chocolate cake recipe--Martha Stewart's One-Bowl Chocolate Cake. I prepared two square cake pans (lined with parchment paper and lightly greased) and baked the two layers for 40 minutes in a 350-degree oven. I let the cakes cool overnight and left the frostings and decorating for the next day. Saturday morning I started bright and early with the dark chocolate filling (another Martha Stewart go-to and the same one I used for my chocolate cupcakes). I used this to layer in between the four cake layers (I split each cake layer in two for a more dramatic presentation when you slice into the cake). I let the cake and filling cool in the fridge for thirty minutes to help hold its shape. While the cake was chilling I made the buttercream. I used a recipe from the Advanced Pastry Chef (a book I stole from my sister who went to culinary school) and the frosting came out beautifully. I died it pink to match the "Princess" theme and then I started my crumb coat (a thin layer of frosting that covers the cake and helps prevent any crumbs from showing when you apply the final coating). With the crumb coat in place, I let the cake chill for another thirty minutes before I applied the final layer of frosting. I used a bench scraper to create a clean, smooth look because I wanted to the finished cake to look like a present. Once the final layer of frosting was on, it was back to the fridge for one last chill while I created the fondant decorations. Since the cake was going to look like a gift, I cut strips of fondant to create a bow and ribbon. I covered the fondant with pink sprinkles and applied them to the cake. I thought the final cake came out cute and everyone at the party seemed to enjoy it. The final touch was a monogrammed Necco with the letter "M" that finished off the bow. The cake tasted delicious--moist, tender, and so chocolaty! I know Maddie liked it (and not just because it was her first taste of sugar!). The cake took a lot of work, but it was fun and I am already looking forward to the next one.