Miami Beach Birthday Cake

For my birthday my boss made me a cake called “Miami Beach Birthday Cake”.  I have to say that is one of the best cakes I’ve ever had and my husband loved it too.  So for his birthday I asked my husband what kind of cake he wanted.  He thought about it for a while, I named different cakes for a while and then he decided he wanted the same kind I had on my birthday.  

I have never tasted a cake like this; it was so good but very different than cakes I’ve had in the past.  All the elements of this cake combined made the end result incredible.  The cake is a heavier more dense cake, but the icing is so light and fluffy they complimented each other well.  
Also, this month Joelen’s Culinary Adventures is featuring bakeware as her “Tastey Tools”.  I’ve been looking for something to cook to submit to Joelen’s and Spencer’s cake turned out to be the perfect cake.
   
This time baking is a time of firsts for me.  I have been in the kitchen baking my entire life but this time it’s with a new mixer, new pans and a recipe that I’ve never made before.  I’m set in my own ways and so this is a pretty big thing combining all these new elements at once.  Spencer, my wonderful husband, was nice enough to treat me to a Kitchen Aid Mixer!!!  That alone made my year; and the same day I also got some new cake pans…which I was in dyer need of.  So the least I could do after all these treats was try to make him a delicous cake!  Everything, all the new elements, worked together wonderfully and we had an awesome birthday cake! 
 
Miami Beach Birthday Cake:
For the cake: 
1 Cup chocolate chips
1/2 Cup graham cracker crumbs
1/3 Cup melted butter
1/2 Cup chopped walnuts
2 Cups flour
1 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Cup butter
1 1/2 Cup sugar
2 Eggs
1 Teaspoon vanilla
For the frosting:
1 1/4 Cup buttermilk
1 Cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons sugar
Directions:
Heat oven to 375 F.
Melt 1/3 Cup chocolate chips.  Grease and flour bottom of 3, 9 inch cake pans.  Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter, stire in walnuts and rest of chocolate chips.  Set aside.
Combine flour, baking soda and salt.  Cream butter, gradually add sugar. Cream well.  Add eggs.  Blend in melted chocolate chips and vanilla.  At a low speed add dry ingredients alternately with 1 1/4 cups buttermilk-beginning and ending with dry ingredients.  Pour into prepared pans.  SPrinkle pans with crumb mixture. 
Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes.  Cool.
For the Frosting:
Beat heavy cream with 2 tablespoons sugar until stiff.  Fill and frost the cakes, keeping the crumb sides up.  Refrigerate before serving and any leftovers. 
***If you have time to make the cake in advance it ices better if you freeze it first.  I made the cake and baked it one night, let it cool, covered it well, and put it in the freezer over night and iced it the next evening.  This helps eliminate the crumbs getting mixed up in your icing.
  
Recipe Source: www.fareshare.net/recipesV10-03M.html, and Judy