Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Bliss Cake

Hi everyone! It seems as though lately all I have been able to get is about 1 post a month - that is SO SAD! I have to say the last few months of this year have been extremely busy for me and it's been super tough to just sit down and do nothing at all, much less write a blog post! Hopefully that will change in the next year as I am excited to spill the beans on some exciting news! Stay tuned...! 

On to this awesome cake. I have a question for you. Why do pumpkins and cranberries get to have all the fun around the holidays? Why not pomegranates? They always seem to show up for the holiday festivities, but they really just kind of stand in the background, ho-humming around. Well, ho hum NO MORE! They are the star of this cake (aside from the dark chocolate, haha!) I usually pick up a baggie of Brookside Dark Chocolate Covered Pomegranates when they are on sale and I absolutely love these things. I wondered what it would be like to have the same flavors in a different package? Well you know me, I LOVE to bake cakes. I didn't have to look too far to find my favorite dark chocolate cake recipe. I went straight to Sweetapolita's site to get it! I should know this recipe by heart now, as much as I like to use it, but I usually can't even remember what I was going to say from one second to the next nowadays. Next, I used my absolute favorite chocolate buttercream recipe, but I used Hershey's Special Dark cocoa to make it, well, dark and rich. ;) The recipe comes from Kittencal on Food.com. As it so happens, photo #1 by "UberFoodNoob" is my cake, made a couple of years ago (just an interesting little tidbit of info there).

If you are into dark chocolate, or pomegranate, or CAKE of any kind, I beg you to make this. You won't be disappointed. Plus, it's fairly easy and it would be perfect to take to a Christmas party! Enjoy! :)

Cake inspired by my favorite chocolate cake recipe by Sweetapolita:

For the cake:

2-1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour

3 cups granulated sugar

1 cup + 1 tablespoon Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa

1 tablespoon baking soda

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

3 eggs, at room temperature

1-1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature

1-1/2 cups pomegranate juice (I use POM Wonderful)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1-1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

For the butter cream:

1 cup of butter, softened (margarine will not yield the same flavor)

5 1/3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

3/4 - 1 cup of Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa

2/3 cup half-and-half cream (can use unwhipped whipping cream in place of half and half) or 2/3 cup milk

3 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup pure pomegranate juice

For Garnish:

Brookside Dark Chocolate Covered Pomegranates (I love these for a snack mixed with cashews!)

Cake Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare three 8 inch pans by spraying with non-stick spray. I love using Baker's Joy with flour or the Pam made for baking.

Sift all the dry ingredients, including sugar, into the bowl of an electric mixer.

Combine the eggs, buttermilk, pomegranate juice, oil and vanilla in a separate bowl and beat lightly.

Add the wet milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix for 2 minutes on medium speed, covering the top with a dish towel or a splash guard, as this batter will be thin.

Divide the batter evenly in the pans.

Bake for 20 minutes and rotate the pans. Bake about 12 more minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Cool on wire racks for 20 minutes, then turn over onto racks to cool completely.

Buttercream Instructions: 

Cream the butter in a bowl and add vanilla, beating for a few seconds to mix. Sift the confectioners' sugar together with the cocoa and in 1/2 cup intervals, blending alternately with the cream in the mixing bowl. Lastly, add the pomegranate juice. I had to use 1/2 cup to get some flavor in there.

Garnish with Brookside Dark Chocolate Pomegranates if desired. Enjoy!

Keep cake refrigerated, as it will be easier to cut. It can stand at room temperature for a couple of hours.

Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Thank you so much for looking, now go bake something and spread the yum!

XOXO,

Diana