Ina Garten Goldbelly Cake Review – ryan

• What Is It: six- or eight-inch chocolate layer cake with dark chocolate frosting

This iconic confection came about after Ina was invited to dinner by a friend who served a chocolate cake that blew her away. It turns out that he used his grandma’s recipe, which he then passed on to Garten. She’s the namesake of what’s now one of her most popular desserts of all time. It’s famously rich and bold, thanks to a full cup of joe in each cake.

Full disclosure: I’m not a chocolate cake person. If it’s too decadent, I get nauseated after one or two bites, max. That said, the moment the cake came out of the box, a roasty, bittersweet aroma coaxed me to cut it open. This cake was indeed rich (thanks, buttermilk), but heavier than the coconut. The bitterness of the coffee and semisweet chocolate shines through, and the crumb is a bit dense.

The frosting is also beautifully applied. Not only is the cake adorned with rounded, shallow swoops of the stuff, but the frosting is also plentiful without being excessive (think two centimeters thicker than on a naked cake). I was intrigued by its flavor, which is very chocolatey without being too decadent; the best way I can describe it is like real chocolate, a far cry from the cloying supermarket confections you’ve had before. I love its fudgy, semisolid texture that offers some chew.

Pro tip: Ina Garten serves it over a pool of melted vanilla ice cream, which she considers a cheater’s crème anglaise. (And in case you don’t feel like spending $100 on this treat, take it from former PureWow senior food editor Katherine Gillen: You can easily make Beatty’s chocolate cake at home.)