All Occasion Chocolate Layer Cake
I love dessert. There. I said it. I’m a dessert guy. While I would never consider myself a baker (it’s a work in progress), there’s nothing better than capping an excellent meal off with a tasty sweet treat. Even better if its chocolate. I come by my love of chocolate honestly. My mother was a chocoholic. My grandmother has the biggest sweet tooth of anyone I’ve ever met, and coincidentally the best pie maker I’ve ever known.
One of me and my wife’s favorite after dinner pastimes is to watch the Great British Bake Off. The feats in baking these humble home bakers are able to accomplish are breathtaking. And when they fail, well, it’s worth the laugh. One thing the bakers on the show are always tasked with making are layer cakes. And they are usually spectacular. The luxury of a layer cake, especially a chocolate layer cake can take any dinner and make it extraordinary. Enter this cake. It hits all the notes. Luscious chocolate cake, smooth buttery chocolate whipped icing. It’s special enough to serve for your most celebratory moments, but accessible enough to have for a weeknight dinner. Don’t let the length of this recipe fool you. While it has many steps – each step is easy enough for anyone with an electric mixer and an oven to become STAR BAKER.
Ready. Set. Bake.
Vegetable oil
¾ cup cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
¾ cup Water
2 cups all-purpose flour
12 TBS (1 ½ Sticks) unsalted butter, softened
4oz unsweetened chocolate, broken into pieces
1 ½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
1 cup whole milk
10oz bittersweet chocolate broken into pieces
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ tsp salt
12 TBS (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
-Preheat oven to 350*. Grease the bottoms and sides of two 9-inch cake pans with vegetable oil, cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of each cake pan. Grease the top of the parchment with vegetable oil. Dust evenly with cocoa powder and tap out the excess.
-In a small heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the 4oz of unsweetened chocolate. Make sure the bowl does not touch the water, and stir the chocolate with a rubber spatula until evenly melted. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.
-In a small bowl, stir the cocoa powder and water to make a paste. Set aside
-Use a fine mesh strainer to sift the flour, baking soda and salt together into a bowl.
-In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and both sugars on medium speed until smooth. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently with a spatula. Add the eggs, one at a time making sure to mix until combined well between each. Continue to whip the mixture on a medium speed for approximately 5 minutes after the eggs are in.
-Reduce stand mixer speed to low, and add the cocoa paste and melted chocolate. Mix until thoroughly combined.
-While still on low speed, add one half of the sifted flour mixture, then one half of the milk. Repeat with the remaining flour and milk until well combined.
-Divide your cake batter between the greased and coated pans. Using an offset spatula (or the back of a spoon) spread out the batter. Tap the cake pan on the counter top to release any air bubbles. Bake the cakes on the middle rack of the oven until done, 30-35 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the centermost part of the cake. The toothpick should come out clean when cake is done.
-Run a knife around the inside edge of cake pan to loosen the cake. Use a plate, sheet pan, or cooling rack to invert the cake and release from pan to allow to cool immediately. Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting.
To Make the Frosting:
-Place the broken 10oz bittersweet chocolate into a medium bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer).
-Using a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the heavy cream and sugar, stir frequently until the sugar dissolves and cream is quite warm, but not boiling.
-Pour the warm cream over the chocolate and let sit for 2-3 minutes until the chocolate begins to soften. Whisk until smooth and allow to sit for another 10 minutes to cool slightly.
-Taking your time, whisk the softened butter into the chocolate mixture, adding only 1 TBS of butter at time and whisking thoroughly until they are blended in before adding the next. Let frosting sit at room temperature until it becomes spreadable, approximately 30 minutes.
-Place one of your cake layers on a cake plate bottom side up. Using an offset spatula, ice about 2/3 cup of frosting, spreading evenly across the top of the cake layer. Place the second cake layer, bottom side up, on the first layer. Spread the remaining frosting over the top of the cake, spreading it down the sides, and smoothing it evenly around the cake and last but not least.. Enjoy!
