Ideal Chocolate Layer Cake
Serves 1
Directions
- 1Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 2Grease the bottom and sides of three 8-inch by 2-inch cake pans with room temperature butter.
- 3Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment paper, smoothing out any bubbles.
- 4Combine the dry ingredients: Dutch processed cocoa powder, cake flour, a generous amount of salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar in a stand mixer bowl with the paddle attachment on the lowest speed to combine and distribute the leavening.
- 5Bloom the cocoa powder by adding 3/4 cup of hot, freshly brewed coffee to it, and smooth out any lumps.
- 6Prepare the wet ingredients: whisk together creme fresh, vanilla extract, five large eggs, and two extra yolks until well combined.
- 7Start mixing the cake batter by adding a neutral oil and half of the cocoa mixture to the dry ingredients in the stand mixer, mixing until well incorporated.
- 8Increase the speed and beat until the mixture looks homogeneous and the oil is absorbed.
- 9Add the remaining cocoa mixture and the whisked eggs to the batter, then slowly work up to medium speed.
- 10Continue to beat until the batter is super glossy and has the consistency of pancake batter.
- 11Scrape down the sides and around the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.
- 12Weigh the batter to ensure even distribution of about 550g per cake pan.
- 13Place the cake pans in the preheated oven.
- 14Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the pans in the oven.
- 15Continue baking for another 10-12 minutes or until the top is lightly cracked, springy, and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- 16While the cakes cool, prepare the frosting by chopping chocolate in the 60-65% cacao range.
- 17Combine milk and half of the granulated sugar in a saucepan and bring to a bare simmer, swirling to dissolve the sugar.
- 18In a medium bowl, combine the other half of the granulated sugar, cocoa powder, a generous amount of salt, and flour.
- 19Add egg yolks to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly until it thins out a little.
- 20Temper the egg mixture by slowly whisking in about half of the hot milk mixture to gradually raise its temperature.
- 21Whisk the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk mixture.
- 22Cook the pudding over medium heat, whisking constantly, getting into the crevices of the saucepan, until it thickens, holds whisk marks, looks glossy, and bubbles underneath.
- 23Remove the pudding from the heat and add the chopped chocolate, folding it until the chocolate is incorporated and gently melts.
- 24Let the pudding cool to room temperature, then beat in vanilla extract.
- 25Slowly add room temperature butter to the pudding base, a piece or two at a time, blending until well mixed and glossy.
- 26Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure all pudding mixture is incorporated into the frosting.
Ingredients
- room temp butter
- Dutch processed cocoa powder
- cake flour
- salt
- baking powder
- baking soda
- sugar
- 0.75 cup hot freshly brewed coffee
- creme fresh
- vanilla extract
- 5 large eggs
- 2 extra yolks
- neutral oil
- chocolate in 60-65% cacao range, chopped
- milk
Equipment
8 inch x 2 inch cake pansparchment paperscissorsstand mixerpaddle attachmenthand mixersaucepanwhisk
Tips
- Always prep your pans first to avoid frustration.
- For cake pans, ensure they have at least 2 inch high sides for an even and high rise in layers.
- To cut parchment paper rounds, fold it diagonally, then in half along the folded edge, and in half again until it's a thin triangle. Place the point at the center of the pan and cut at the edge.
- Smooth out any bubbles under the parchment paper to prevent batter from running underneath.
- Using cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate gives pure, unadulterated chocolate flavor and avoids firming up or drying out the cake.
- The reverse creaming mixing method, starting with dry ingredients, results in a good texture and is less prone to overmixing.
- A generous amount of salt is important as sugar is a flavor enhancer, so less sugar needs more salt.
- Bloom the cocoa powder with hot freshly brewed coffee to enhance chocolate flavor; coffee's bitterness and acidity react with baking soda.
- Sour cream is a great substitute for creme fresh; avoid Greek yogurt due to lower fat content.
- Whisk eggs and extra yolks well before adding to the batter to ensure they combine easily.
- For the frosting, use flour instead of cornstarch if you plan to freeze it, as flour maintains a smooth texture after freezing and thawing.
- When making the pudding for the frosting, whisk constantly and cook until it thickens, holds the marks of the whisk, looks glossy, and bubbles underneath.
- Allow the pudding to cool to room temperature before adding butter to prevent a thinner frosting consistency.
- When adding butter to the pudding, do so a piece or two at a time, slowly blending it in.
- You can reduce the amount of sugar in the cake by 100g and the cake will still be soft and moist.
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