# Ideal Chocolate Layer Cake

Claire Saffitz's ideal chocolate layer cake is perfect for celebrations or everyday baking, featuring a rich, moist cake and a unique German-style chocolate buttercream.

- Category: Baked Goods
- Language: en

## 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

## Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Grease the bottom and sides of three 8-inch by 2-inch cake pans with room temperature butter.
3. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment paper, smoothing out any bubbles.
4. Combine 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.
5. Bloom the cocoa powder by adding 3/4 cup of hot, freshly brewed coffee to it, and smooth out any lumps.
6. Prepare the wet ingredients: whisk together creme fresh, vanilla extract, five large eggs, and two extra yolks until well combined.
7. Start 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.
8. Increase the speed and beat until the mixture looks homogeneous and the oil is absorbed.
9. Add the remaining cocoa mixture and the whisked eggs to the batter, then slowly work up to medium speed.
10. Continue to beat until the batter is super glossy and has the consistency of pancake batter.
11. Scrape down the sides and around the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.
12. Weigh the batter to ensure even distribution of about 550g per cake pan.
13. Place the cake pans in the preheated oven.
14. Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the pans in the oven.
15. Continue 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.
16. While the cakes cool, prepare the frosting by chopping chocolate in the 60-65% cacao range.
17. Combine milk and half of the granulated sugar in a saucepan and bring to a bare simmer, swirling to dissolve the sugar.
18. In a medium bowl, combine the other half of the granulated sugar, cocoa powder, a generous amount of salt, and flour.
19. Add egg yolks to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly until it thins out a little.
20. Temper the egg mixture by slowly whisking in about half of the hot milk mixture to gradually raise its temperature.
21. Whisk the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk mixture.
22. Cook 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.
23. Remove the pudding from the heat and add the chopped chocolate, folding it until the chocolate is incorporated and gently melts.
24. Let the pudding cool to room temperature, then beat in vanilla extract.
25. Slowly add room temperature butter to the pudding base, a piece or two at a time, blending until well mixed and glossy.
26. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure all pudding mixture is incorporated into the frosting.

## Equipment

- 8 inch x 2 inch cake pans
- parchment paper
- scissors
- stand mixer
- paddle attachment
- hand mixer
- saucepan
- whisk

## 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.

## Source

- Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz3jorq9QKY
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/89bf4bde-a08a-4138-8f69-a10bb9dde123
- Extracted: 2026-04-08

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt