Chocolate Layer Cake With Dark Chocolate Frosting Recipes

DARK-CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH GANACHE FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans; dust with cocoa, tapping out excess. Line bottom of each pan with a round of parchment paper; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition; beat in chocolate and vanilla. With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture in three parts and buttermilk in two, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
• Divide batter between prepared pans; smooth tops. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in pans 15 minutes; run a knife around edge of each pan, and invert cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Set a rimmed baking sheet upside down on a work surface. Place one cake on sheet, and spread top with 1/3 of ganache. Place second cake on top, and spread remaining ganache over top and sides of cake. Using two wide metal spatulas, carefully transfer frosted cake to a serving platter.

DARK CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat the sugar, buttermilk, coffee, eggs, oil, chocolate and vanilla until well blended. In another large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into buttermilk mixture until blended., Pour into three greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For frosting, combine the cream, sugar and corn syrup in a small saucepan. Bring to a full boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; stir in chocolate and butter until melted. , Transfer to a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate until desired consistency, stirring occasionally. Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake. Store in the refrigerator.

DARK CHOCOLATE SHEET CAKE WITH DARK CHOCOLATE FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 10x15-inch rimmed baking sheet and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
• Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
• Beat brown sugar, white sugar, and butter together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract. Add in 1/3 of the flour mixture, and mix until just combined. Add in 1/2 of the coffee and buttermilk, and mix until just combined. Continue alternating additions of the flour mixture with coffee and buttermilk, mixing just until combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan; smooth into an even layer. Tap pan firmly on the counter several times to remove air bubbles.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs, about 25 minutes. Do not overbake. Place cake on a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the frosting. Beat butter in a large bowl until completely smooth. Mix in cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt until thoroughly combined. Mix in vanilla. Add in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Pour in heavy cream and beat until frosting is light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. If frosting is too thick, add more heavy cream.
• Spread frosting over the cooled cake.

CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE WITH MILK CHOCOLATE FROSTING

Steps:

• Make cake:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 (9- by 2-inch) round cake pans and line bottom of each with a round of parchment or wax paper. Butter paper and dust pans with flour, knocking out excess.
• Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt into a small bowl. Beat together butter and sugars in a large bowl using an electric mixer at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes in a standing mixer or 4 to 5 minutes with a handheld. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add chocolate and vanilla and beat until just combined. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately in 3 batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until just combined.
• Divide batter between cake pans, spreading evenly, and bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of each cake layer comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes.
• Cool cake layers in pans on racks 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around edge of each layer, then invert onto racks. Peel off paper and cool layers completely.
• Make frosting:
• Heat milk in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot. Whisk together yolks, flour, 1/3 cup confectioners sugar, and a pinch of salt in a bowl, then add hot milk in a stream, whisking. Transfer custard to saucepan and bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking, 2 minutes (mixture will be very thick), then transfer to a large bowl. Cover surface of custard with a buttered round of wax paper and cool completely, about 45 minutes.
• Add vanilla and remaining cup confectioners sugar to custard and beat with cleaned beaters at moderate speed until combined well, then increase speed to medium-high and beat in butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, until smooth. Add chocolates and beat until combined well.
• Frost cake:
• Halve each cake layer horizontally using a long serrated knife. Layer cake, using a heaping 1/2 cup frosting between each layer, then frost top and sides with remaining frosting.

DARK CHOCOLATE FROSTING

Steps:

• Combine cocoa and the boiling water, stirring until cocoa has dissolved. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, confectioners' sugar, and salt until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add melted and cooled chocolate, beating until combined and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in the cocoa mixture. If not using immediately, frosting can be refrigerated up to 5 days, or frozen up to 1 month, in an airtight container. Before using, bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth again.

DARK CHOCOLATE FROSTING

Steps:

• Beat the butter on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment until smooth.
• Add in the sifted dark cocoa, vanilla extract and salt, and mix on low until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
• Slowly mix in the powdered sugar. Half way through, add in the heavy cream to make the frosting easier to mix. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
• Mix in the cooled, melted dark chocolate on a low speed until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached.
• To make the frosting extra smooth, stir by hand with a rubber spatula for a couple minutes. Push the frosting back and forth to work out any extra air that was incorporated while the frosting was being mixed. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent crusting and set aside.
• Repeat step 5 and stir the frosting by hand again right before you use it. Sometimes as frosting sits it develops air bubbles. Giving it a good stir helps make sure it stays silky smooth before you add it to your cake or cupcakes.

ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH FUDGE FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter and line two 8-inch round baking pans with parchment paper. Butter parchment.In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt, whisking until thoroughly combined. Add eggs, buttermilk, water, oil, and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until all dry ingredients are incorporated. Divide evenly among prepared pans.Bake for 40 to 45 minutes (30 to 35 minutes for a 6-inch cake) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack until cool enough to handle. Run a small knife around the edges of each pan, then gently invert onto wire racks. Cakes should come out cleanly. Peel off parchment and allow cake layers to cool completely. At this point, the cakes can be frozen until ready to use, up to 1 month. Simply wrap each layer individually in a double layer of plastic wrap and then store inside a large zip top bag (I find frozen cakes to be much easier to work with later, and always freeze mine even if I'm finishing the cake the next day).To prepare frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed until very pale and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add sifted powdered sugar and cocoa powder and mix to combine. Add sour cream, hot water, vanilla and salt and mix on low speed until the liquid is incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. It may look slightly curdled at this point, but don't worry. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until smooth, another 2-3 minutes. Add lukewarm chocolate and mix until smooth and glossy. At this point you have about 30 minutes at cool room temperature (longer in the summer) to work with the frosting before it begins to harden (this frosting doesn't do particularly well when made ahead of time).To assemble, level your cake layers first if necessary (if there is any sort of domed top, you want to trim that off with a serrated knife). Place one layer, bottom side up, on a cake stand or serving platter (on a piece of parchment if you will need to move it). Spread about 1 cup of frosting in an even layer, then place second layer on top, flat side up, pressing gently to adhere.Cover the entire cake with a thin layer of buttercream using an offset spatula. This "crumb coat" will seal in the cake crumbs and make the final layer of frosting easier. If your cakes were frozen this should firm up pretty quickly, otherwise refrigerate for about 10 minutes to set.Slather with remaining buttercream in a thick layer, reserving some for piping decorative details if desired.

CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE WITH DARK CHOCOLATE FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans, line with cutout parchment paper, grease again, and dust with a little cocoa powder.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whisk together the flour mix, cocoa powder, xanthan gum, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• Add the egg replacer, rice milk, canola oil, vanilla, and warm water and beat on medium-low speed until smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
• Divide the batter evenly between the two pans.
• Bake in the center of the oven for about 45 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Bake until the cake is pulling away slightly from the sides of the pans and a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Let cool in the pans on a cooling rack for 30 minutes. Cover the cake pan with a large plate, flip, peel off the parchment paper, and flip the cake back onto the rack, right side up, to cool completely. Repeat with the other cake.
• Once the cakes have cooled completely, you may use a serrated knife to trim the tops to make them level. Frost with Dark Chocolate Frosting (or Vanilla Frosting, page 93, or Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, page 91). Once the frosting sets, store covered.
• Dark Chocolate Frosting
• Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt in the microwave, stopping to stir every 30 seconds. It will take about 2 minutes to melt them. Stir until smooth, about 1 minute. Let cool to room temperature.
• Combine the cocoa powder and boiling water in a small bowl, stirring until smooth and the cocoa has dissolved completely.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the shortening, confectioners' sugar, salt, and rice milk, beating on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
• Add the melted chocolate and beat on low speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the cocoa mixture, and beat for about 1 more minute, or until combined.