Dark Chocolate Layer Cake Recipes

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CAKE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, cook milk, butter and chocolate over low heat until melted. Remove from the heat; let stand for 10 minutes., Preheat oven to 325°. In a large bowl, beat eggs and vanilla; stir in chocolate mixture until smooth. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt; gradually add to chocolate mixture and mix well (batter will be thin). , Transfer to three greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For filling, in a small saucepan, melt butter and chocolate. Stir in confectioners' sugar and heavy whipping cream until smooth., For ganache, place chocolate in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Cool, stirring occasionally, until ganache reaches a spreading consistency., Place one cake layer on a serving plate; spread with half of the filling. Repeat layers. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread ganache over top and sides of cake. Store in the refrigerator.

DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 round 9-inch cake pans.
• For the cake, put flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and mix well.
• In a stand mixer, mix the buttermilk, oil, eggs, vanilla together. Slowly add in the mix of dry ingredients while the mixer is on low. Add the coffee and make sure everything is combined. The batter will be very thin.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• Allow the cakes to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack.
• Make the Dark Chocolate Buttercream (double the recipe).
• Now it's time to put your cake together!
• Frost the top of the first cake. Then layer the other half of the cake on top. Frost the outside of the cake.
• Use a decorating comb to smooth the outside edge and to make lines, if desired.
• Pipe stars using Wilton tip 1M on the top outer edge of the cake.
• Sprinkle mini chocolate chips over the top of the cake.

DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE I

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 3 - 9 inch round cake pans. In medium bowl, pour boiling water over cocoa, and whisk until smooth. Let mixture cool. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at time, then stir in vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the cocoa mixture. Spread batter evenly between the 3 prepared pans.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool.

DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter three 9-inch cake pans and dust with cocoa powder, shaking off the excess.
• Mix the chocolate into the hot coffee in a medium bowl and stir to melt. Set aside to cool completely.
• In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.
• Combine the sugar, oil, salt and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed, 3 to 5 minutes. (This batter is fluid and tends to get lumps; mix carefully with the paddle, or even use the whisk attachment on low speed to avoid lumps.) With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape the bowl and continue mixing on medium-low speed until fully incorporated, 2 to 3 minutes. (Don't worry about overmixing at this stage; you need to make sure the batter base is fully mixed.)
• Stir the buttermilk into the coffee mixture. In alternating batches, add the flour and buttermilk mixtures to the batter base. Mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix. The batter should be thick but fluid. Stir or mix by hand to get rid of any lumps; strain if you feel compelled.
• Divide the batter among the prepared cake pans. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs, 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely.
• For the toffee: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine the butter, sugar and salt in a heavy-bottom saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer. Heat over medium-high heat to 300 degrees F (the hard crack stage), 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Pour over the prepared baking sheet and let cool completely. Break into small pieces, then process into a powder using a food processor or coffee grinder.
• For the buttercream: Combine 339 grams of the sugar, the water, corn syrup and salt in a heavy saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer. Heat over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium, being careful not to let the flames go up the sides of the saucepan. The target temperature for the syrup is 250 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, combine the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When the syrup has reached 230 degrees F, run the mixer on medium speed until the egg whites get frothy. Sprinkle the remaining 30 grams sugar into the egg whites and continue to whip on medium speed. (The egg whites should increases in size and form soft peaks by the time syrup reaches 250 degrees F.) Once the syrup reaches 250 degrees F, increase the mixer to high speed and carefully pour the hot syrup down the side of the bowl, being sure not to hit the whip. Whip the mixture until it has cooled to room temperature, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Replace the whisk with the paddle attachment. Gradually beat in the butter, a few cubes at a time, on medium-low speed. Mix until the buttercream comes together, then mix in the vanilla bean paste.
• Mix 3 to 4 ounces of the powdered toffee into 1 cup of the buttercream and set aside.
• For the chocolate feuilletine crunch: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Melt the dark chocolate and milk chocolate in a double boiler. Remove from the heat and mix in the feuilletine. Spread on the prepared baking sheet and let cool. Crumble into bite-size pieces. Set aside.
• To assemble the cake: Set one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread with a thin, even layer (about 1/4 inch) of the buttercream, then spread with a thin, even layer (1/8 to 1/4 inch) of the toffee-buttercream mixture. Top with feuilletine crunch. Repeat with the remaining layers. Cover the cake with the remaining buttercream.

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.

KITTENCAL'S BEST DEEP DARK CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Set oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line bottoms of two buttered 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar, until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
• Add in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Beat in vanilla and coffee granules.
• Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
• Add the flour mixture into the creamed mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, in three additions, scraping down the sides of bowl each time.
• Divide batter between prepared pans.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until cake tests done.
• Turn onto a rack and remove paper.
• Cool and frost.
• FOR FROSTING: Beat butter until creamy.
• Blend in cream and vanilla; beat until very smooth.
• Add the cocoa and icing sugar.
• Beat on high for 45 seconds.

ULTIMATE DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Chocolate Cake Preheat the oven to 180°C/160 Fan/Gas 4. Grease and line 3 x 23cm/9 -inch round loose-bottomed sandwich tins with greaseproof paper. 2. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160 Fan/Gas 4. Grease and line 3 x 23cm/9 -inch round loose-bottomed sandwich tins with greaseproof paper. 3. In a medium bowl, sift the flour with the cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt and set aside. 4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugars with the butter on medium-high for about 1 minute until light and fluffy (you could do this by hand but it will take a little longer). 5. Reduce the speed to medium-low and pour in the melted chocolate in a slow and steady stream. Mix until combined. 6. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until just combined. Add the vanilla extract. 7. Add the dry flour mix into butter mixture in 3 parts, alternating with buttermilk in 2 parts, beating well between each addition. 8. Divide the batter evenly between the tins and smooth over the top. 9. Bake in the centre of the oven for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of cakes comes out clean. 10. Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes before removing from the tins and transferring to wire racks to finish cooling completely. 11. Individually cover each cake with cling film and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. 12. Meanwhile, to make the buttercream In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter with icing sugar for about a minute on medium speed until combined. Reduce the speed to medium-low and stream in melted chocolate until combined. Add the vanilla and increase speed to medium-high and beat for 5 minutes until very light and fluffy (you could do this by hand but it will take much longer). 13. To assemble the cake: Remove the 3 cakes from the fridge and set onto a flat board. Trim (if needed) to ensure they are smooth and flat. 14. Place 1 round on a cake stand and spread with buttercream. Lay another cake round on top. Repeat spreading and layering before frosting the sides and top of the cake. Gently arrange chocolate curls in the centre of the cake and serve.

DARK CHOCOLATE MOCHA MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Butter a metal 8-inch square cake pan. Line the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper; lightly butter the parchment. Combine the cocoa and espresso powders in a medium bowl. Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until the milk is steaming and the butter melts. Whisk into the cocoa mixture; let cool to room temperature.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until very pale, thick and pillowy, 5 to 8 minutes. Beat 30 to 45 more seconds to stabilize the egg foam.
• Reduce the mixer speed to low; beat in the cocoa mixture in 2 additions, alternating with the flour mixture in 2 additions. Beat just until the batter is smooth and no dry flour remains.
• Pour the batter into the cake pan and gently tap against the counter to eliminate any air bubbles. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out the cake onto a rack. Peel off the parchment but let it rest gently on top of the cake while it cools completely. Wipe the cake pan clean and reserve.
• Make the ganache: Combine 1/2 cup heavy cream, 4 ounces chocolate and 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan. Gently cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until melted and smooth. Let cool.
• Make the mousse: Combine the remaining 4 tablespoons butter and 4 ounces chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring, until melted and smooth. Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, combine 1/4 cup heavy cream and the gelatin powder in a small microwave- safe bowl. Let stand until the gelatin absorbs the liquid, about 5 minutes, then microwave until melted, 20 to 30 seconds, whisking. Let cool, stirring occasionally.
• Combine the remaining 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, the sugar and espresso powder in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer on medium speed to dissolve the sugar, about 1 minute. Stream in the cooled gelatin mixture, then increase the speed to medium high and beat until the mixture is thick and stiff peaks form. Fold in the cooled chocolate mixture in 2 or 3 batches until the mousse is well blended.
• Assemble the cake: Line the reserved cake pan with 2 crisscrossed strips of parchment paper (this will help you lift out the finished cake). Carefully slice the cake horizontally into 3 equal layers. Lay the best layer cut-side up in the bottom of the pan and brush with some of the chocolate liqueur, if using. (Use a plate or small cutting board to move the layers; if your top cake layer is domed, use it for the middle of the cake.) Evenly spread half of the mousse on top with an offset spatula, all the way to the edges. Top with a second cake layer. Brush again with chocolate liqueur, then spread half of the ganache evenly on top. Add the final cake layer, cut-side up, and brush with the remaining liqueur. Top with the remaining mousse and ganache. (The assembled cake should fill the pan.)
• Refrigerate the cake until the top is set, about 30 minutes, then wrap the whole cake pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to set completely.
• Lift the cake out of the pan using the parchment pieces and transfer to a cutting board. Using a hot, dry serrated knife, slice the cake, wiping the knife in between cuts for clean edges.

DARK CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT LAYER CAKE WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT FROSTING

Steps:

• HowToSection Cake Array
• HowToSection Frosting Array
• HowToSection Putting It Together Array