Ultimate Chocolate Cake

gardnermmoore
Jun 3, 2021
3 min read

Updated: Jun 4, 2021

Not advisable for children

The cake recipe has been adapted from the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook, and the icing recipe from Preppy Kitchen (https://preppykitchen.com/mexican-hot-chocolate-cake/). I have taken the richest and most chocolatey cake and paired it with a fucking delicious browned butter chocolate buttercream that has melted chocolate, chocolate ganache and cocoa powder. This makes a 3 or 4 8" layer cake, or a lot of cupcakes. You can halve the recipes to make something smaller. It is a 2 day project, but it is worth it.

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

3 1/3 cups/400g plain flour

3 1/2 cups/645g caster sugar or granulated sugar

1 3/4 cups/180g cocoa powder

1 Tbsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

4 large eggs

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

120ml/111g vegetable oil

410ml/420g buttermilk

Or the nastiest, wateriest low fat plain yogurt you can find, this is what I use.

250ml brewed / filter coffee, cooled

You can use instant coffee if you can't make brewed or filter coffee.

For the Chocolate Ganache:

1 cup/200g semi sweet or plain chocolate chips, or chocolate chopped finely

1/2 cup/110g heavy cream, UK double cream

Add up to 1.5 tsps of dark rum to this to make a chocolate rum cake

For the Chocolate Buttercream:

1.25lbs/575g unsalted butter at room temperature

For a deeper flavour, use browned butter*

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup/75g cocoa powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

Add up to 3 Tbsp dark rum instead of the vanilla extract to make this a chocolate rum cake

c. 4 1/2 cups/560g icing sugar (confectioner's sugar)

1/3 cup/100g chocolate ganache

This was supposed to be fudge, but USA fudge, the likes of which cannot be found in the UK

1/2 cup/90g semi-sweet or plain chocolate melted and cooled

Instructions:

For the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 175˚C/350˚F

Grease and flour 3 or 4 x 8" cake pans

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer.

Using a paddle attachment, mix the dry ingredients on a low speed until blended.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, vegetable oil, buttermilk/yogurt and coffee.

With the mixer running on low, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry.

When no streaks remain, turn up the mixer to medium-high and let it run for 2 minutes or so.

Evenly fill the pans, and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean (or with a few clingy crumbs).

Leave the cakes to cool in their pans for c.15 minutes before turning out to cool completely.

For the Ganache:

Set up a double boiler by placing a heatproof bowl above a pan of simmering water on low to medium heat.

In the double boiler, scald the cream until small bubbles are forming around the edges.

It will start to smell like custard. You will also smell if it is burned.

Add the chocolate chunks to the scalded cream, and add the vanilla extract.

Ideally, do this by pouring the cream over the chocolate, but if not it will not be the end of the world, or the end of the ganache.

Let sit for a few minutes, and then whisk until smooth.

Cover the ganache and leave to set at room temperature.

For the Chocolate Buttercream:

In a large bowl, combine the browned butter, salt, cocoa powder and vanilla extract.

Beat with a paddle attachment of a stand mixer, or using an electric mixer.

Slowly sift in the icing sugar and mix.

Beat in the ganache/fudge and the melted chocolate.

Beat until fluffy and well combined.

For the Assembly:

This is a massive cake so you want to work from the bottom up.

Smear a little bit of icing on the middle of the cake board you plan to use.

Top with a cake layer, fill in the gaps around the bottom and spread a layer of icing on top.

Top with the second layer, repeat, repeat.

You can also add a swirl of leftover ganache between the layers.

Because of the height of this cake, I work my way up filling in the gaps between layers.

Spread a thin layer of icing over the whole cake, and refrigerate for c.40 minutes.

This is a big cake, and you want the icing to be firm to support the layers.

Cover with a thicker layer of icing, and decorate however you want.

*How to Brown Butter:

Melt c.700g butter for the icing in a medium saucepan on medium-low heat.

Let it melt, and melt, and foam, and foam, and bubble, and bubble, and brown, and brown.

All these stages are normal, let it keep on bubbling. You will know it is done when the milk solids have separated and there is an aroma of toasted nuts.