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Triple Chocolate Cake
This towering cake is chocolate through and through. We use Guittard Cocoa Rouge (which takes on a reddish hue during processing) in our kitchens for its excellent flavor and ability to give deep color to baked goods. The cake itself is not only delicious, but it’s simple to make and uses only one bowl. The icing adds two of the three kinds of chocolate used in this recipe.
MAKES 10–12 SERVINGS
CHOCOLATE CAKE
7/8 cup/210 ml boiling water
½ cup/50 g Dutch-processed cocoa,
preferably Guittard Cocoa Rouge
1 ¾ cup/250 g unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ¾ cups/350 g granulated sugar
1 Tbsp baking soda
1 tsp fine sea salt
7/8 cup/210 ml
buttermilk
2/3 cup/165 ml
canola or vegetable oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
ICING
7 oz./200 g unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 ½ oz./100 g semisweet chocolate,
coarsely chopped
1 ¾ cups/390 g unsalted butter, cut into Tbsp, at
room temperature
1 2/3 cups/405 ml
sour cream, at room temperature
4 cups/400 g confectioners’ sugar,
sifted
Chocolate whipped cream
Instructions
1
To make the cake: Whisk the boiling water and cocoa together in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside and let cool completely, whisking occasionally, about 30 minutes.
2
Sift the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt together into a large bowl. Add the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the mixture is moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat, scraping the bowl often, for 2 minutes (set a timer). With the mixer on low speed, beat in the cooled cocoa mixture. Return to medium speed and beat, scraping often, for 30 seconds more. Set the batter aside for 30–45 minutes. (This allows the thin batter to “set” and ride better without excessive doming during baking. Do not skip this step.)
3
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Butter two 9-by-2-in./23-by-5-cm round cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pans with waxed paper. Dust the sides of the pans with flour and tap out the excess flour. Divide the batter evenly among the cake pans and smooth the tops. (If you have a kitchen scale, use it to weigh equal amounts of batter in the pans.)
4
Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, 30–35 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the inside of the pans and invert to unmold the cakes onto the racks. Remove the paper, turn the cakes right side up, and let cool completely.
5
Using a serrated knife, trim the rounded top off each cake to level the layers. Set aside the trimmings to use for the crumb coating. Using the serrated knife, cut each layer in half horizontally.
6
Reheat the oven to 250°F/120°C. Pulse the cake trimmings in a food processor until they form coarse crumbs. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, until the crumb edges feel dry, 30–40 minutes. Let the crumbs cool completely—they will crisp more during cooling.
7
To make the icing: Combine the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Add ½ in./12 mm water to a large skillet and bring to a bare simmer over low heat. Place the bowl in the water and heat, stirring often, until the chocolates are melted and smooth. Remove from the water and let cool slightly for about 10 minutes. Using an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat in the butter 1 Tbsp at a time, mixing until the butter is fully absorbed by the chocolate. Add the sour cream and beat until smooth. (The cold sour cream will firm up the icing.) Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar. Scrape down the bowl and refrigerate the icing until it begins to set, about 30 minutes.
Triple Chocolate Cake
This towering cake is chocolate through and through. We use Guittard Cocoa Rouge (which takes on a reddish hue during processing) in our kitchens for its excellent flavor and ability to give deep color to baked goods. The cake itself is not only delicious, but it’s simple to make and uses only one bowl. The icing adds two of the three kinds of chocolate used in this recipe.
MAKES 10–12 SERVINGS
CHOCOLATE CAKE
7/8 cup/210 ml boiling water
½ cup/50 g Dutch-processed cocoa,
preferably Guittard Cocoa Rouge
1 ¾ cup/250 g unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ¾ cups/350 g granulated sugar
1 Tbsp baking soda
1 tsp fine sea salt
7/8 cup/210 ml
buttermilk
2/3 cup/165 ml
canola or vegetable oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
ICING
7 oz./200 g unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 ½ oz./100 g semisweet chocolate,
coarsely chopped
1 ¾ cups/390 g unsalted butter, cut into Tbsp, at
room temperature
1 2/3 cups/405 ml
sour cream, at room temperature
4 cups/400 g confectioners’ sugar,
sifted
Chocolate whipped cream
Instructions
1
To make the cake: Whisk the boiling water and cocoa together in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside and let cool completely, whisking occasionally, about 30 minutes.
2
Sift the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt together into a large bowl. Add the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the mixture is moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat, scraping the bowl often, for 2 minutes (set a timer). With the mixer on low speed, beat in the cooled cocoa mixture. Return to medium speed and beat, scraping often, for 30 seconds more. Set the batter aside for 30–45 minutes. (This allows the thin batter to “set” and ride better without excessive doming during baking. Do not skip this step.)
3
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Butter two 9-by-2-in./23-by-5-cm round cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pans with waxed paper. Dust the sides of the pans with flour and tap out the excess flour. Divide the batter evenly among the cake pans and smooth the tops. (If you have a kitchen scale, use it to weigh equal amounts of batter in the pans.)
4
Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, 30–35 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the inside of the pans and invert to unmold the cakes onto the racks. Remove the paper, turn the cakes right side up, and let cool completely.
5
Using a serrated knife, trim the rounded top off each cake to level the layers. Set aside the trimmings to use for the crumb coating. Using the serrated knife, cut each layer in half horizontally.
6
Reheat the oven to 250°F/120°C. Pulse the cake trimmings in a food processor until they form coarse crumbs. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, until the crumb edges feel dry, 30–40 minutes. Let the crumbs cool completely—they will crisp more during cooling.
7
To make the icing: Combine the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Add ½ in./12 mm water to a large skillet and bring to a bare simmer over low heat. Place the bowl in the water and heat, stirring often, until the chocolates are melted and smooth. Remove from the water and let cool slightly for about 10 minutes. Using an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat in the butter 1 Tbsp at a time, mixing until the butter is fully absorbed by the chocolate. Add the sour cream and beat until smooth. (The cold sour cream will firm up the icing.) Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar. Scrape down the bowl and refrigerate the icing until it begins to set, about 30 minutes.
Triple Chocolate Cake
This towering cake is chocolate through and through. We use Guittard Cocoa Rouge (which takes on a reddish hue during processing) in our kitchens for its excellent flavor and ability to give deep color to baked goods. The cake itself is not only delicious, but it’s simple to make and uses only one bowl. The icing adds two of the three kinds of chocolate used in this recipe.
MAKES 10–12 SERVINGS
CHOCOLATE CAKE
7/8 cup/210 ml boiling water
½ cup/50 g Dutch-processed cocoa,
preferably Guittard Cocoa Rouge
1 ¾ cup/250 g unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ¾ cups/350 g granulated sugar
1 Tbsp baking soda
1 tsp fine sea salt
7/8 cup/210 ml
buttermilk
2/3 cup/165 ml
canola or vegetable oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
ICING
7 oz./200 g unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 ½ oz./100 g semisweet chocolate,
coarsely chopped
1 ¾ cups/390 g unsalted butter, cut into Tbsp, at
room temperature
1 2/3 cups/405 ml
sour cream, at room temperature
4 cups/400 g confectioners’ sugar,
sifted
Chocolate whipped cream
Instructions
1
To make the cake: Whisk the boiling water and cocoa together in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside and let cool completely, whisking occasionally, about 30 minutes.
2
Sift the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt together into a large bowl. Add the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the mixture is moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat, scraping the bowl often, for 2 minutes (set a timer). With the mixer on low speed, beat in the cooled cocoa mixture. Return to medium speed and beat, scraping often, for 30 seconds more. Set the batter aside for 30–45 minutes. (This allows the thin batter to “set” and ride better without excessive doming during baking. Do not skip this step.)
3
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Butter two 9-by-2-in./23-by-5-cm round cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pans with waxed paper. Dust the sides of the pans with flour and tap out the excess flour. Divide the batter evenly among the cake pans and smooth the tops. (If you have a kitchen scale, use it to weigh equal amounts of batter in the pans.)
4
Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, 30–35 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the inside of the pans and invert to unmold the cakes onto the racks. Remove the paper, turn the cakes right side up, and let cool completely.
5
Using a serrated knife, trim the rounded top off each cake to level the layers. Set aside the trimmings to use for the crumb coating. Using the serrated knife, cut each layer in half horizontally.
6
Reheat the oven to 250°F/120°C. Pulse the cake trimmings in a food processor until they form coarse crumbs. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, until the crumb edges feel dry, 30–40 minutes. Let the crumbs cool completely—they will crisp more during cooling.
7
To make the icing: Combine the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Add ½ in./12 mm water to a large skillet and bring to a bare simmer over low heat. Place the bowl in the water and heat, stirring often, until the chocolates are melted and smooth. Remove from the water and let cool slightly for about 10 minutes. Using an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat in the butter 1 Tbsp at a time, mixing until the butter is fully absorbed by the chocolate. Add the sour cream and beat until smooth. (The cold sour cream will firm up the icing.) Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar. Scrape down the bowl and refrigerate the icing until it begins to set, about 30 minutes.