Chocolate Layer Cake

• servings: 24 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature (226g)

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar (500g)

4 large eggs, room temperature (224g)

1 cup hot water (240ml)

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature (240ml)

1 cup dark or black cocoa powder (80g)

3 cups all-purpose flour (375g)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder (6g)

1 tsp baking soda (6g)

1 tsp fine salt (6g)

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature (452g)

1 cup unsweetened baking cocoa, sifted (80g)

1/2 tsp fine salt (3g)

6 cups powdered sugar (750g)

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature (120ml)

1 1/3 cups melted dark chocolate, cooled (232g)

Directions

Chocolate Cake Layers

Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Grease then line four 7-inch or three 8-inch cake pans with nonstick spray and parchment paper rounds. Set aside.

Add 1 cup of unsalted butter into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl and beat on a medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add 2 1/2 cups sugar and cream together on a high speed for 1-2 minutes with a whisk attachment or hand mixer. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. The mixture should become light in color.

Then mix in 4 large eggs on a medium speed, two at a time.

In a separate bowl combine 1 cup of hot water, 1 cup of buttermilk, and 1 cup of black cocoa. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and no clumps remain.

Sift 3 cups of flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp salt into a large bowl.

Next, add in 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the butter/egg mixture. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula to ensure the flour gets fully incorporated.

Pour in half of the buttermilk/cocoa mixture and gently pulse the mixture to incorporate the liquid. If you don't, you'll end up splattering the cocoa mixture all over your kitchen!

Mix in the 2nd portion of the dry ingredients on a low speed. Pour in the remaining buttermilk/cocoa mixture and again gently pulse. Then mix on low until fully combined.

Add in the last portion of the dry ingredients and mix on low until fully incorporated.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. I like to use a kitchen scale to make sure each pan has the same amount of batter.

Bake for 32-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Allow layers to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula around the edge of the pans to help separate the layers from the pans.

Place the pans in the freezer for about 45 minutes, to accelerate the cooling process. Once the layers are fully cooled, carefully flip the pans and remove the layers from the pans.

Use a serrated knife to level the tops of the layers, then set aside. If you're making these in advance, you can wrap and freeze them at this point.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

While the cake layers bake and cool, make the chocolate buttercream frosting.

Beat 2 cups of butter on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a stand mixer and paddle attachent or in a large bowl with a stand mixer until smooth.

Gradually mix in 1 cup of sifted cocoa (do this super slowly to avoid cocoa clouds!) and 1/2 tsp of salt. Mix on low until the cocoa is fully incorporated and no clumps remain.

Slowly mix in 6 cups of powdered sugar on the lowest speed. Halfway through adding the powdered sugar pour in 1/2 cup of heavy cream or milk to make it easier to mix the frosting.

Once all the powdered sugar is incorporated, mix in 1 1/3 cups of melted and cooled chocolate chips. After melting my chocolate, I let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. It should still be in a liquid state but less warm to the touch than when it was first melted.

Beat on low until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached. If the frosting is too thick, add an extra Tbsp of heavy cream. If it's too thin, add in another 1/4 cup of powdered sugar.

Stir by hand with a rubber spatula for a couple minutes to get the frosting SUPER smooth.

Assembling this Chocolate Cake

Stack and frost cake layers on a grease proof cake board or flat plate, using a dab of frosting to help stick the first cake layer to the board.

Add an even layer of chocolate buttercream between each cake layer with a large offset spatula.

Spread a thin coat of frosting around the cake, to fully cover the cake layers. Smooth using a bench scraper, then chill the cake in the fridge (20 minutes) or freezer (10 minutes) until the frosting is firm to the touch.

Then spread a second, thicker layer of frosting to the cake and smooth using a bench scraper and decorate as desired!

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 g
• Calories: 450 kcal
• Total Fat: 16 g
• Saturated Fat: 9 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
• Cholesterol: 61 mg
• Sodium: 274 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 73 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3 g
• Total Sugars: 54 g
• Protein: 5 g