This chocolate cake is not for the faint hearted. It is really the most indulgent, decadent, moist and chocolatey Chocolate cake you will ever make. An impressive, yet easy to make cake perfect for any occasion or when you’re in the mood for something really naughty and comforting. Trust me – it is totally worth the extra calories!
I usually never venture myself into making layered cakes as they have always seemed super complicated to make; between the cake itself, the frosting and the assembling; the whole process seemed like a mammoth task until I tried out this recipe! During the covid-19 lockdown, when my cravings for a piece of chocolate cake was at its highest and being unable to buy a slice from my favorite pastry shop; that’s when I discovered this gem! I was so surprised by how easy it was to make this 3 tiers cake! This is now my go-to cake recipe to impress all my guests – They always think I’ve put in a lot of time and effort, when in fact it only took me about an hour or so!
So let’s dive right into it, shall we…
Key Points
- Coffee – If your question is: Can I substitute the coffee for hot water? The Answer is No. Coffee helps to intensify the chocolate flavor, making this cake even more chocolatey! But don’t worry, the cake will not taste like coffee. The coffee is simply a flavor enhancer.
- Buttermilk – Buttermilk plays an important role in this recipe as it reacts with baking soda and acts as a leavening agent, which makes this chocolate cake light and fluffy. If you do not have buttermilk, simply add ½ tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to regular milk.
- For an even softer and more moist cake, bake the cake one day ahead and keep it in an airtight container on your kitchen counter. This gives the cake time to “relax”
- Keep frosted cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Simply let it come to room temperature before digging in!
- Frosting choices: I used a chocolate cream cheese frosting for my cake as I had left over cream cheese from making our Flourless Orange Almond Cake. Nonetheless, you can frost your cake with chocolate ganache or chocolate buttercream.
The Most Indulgent Chocolate Cake
Course: Something Sweet, Dessert, Tea TimeDifficulty: Medium8-10
servings30
minutes25
minutesIngredients
- For the Cake
250g ( 2 sticks plus 1 tbsp) unsalted butter
250g (8¾ oz) 70% chocolate
180ml (¾ cup) brewed coffee (or 180ml hot water with 2 tbsp instant coffee)
150ml (⅔ cup) buttermilk*
44ml (3 tbsp) vegetable oil
200g (¾ cup plus 3 tbsp) castor sugar
4 eggs
150g (1¼ cups) plain flour
150g (1¼ cups) self raising flour
60g (¾ cup) cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
- For the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
140g (⅔ cup) cream cheese
210g (1¾ sticks plus 1 tbs) unsalted butter, softened
120g (1 cup) icing sugar
70g (¾ cup plus 2 tbsp) cocoa powder
Directions
- For the Cake
- Preheat oven on 170C (fan-forced)
- In a saucepan on low heat, combine the chocolate, butter and coffee. Stir constantly until the chocolate and butter are completely melted. If it looks like the mixture is splitting, that’s normal. Set aside to cool
- In a big bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk and vegetable oil until well combined.
- Gradually add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture, while constantly stirring until well combined.
- Add the sugar into the mixture, whisk until well incorporated
- Then sift in the dry ingredients; plain flour, self raising flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Use a spatula to fold in the dry ingredients until the mixture is homogeneous. If the mixture is lumpy, gently whisk it, but do not over stir.
- Divide the batter into 3 X 20cm (8 inches) greased and lined moulds, level the batter using a spatula and bake cakes for 20-25mins or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cakes from the oven, let them cool for 5mins then turn them out onto baking paper on a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy
- Then gradually whisk in the icing sugar, followed by the cocoa powder
- Refrigerate until ready to assemble
- Assembly
- For assembly make sure the frosting is malleable, but not melting
- Use a bread knife to level the cakes
- Use a blob of frosting to stick the 1st layer of cake onto your serving plate, then spread ⅓ of the frosting evenly using a spatula knife.
- Repeat process with the 2nd layer of cake
- Lastly, place the 3rd layer of cake (upside down) onto the cake tower. Using the remaining frosting, decorate the cake.
Notes
- *Make your own buttermilk by adding ½ tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar to regular milk. Let it sit for 10mins, the milk will curdle and thicken.
Recipe adapted from Cupcake Jemma
