Okay- Maybe diamonds.
This is a recipe for chocolate cake with three kinds of chocolate: special dark cocoa powder, regular cocoa powder and semi sweet baking chocolate. Nothing too fancy. Nothing they don’t have at Safeway or Publix. But is it one heck of a great cake. The recipe is based off of Ina Garten’s Beatty’s cake, but over the years, I’ve tweaked and tweaked it. I nearly double the amount of frosting, add coffee not espresso powder and I add a touch of cinnamon. It is decadent, but light. It is chocolatey, but not heavy.
It is the perfect chocolate cake. Enjoy!
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Triple Chocolate Layer Cake
butter & flour for cake pans
1 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup Special Dark cocoa powder ( I like Hersey’s)
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup hot coffee
For the frosting:
8 oz semi sweet chocolate
2 large egg yolks
3/4 lb or 3 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups confectioners sugar
2 TBSP brewed warm coffee
Method- It takes a few hours…
- Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter and flour two 8″ cake pans.
- Sift flour and all dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed until combined.
In a smaller bowl, combine buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients into the bowl of the mixer with the dry ingredients and mix well on low speed. Add in hot coffee. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make certain everything is well incorporated but do not over mix. - Pour batter into prepared pans and bake 35-40 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean. Cool for 30 minutes on wire racks, Run a sharp knife around the edges to loosen the cake then invert the pans to remove the cakes and cool completely.
- While cakes are cooling, sift confectioners sugar.
Set aside.
Chop the chocolate and place in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir gently with a rubber spatula until chocolate melts. Set aside to cool to room temperature. - In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy- about 2-3 minutes. Add egg yolks and vanilla and beat on medium speed another 1-2 minutes. Turn mixer to low and slowly add in sifted confectioners sugar- beat until smooth. Remaining on low speed, add in melted chocolate and coffee until creamy and light. DO not over mix or whip. If frosting is too “loose”, place in the fridge for about 5 minutes to set up for decorating.
- On a cake pedestal, place one of the layers. Tuck strips of parchment paper or wax paper under the edges of the cake.
Plop a small amount of frosting on the layer and push frosting out to the edges of the cake.
Top with the second layer. Again, with an off-set spatula, push another large dollop of frosting to the edges of the cake letting the frosting “fall” onto the sides. See my video below. Continue decorating the sides. Remove parchment paper and wipe pedestal base clean.
Chill until serving if you are in a warm climate. Let set out for 30 minutes before slicing if cake has been chilled.
Cake can keep in the fridge for up to seven days- ha! There won’t be any left after seven days.
Tools & Ingredients I like for this cake:
