This cake is awesome. It also takes forever to make and mine kinda fell apart but I covered it up with a crumb coat. Also, this cake has a pudding filling that glues everything together and makes one big dense chocolate cake. I got this recipe from Chocolate Cakes by Elinor Klivans which says that the total time for this cake is about an hour and ten minutes but it took me a lot longer. Also, make sure that you read the recipe before making this cake because you do have to let the pudding filling chill overnight and you're probably not going to have all of these ingredients in your pantry so this is not a spur of the moment cake. But it is definitely worth the time and effort you put into it.
FILLING: (requires 5 hrs - overnight chilling)
Ingredients:
-2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
-1 1/2 cups hot water
-3/4 cup sugar
-3 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
-3 Tbsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2Tbsp. water
-1/4 tsp. salt
-1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
-1 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions:
In a medium saucepan, heat the cocoa powder, hot water, sugar, and chocolate over low heat. Use a large spoon to stir constantly until the cocoa powder dissolves and the chocolate melts. Add the dissolved cornstarch and the salt to the saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil gently for 1 min, stirring constantly, especially where the sides and bottom of the pan meet. Remove the pan from the heat, add the butter and vanilla, and stir until the butter melts. Pour the filling into a bowl and press plastic wrap onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill until the filling thickens, at least 5 hours or up to overnight. It will be the consistency of soft pudding.
CAKE:
Ingredients:
-2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
-1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-3/4 cup whole milk
-2 cups cake flour
-1 tsp. baking powder
-1 tsp. baking soda
-1 tsp. salt
-1 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
-2 cups sugar
-4 large eggs
-2 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions:
Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter the bottom and sides of two 9 in. round cake pans with sides 1 3/4 to 2 in high. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and butter the paper.
To make the cake: Put the chocolate, cocoa powder, and milk in a heatproof bowl (or top of a double boiler) and place it over, but not touching, barely simmering water in a saucepan (or bottom of a double boiler). Stir until the chocolate is melted, the cocoa powder dissolves, and the mixture is smooth. Remove from over water and set aside to cool to lukewarm.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until lightened to a cream color and smooth, about 2 min. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, two at a time, mixing until each addition is blended into the batter, and adding the vanilla with the last addition. Beat for 1 minute more. On low speed, mix in the cooled chocolate mixture to blend it smoothly. Add the flour mixture, mixing just until the flour is incorporated and the batter looks smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it evenly.
Bake just until the tops feel firm when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, about 40 min. Cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks for 10 min. Use a small sharp knife to loosen each cake from the sides of the pan, and invert each cake onto a wire rack. Carefully remove the paper and place it loosely on the cake. Let the cake layers cool thoroughly, then discard the paper.
FROSTING:
Ingredients:
-12 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
-3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
-1/2 cup lukewarm water (88F-90F)
-1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
-2 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions:
To make frosting: Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl (or top of a double boiler) and place it over, but not touching, barely simmering water in a saucepan (or bottom or a double boiler). Stir until the chocolate and butter are melted and smooth. Remove from over the water and set aside to cool slightly. Check with your fingertips that the temperature of the lukewarm water feels similar to that of the chocolate. Add the lukewarm water all at once to the chocolate mixture and gently whisk until the frosting is smooth. It will thicken slightly when the water is added. Stir in the corn syrup and vanilla. Let the frosting sit at room temperature until it cools and thickens slightly, about 30 min.
ASSEMBLY:
Invert a serving plate on one cake layer and turn the cake so that it is top up. Tuck wax paper strips 1in or so under the cake all the way around to keep the plate clean. Use a long serrated knife to cut the cake layer horizontally into two even layers (this is where my cake fell apart). Carefully slip the removable bottom of a tart pan or springform pan between the layers, lift the top layer, and set aside. Leaving a 1/2 in plain edge around the top of the cake, use a thin metal spatula to spread about half of the cold filling over the cake. Carefully slide the top cake half over the filling, centering it over the bottom layer, and spread it with the remaining filling. Invert the second layer onto a plate so that it is top up, and cut horizontally into 2 even layers. Carefully slide the top layer over the filling. You will have a three layer cake. The remaining cake will be crumbled and used to cover the frosted cake.
Use a thin metal spatula to cover the top and sides of the cake with a thin layer of frosting. Refrigerate the cake for 15 min to firm the cake and filling. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the chilled cake. Use your fingers to crumble the remaining cake layer into small crumbs. Sprinkle the crumbs over the top of the cake and press them onto the sides. Use all of the crumbs to make a thick crumb coating. Remove the paper strips and discard them. Use a large, sharp knife to cut the cake.
The cake can be covered and refrigerated up to 2 days. Let it sit at room temperature for about 45 min before serving.
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