![Chocolate Layer Cake](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2023/10/27/multimedia/27cakerex-plzm/27cakerex-plzm-mediumThreeByTwo440.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
Chocolate-Chocolate Birthday Cake
![Chocolate-Chocolate Birthday Cake](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2018/05/13/magazine/13OnDessert/13OnDessert-articleLarge-v2.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- Baking and cooling: About 3 hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 2sticks (226 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature (plus more for the pan)
- ⅔cup (56 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (plus more for the pan)
- 2cups (272 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1½teaspoons baking powder
- ½teaspoon baking soda
- ½teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1¼cups (250 grams) sugar
- 4large eggs, at room temperature
- 2teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1cup (240 ml.) buttermilk, well shaken
- 4ounces (113 grams) bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
- 3⅓cups (405 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 4½tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3sticks (339 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 6ounces (170 grams) bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
- 4½tablespoons buttermilk
- Small decorations to scatter over the cake, optional
For the Cake
For the Frosting
Preparation
- Step 1
Center a rack in the oven, and preheat it to 350. Butter the interiors of two 9-inch round cake pans, dust with a little cocoa powder and tap out the excess. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Step 2
Working with an electric mixer (use the paddle, if you have one), beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, and beat for a minute after each goes in; beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low, and add the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the buttermilk in 2 (start and finish with the dry, and don’t worry if the buttermilk makes the batter look slightly curdled). Mix in the melted chocolate. Divide the batter evenly between the pans.
- Step 3
Bake for 24 to 28 minutes, until a tester poked into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Transfer to racks, let rest 5 minutes and then run a blunt knife around the edges of the pans. Unmold the cakes onto the racks, and cool to room temperature.
- Step 4
Make the frosting: Sift together the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder. Using an electric mixer (with the paddle, if available), beat the sugar, cocoa, salt and butter on high speed until fluffy. On low speed, add the chocolate. When it’s almost incorporated, beat in the buttermilk. It’s best to use the frosting immediately.
- Step 5
If necessary, just before you’re ready to frost the cakes, slice a sliver off the top of each layer to create a flat surface. To assemble, place one cake layer, top up, on a serving platter, and cover with frosting. Top with the second layer, top down, jiggling it into the frosting to hold it in place. Frost the top and sides of the cake — go sleek or swirly. If you’re using decorations, scatter them over the cake. Chill for at least 1 hour (or for up to 1 day); bring to room temperature before serving.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
I recommend using Droste-brand Dutch-processed cocoa. But if you have regular cocoa, it works, too. However, easiest and the best-ever frosting is a 12 oz package of chocolate chips, melted, then blended with a pinch of salt and 1 c. of sour cream. That is what goes on the birthday cake my husband bakes for me!
My husbands hips were killing him today so I decided to make a half batch as cupcakes. A sweet treat to take his mind off the agony. As we're at 5700 feet I made a few adjustments to the recipe. The cupcakes are light with good chocolate depth. The frosting can border on cloying, as usual for American buttercream. Whip it until it is gossamer light and then sprinkle on some cocoa nibs which add a crunch of cocoa that tempers all of the sweetness . Hip therapy indeed.
S. Snedeker. Yes, the best frosting! Helen Evans Brown, from the James Beard Cookbook.
Ok, so I don’t bake that often and I can lack foresight, but really - “beat confectioner’s sugar and cocoa and butter on high speed”? I did - and have billows of sugar and cocoa now decorating my kitchen. Recommend that you stir first to blend the butter and sugar, start slow, and then increase speed.
Ten times out of 10, the cake is done before the recipe says it will be. If internal temp is around 190-200 Fahrenheit, that is the sweet spot. Get a top notch thermometer to test for doneness starting several minutes before recipe says.
According to a recent article in Cooks Illustrated, it matters less whether the cocoa is dutched or natural, and more whether it's high fat or low fat. Their testing revealed that low-fat cocoa produced cakes that had a higher rise, but were dry, whereas high-fat cocoa produced cakes that were more dense, but moist. Their "expert tasters" preferred Droste cocoa (dutched), although plain ol' Hershey's (natural) was also recommended.
*I recommend using Droste-brand Dutch-processed cocoa. Regular cocoa works, too. However, easiest and the best-ever frosting is a 12 oz package of chocolate chips, melted, then blended with a pinch of salt and 1 c. of sour cream.
and? you'll have one twelfth of that once a year. enjoy it! or don't, you know? you could always make a different recipe if this one doesn't appeal to you. but ~3T of butter really isn't a big deal.
The cooking gods must have been with me. First time I have tried a home made chocolate cake. The cake is light and airy - not too sweet or dense as others found- not dry at all. Baked for exactly 25 minutes (started checking at 20 minutes). For what it is worth I used Scharffenberger unsweetened natural cocoa powder and Guittard bittersweet chocolate - used paddle attachment on standard mixer. Baked in spring form pans. This will be my go to- it is fabulous- sorry other had problems with it.
I just made this and came back to comment on how good it is. I am seeing lots of notes that this is too dry or too sweet. I used Trader Joe's 72% chocolate in the cake, an extra egg yolk and a splash more buttermilk because the batter was so thick. I used Lindt 85% chocolate in the frosting. Yes, the frosting is sweet but the cake is not which I think is a good combination. Mine came out moist and delicious. I also used some stabilized whipped cream frosting for contrast. I will make it again!
Hmm... 5 sticks of butter for 8 slices cake? Way too much sugar, this goes back to Betty Crocker insulin shock baking! My favorite recipe for chocolate cake is Devils Food Cockaigne from the Joy of Cooking—impeccable.
You probably can do it since the pans are 9-in round (recipes for 9x13 or three 8-inch cakes will also fit). Fill to 1-1/4 inch from top and reduce temp to 325 and expect to bake longer. Tube cakes are denser than layer cakes and the lower temp will help keep the outside from baking too quick and drying out as the inner part catches up. So you don't deflate it, check with toothpick after you see it has finished rising, at about 40 min or so. It can take up to an hour or longer to bake.
This is my standard birthday cake beloved by all children, old and young alike, but I use only Valrhona cocoa and no chocolate in the cake. This produces a light, moist cake that only improves a day later. It is the addition of chocolate that is resulting in the heaviness and over sweetness that others complain of, I believe. I also use a lighter frosting--one stick of butter, no cocoa and two cups of sugar. Here I sometimes use a darker chocolate to intensify the richness of that flavor.
So I read all of the reviews about the cake being too dry and I get why you would say this, but the truth is it is just not a moist cake recipe- the ingredients read more like a recipe for cookie dough (butter, flour, sugar) and not a typical cake batter with oil or even water (check out Hershey’s chocolate cake recipe). Instead of dry, I would say this recipe creates a very dense cake that holds up to a rich, creamy, delicious frosting like the one in this recipe.
What type of cocoa powder? Natural or Dutch Process?
I halved the recipe - still turned out pretty good! A little bit crumbly for my taste, but otherwise delicious
Cook for 28 mins
How to substitute for buttermilk 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice mixed into 1 cup of milk. ... 1 3/4 teaspoons cream of tartar mixed with 1 cup of milk. ... Sour cream thinned with milk or water to the consistency of heavy cream. Plain unsweetened kefir. Yogurt thinned with milk or water to the consistency of heavy cream.
This recipe for the cake and frosting was amazing! So easy and delicious.
This cake came out very dry for me. When I cut into it, it just fell into crumbs. I followed the recipe exactly.
Did this three times. Each time, no matter how long I creamed the butter and sugar or baked the cake, the layers collapsed while cooling. Any thoughts?
Our cake was dry. This cake is very dense. We won’t make it again but it was a fun project on this very snowy Saturday in upstate NY.
I would venure to say that regardless of whether one likes their cake moist or less moist, this cake was too dry because when cutting it, mine crumbled into small pieces (I made on 2 occasions, same thing happened.) If that's not a sure sign...? Will not be making again.
Beautiful cake but dense and dry. What a disappointment. I think it could use less butter and more moisture. Maybe more milk or perhaps oil?
Not clear in the cake recipe when to add the 4 oz melted bittersweet chocolate.
I really like this cake. The only sub I made was cake flour instead of all-purpose. It was chocolatey, not too sweet, and not dry, but not overly moist. I did not make the icing, so can't comment on that.
Dry dry dry. Not over baked, but unimpressive. Dry. Nice texture, light crumb.
Way too much butter. Frosting literally taste like you’re eating a stick of butter with the cacao powder mixed in. Cake itself is decent but frosting has way too much butter imo.
The flavor on this cake was great, richly chocolatey and not too seeet, but it’s definitely dry. I was worried about this when I portioned out the batter it was so stiff. The frosting is perfection. I would make it again but try some of the suggestions to add a bit of moisture.
This was indeed very dense chocolate cake, but it was well received at bible study. Save this recipe if only for the luscious frosting recipe.
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