Death by Chocolate Cake
Moist chocolate sponge with a rich chocolate buttercream and a creamy chocolate ganache.
Servings: 12 slices
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups All-purpose Flour 240g
- 2 cups Granulated Sugar 400g
- ½ cup Cocoa Powder 50g (dutch processed)
- 1 ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ cup Whole Milk 120g / 120ml
- 2 Large Eggs
- ½ cup Sour Cream 128g
- ½ cup Vegetable Oil 110g / 120ml
- 1 teaspoon Espresso Powder
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Hot Water 240g / 240ml
For the Chocolate Ganache
- 16 oz Chocolate 450g (Milk, Dark or a mix)
- 2 cups Heavy Cream 480g / 480ml
Instructions
Make the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare 3 8-inch cake pans.
- Sift all the dry ingredients (except espresso powder) into a large bowl and stir together.
- Whisk all the wet ingredients (except hot water) together, then pour into the dry ingredients and whisk everything until smooth and free from lumps.
- Mix the espresso powder into the hot water and then pour it into the batter and whisk to combine.
- Pour evenly into cake pans and bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Make the Chocolate Ganache
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces and put it into a bowl.
- Heat the cream in a saucepan over a medium-low heat until just before boiling, remove from the heat and pour over the chopped chocolate.
- Stir the chocolate and cream together until all the chocolate has melted and the mixture is thick and glossy. Allow to cool before using.
Assemble and Decorate
- Cut the tops off the cakes so they are flat.
- Cut each cake in half so you have 6 thin layers.
- Stack the cakes one by one with an even layer of cooled chocolate ganache spread in between each layer.
- Cover the top and sides with chocolate ganache. Spread messily for a Matilda style look, or smooth out and add a chocolate drip for a more elegant finish.