CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH GANACHE FROSTING
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Cake
Cuisine: American
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • Butter for greasing the pans
  • 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pans
  • 2 cups sugar
  • ¾ cocoa powder (I use Hershey's)
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
  • ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup freshly brew coffee
  • Chocolate Ganache:
  • 16 oz. good dark chocolate
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • Shaved Chocolate:
  • 3.5 oz. milk chocolate
  • ¼ cup sliced almonds
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 ºF. Butter two 9 x 2-inch round bake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.
  2. Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into an electric mixer bowl. Mix them with a paddle attachment by hand. Because if you turn the mixer on, the flour mixture will fly all over you.
  3. In a bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla.
  4. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry.
  5. Stop the mixer, add the coffee, stir until just combined. Scrape the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
  6. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean (I use a wooden skewer).
  7. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes and turn them out onto a cooling rack, peel the parchment paper off, and let them cool completely.
  8. To make chocolate ganache, chop the dark chocolate into small pieces and place them in a medium bowl.
  9. Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring just to a simmer, watching very carefully. It's ready when you see the bubbles form around the outside of the cream. Pour over the chopped chocolate, let it sit for 2 minutes and mix until smooth. Allow it to cool slightly before putting it on the cake.
  10. After the cake is cool, use a large serrated knife and slice each into two layers, you will end up with 4 layers of cake.
  11. Put one layer of the cake on the cake stand or a flat plate.
  12. Pour the ganache in the center of the cake and use a knife or offset spatula to spread it outward.
  13. Stack another layer of cake and repeat the process.
  14. For top layer, pour the rest of the ganache in the center and let it drip to the side and smooth it with a knife or offset spatula.
  15. For topping, carefully shave the milk chocolate bar with a vegetable peeler. Sprinkle them on top of the cake. Press sliced almonds on the side.
Recipe by Let's Cook Some Food at https://www.letscooksomefood.com/chocolate-cake-with-chocolate-ganache/