Chocolate Layer Cake
2 hrs 30 min10 servings
A three-layer chocolate cake with silky chocolate buttercream frosting, made with cocoa bloomed in hot coffee and finished with a crumb coat and final frosting layer.
| prepArrange oven racks in upper and lower thirds. Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. | ||||||||||||||
| prepLightly coat the bottom and sides of 3 (8-inch) cake pans with butter, line bottoms with parchment paper rounds, and smooth out air bubbles. | ||||||||||||||
| 260 g cake flour | Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda & baking powder | Add oil & half cocoa mixture to dry ingredients, mix low | Scrape bowl, mix medium until smooth & pasty | Add whisked eggs & remaining cocoa mixture, beat medium 1 min | Divide batter evenly among pans | Bake 350°F / 175°C, 25–30 min until springy & tester clean | Cool cakes completely on wire rack | Loosen & unmold cakes, invert onto racks domed side up | Level each cake with serrated knife held parallel to surface | Place first layer cut side down, spread 1 cup buttercream to edges | Layer second cake, spread 1 cup buttercream, top with third layer | Spread half remaining buttercream as thin crumb coat | Chill 10–15 min until frosting firms, then cover with remaining frosting | |
| 450 g granulated sugar | ||||||||||||||
| 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt | ||||||||||||||
| 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda | ||||||||||||||
| 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder | ||||||||||||||
| 80 g unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy | Whisk cocoa & hot coffee until smooth | Add crème fraîche & vanilla to cocoa mixture | ||||||||||||
| 177 g strong freshly brewed coffee, steaming hot | ||||||||||||||
| 240 g crème fraîche, at room temperature | ||||||||||||||
| 1 tablespoon vanilla extract | ||||||||||||||
| 5 large eggs, at room temperature | Whisk eggs & yolks until smooth | |||||||||||||
| 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature | ||||||||||||||
| 180 g neutral oil, such as avocado or vegetable | ||||||||||||||
| 226 g semisweet chocolate (54 to 64 percent cacao), finely chopped | Scrape pudding over chocolate in mixer bowl | Let pudding sit, then mix low until chocolate melts & smooth | Beat medium 10–15 min until bowl cools to touch | Add butter a few pieces at a time, beating until smooth & glossy | Scrape bowl, add vanilla & beat until evenly mixed | |||||||||
| 240 g whole milk | Simmer milk & ¼ cup sugar, stirring to dissolve | Whisk yolk mixture back into saucepan, cook medium-low 1–3 min until thick & bubbling | ||||||||||||
| 100 g granulated sugar | ||||||||||||||
| 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy | Whisk cocoa, flour, salt & remaining ¼ cup sugar | Add yolks to cocoa mixture, whisk until pale & smooth | Slowly stream half warm milk into yolk mixture, whisk | |||||||||||
| 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour | ||||||||||||||
| 1 ½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ¾ teaspoon Morton kosher salt | ||||||||||||||
| 4 large egg yolks | ||||||||||||||
| 284 g unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces, at room temperature | ||||||||||||||
| 2 teaspoons vanilla extract | ||||||||||||||
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