Chocolate cake.
"I didn't really have a go-to ideal chocolate layer cake perfect for celebrations, birthdays or just cuz you feel like baking and this is mine. I really did a super deep dive into developing this one and decided that this is my perfect chocolate cake. It's really easy to make and really fun!" - Claire Saffitz
ingredients.
- softened butter for greasing the tins
- 260 g cake flour
- 450 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 80 g cocoa powder Dutch-processed, sifted if lumpy
- 177 g strong hot coffee freshly brewed
- 240 g crème fraîche at room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 5 large eggs plus 2 yolks, at room temperature
- 180 g vegetable oil or another neutral oil
- 226 g dark chocolate 54–64% cocoa solids, finely chopped
- 240 g whole milk
- 100 g caster sugar
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder Dutch-processed, sifted if lumpy
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- ¾ tsp fine sea salt
- 4 large egg yolks
- 284 g unsalted butter cubed, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
method.
- 01
Heat the oven to 170°C fan with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Grease three 20 cm sandwich tins with softened butter, line the bases with discs of baking parchment, and smooth out any air bubbles.
- 02
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, mix the cake flour, caster sugar, salt, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder on low just until combined.
- 03
Bloom the cocoa: in a medium bowl, whisk the cocoa with the hot coffee until smooth, then whisk in the crème fraîche and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk the whole eggs and yolks until smooth.
- 04
To the mixer, add the oil and half the cocoa mixture; mix on low until the flour is coated, then on medium for 30 seconds until smooth and pasty, scraping the bowl. Add the eggs and the remaining cocoa mixture and beat on medium, scraping once or twice, until the batter is silky and the consistency of thin pancake batter — about a minute.
- 05
Divide between the tins (about 550 g each if you're weighing). Bake — two on the upper rack, one on the lower, staggered so the upper pair don't sit directly above — rotating the upper two side to side and rack to rack at 20 minutes. They're done when domed, springy, and a skewer comes out clean: 25–30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
- 06
For the buttercream, place the chopped chocolate in the clean mixer bowl. In a small saucepan, simmer the milk with half the sugar (50 g) until dissolved; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the cocoa, plain flour, salt and remaining sugar with the yolks until pale, thick and smooth. Whisking constantly, stream in about half the warm milk, then tip everything back into the pan. Cook over a medium-low heat, whisking, until thick and bubbling — 1 to 3 minutes — then scrape the pudding straight over the chocolate.
- 07
Let the pudding sit a few minutes to melt the chocolate, then paddle on low until smooth and glossy. Beat on medium until the outside of the bowl feels cool to the touch — 10 to 15 minutes. With the mixer running, add the butter a few cubes at a time, waiting for each addition to disappear before adding the next, until the frosting is smooth and spreadable. Scrape down; add the vanilla and beat briefly to combine.
- 08
Run a palette knife around each cooled cake, turn out, peel off the parchment, and slice the domes flat with a serrated knife held parallel to the bench (the trimmings are for snacking). Set one layer cut side down on a plate; spread over about a mugful of buttercream. Repeat with the second; top with the third, cut side down. Crumb-coat with about half the remaining buttercream, chill 10–15 minutes until firm, then cover with the rest.
- 09
Keep loosely covered at room temperature for a day; after that, refrigerate, cling-filming any cut surfaces, and bring back to room temperature before serving.