Ultimate Chocolate Cake

Mirj's Note:

This is the epitome of chocolate cakes.

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 12

Cake

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 2 ½ cups sugar
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 ¾ cups flour or 2 ¾ cups cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

Filling

• 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
• ½ cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting

• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 ¼ cups confectioners' sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Grease and flour 3- 9 inch cake pans.
3. Mix cocoa and boiling water, stir until smooth, set aside to cool.
4. Sift dry ingredients together, set aside.
5. In a large bowl beat butter sugar, eggs and vanilla together.
6. Alternately beat in the dry ingredients and the chocolate mixture.
7. Beat just until blended, do not overmix.
8. Pour batter into the three greased pans and bake for about 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
9. Remove cakes from oven and allow them to set for 3-5 minutes.
10. Remove from pans and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
11. Prepare filling by beating together cream, confectioner's sugar and vanilla until stiff.
12. Set aside.
13. Prepare frosting by melting the butter and chocolates together over low heat.
14. Stir in the cream and mix until smooth.
15. Remove the pan from the heat and place it in a large bowl filled with ice.
16. Using an electric hand held mixer or a whisk (trust me, the electric mixer will be much easier), beat in the confectioner's sugar until the frosting holds a stiff shape.
17. Chill.
18. Before you put the cake together, make sure that everything has completely cooled.
19. Divide the filling in two and spread it between the layers.
20. Frost sides and top with the chocolate icing.
21. Don't worry if some of the filling oozes out the sides while you are frosting them, just mix it into the frosting.

Reviews

[Bogey'sMom]

Gee (lick slurp smack), I'd really like to type alot about how great this is (lick lick smack), but I'm getting chocolate all over the keyboard (slurp lick lick smack smack). YUUUUUUUM!

[spatchcock]

This was wonderful! I made it for a birthday. It tasted great even though my oven bakes unevenly (literally, each little cake was off-kilter and they kept slipping off each other until the icing was completely stiffened!) The filling was really rich and wonderful!!! I didn't use the chocolate outer icing, but used this swirly marshmallowy icing that has been in the family for several generations. One other thing I did was to melt some bittersweet chocolate and drizzle it over the top and onto the cake plate. (Seems white chocolate would look nice too!)

[Gay Gilmore]

Made the perfect birthday cake. And I even sub-ed 4 shots of espresso for some of the water called for...and did it in only 2 layers. My frosting didn't quite reach stiffness, even with my mixer, but I'm pretty sure that was user error, and no one minded anyways. wish we still had some...