Dessert Classic: Double Chocolate Layer Cake

Servings: 8
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Prep Time: 60 minutes
Ready In: 1 hour & 20 minutes
Make Sure You Have: a mixer or blender, spatula, off-set spatula, and 2 cake pans

Ingredients:
3/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup water
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped or broken into 1-inch pieces
2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1 & 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
12 tbsp (1 & 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs
1 cup whole milk

Chocolate Frosting:
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (no bigger than 1/2-inch pieces)
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup granulated sugar
12 tbsp (1 & 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into 1-inch pieces

Directions:
For the cake batter:
1. In a mixer or blender add in 1 & 1/2 sticks of butter and 2 cups of granulated sugar and mix it a little bit. Stop after it is mixed a little and use a spatula to scrape the sides and bring it together. Mix again until it is mixed well together and then add the 5 eggs 1 at a time. While the eggs are mixing in make sure you stop to scrape the sides together.

2. In a bowl, whisk 3/4 cup of cocoa powder and 3/4 cup of water together. Add the cocoa mixture into the blender with the batter. Turn on the mixer a little and then add in the 4 ounces of melted unsweetened chocolate into the blender. Mix the batter more while stopping to scrape the sides together.

3. On a parchment paper, sift 2 cups of all-purpose unbleached flour, 1 & 1/2 tsp of baking soda, and 1/4 tsp of kosher salt. On low speed for the mixer, add in 1 cup of whole milk and the sifted flour mixture. Use the parchment paper to make a shoot and add it in the blender on low speed.

4. Just mix the batter to incorporate the ingredients together and then take then stop the blender to mix the batter by hand. Take out 2 cake pans and spray them with non-stick spray. You can do two things here, you can flour them or cocoa powder for a nice layer or you can use parchment paper which Emily Luchetti uses.

5. Divide the batter into the two pans and even them out using a off-set spatula. Preheat your oven to 350°F and then bake the cake for 25 minutes until a bamboo skewer that you insert in the middle comes out clean.

6. After 25 minutes and when the bamboo skewer comes out easily, cut around the edge of the pan and flip it over on a plate to release it. Add a medium size dollop of the chocolate frosting and spread it on the cake. Do not put too much and do not spread all the way to the edge. Take the other cake and place it on top of the 1st cake and add the rest of the frosting on to the cake. Spread the frosting all around the cake to cover it. Use the off-set spatula to smooth the frosting around the cake and clean it up.

For the chocolate frosting:
1. In a medium bowl add 10 ounces of bittersweet chocolate chopped no bigger than 1/2-inch pieces. In a bowl heat up 1 cup of heavy cream and 2/3 cup of granulated sugar. Now add in the heavy cream and sugar mixture into the chocolate bowl and whisk it until it is smooth. Now, add in 12 tbsp of soft unsalted butter piece by piece while whisking constantly.

2. Let the frosting sit for an hour or two to let it cool and firm up. Do not put it in the refrigerator because it will get too hard. Take a paper towel and clean the outside edge of the cake for presentation. Cut it up and serve!

Enjoy!