My mom-in-law had a birthday two weeks ago and I made her this super-delicious dulce de leche-filled chocolate cake covered with whipped chocolate ganache.
But this cake is not just for special occasions; it’s easy enough to make anyday..there’s nothing like a chocolate layer cake to make an ordinary day special! 🙂
If you don’t like dulce de leche ( it’s very yummy but some people might not like it), a good alternative is sweetened whipped cream, OR you could double the amount of chocolate ganache and use that for the filling too, there will be some extra that you can put in piping bag for decorating the cake.
You may use a cake comb to decorate the sides and top but the simplest is to use the back of a spoon and play with it. Decorate it any which way you like. I happen to be in a hurry to finish this and just covered the sides with shaved chocolates.
mix dry ingredients in a large bowl, liquid ingredients on another; mix and combine..
..stir in hot coffee
fast forward to this..spread dulce de leche filling on top of the first layer
..then top with the second cake…
cover the cake with whipped chocolate ganache..
..and play with it.. I just use a spoon to do this and shaved chocolates to cover the sides
oh, chocolate cake..how do I love thee.. lol 😉
I made this 3-tiered chocolate cake for my SIL’s 18th birthday using the same recipe.. 🙂
CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE
This is a very easy chocolate recipe, no mixer needed, it’s great for those who are just starting to learn how to bake.. This recipe is adapted from Hershey’s dark chocolate cake recipe.
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups light brown sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 baking powder
1 1/2 baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
dash of cayenne powder ( optional)
1 cup evaporated milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice or distilled vinegar
2 eggs
1/2 cup cooking oil ( canola, corn or coconut oil )
1 1/2 tablespoons coffee powder
1 cup boiling water
Whipped Chocolate Ganache Frosting:
1 cup all-purpose cream ( or whipping cream)
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, grated or chopped finely
bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate for garnish, grated or shaved using a potato peeler ( optional)
Directions:
Put lemon juice or vinegar in a big measuring cup then add evapoated milk until it measures a cup or 8 oz. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Grease two 9″ round baking pans and line bottom with parchment paper. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa. Add the sugars, mix to combine. set aside.
Add eggs, vanilla extract and oil to the evaporated milk in the measuring cup; mix well then pour this in the bowl with the flour mixture. Stir vigourously with a wooden spoon until smooth and glossy. In the same measuring cup, mix coffee and boiling water then stir it in the chocolate batter. Pour batter into the pans dividing them equally (I think that’s about 2 3/4 cups of batter for each pan).
Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Take out of the oven (Tip: if your cake has a domed top press it down gently using a tea towel to make it level) and let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before inverting cake into a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting with chocolate ganache..yum!!!
To make the chocolate ganache frosting: Heat cream in a heavy saucepan until you see little bubbles forming; take off the heat and pour into the bowl with grated chocolate. Let stand for about a minute before stirring; when you stir the ganache, you do so gently and avoid incorporating air or bubbles – the head of the spatula should be submerged in the melted chocolate while stirring. Cool and chill in the fridge but don’t let it set; take it out and whip it with a wire whisk until it can hold its shape. Don’t over-whip or it will become grainy and will melt when left outside but it’ll still be delicious, so there’s really nothing to worry about 😉
For dulce de leche: Simply simmer a can of sweetened condensed milk in a pot full of water. You can make this 2-6 cans at a time depending on how big is your pot. Make sure that you turn the cans while it’s simmering to give the milk a “stir”. I normally cook this for 3 hours but for fillings, it’s easier to work with if it’s cooked for just two hours, it’ll have just the right consistency for filling cakes. Stir it well before using.
♥ Thanks for visiting..have a nice day!!! 🙂 ♥
Chocolate Layer Cake - Cake for all Seasons 🙂
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 CUPS All-Purpose Flour
- 2 CUPS Light Brown Sugar
- 3/4 CUP COCOA
- 1 1/2 BAKING POWDER
- 1 1/2 BAKING SODA
- 1 TEASPOON FINE SALT
- 2 TEASPOONS VANILLA EXTRACT
- DASH OF CAYENNE POWDER OPTIONAL
- 1 CUP EVAPORATED MILK
- 1 TABLESPOON LEMON JUICE OR DISTILLED VINEGAR
- 2 EGGS
- 1/2 CUP COOKING OIL CANOLA, CORN OR COCONUT OIL
- 1 1/2 TABLESPOONS COFFEE POWDER
- 1 CUP BOILING WATER
- WHIPPED CHOCOLATE GANACHE FROSTING:
- 1 CUP ALL-PURPOSE CREAM OR WHIPPING CREAM
- 8 OUNCES BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE GRATED OR CHOPPED FINELY
- BITTERSWEET OR SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE FOR GARNISH GRATED OR SHAVED USING A POTATO PEELER ( OPTIONAL)
Instructions
- PUT LEMON JUICE OR VINEGAR IN A BIG MEASURING CUP THEN ADD EVAPOATED MILK UNTIL IT MEASURES A CUP OR 8 OZ. SET ASIDE.
- PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 F DEGREES. GREASE TWO 9″ ROUND BAKING PANS AND LINE BOTTOM WITH PARCHMENT PAPER. IN A LARGE BOWL, SIFT TOGETHER FLOUR, BAKING POWDER, BAKING SODA, SALT AND COCOA. ADD THE SUGARS, MIX TO COMBINE. SET ASIDE.
- ADD EGGS, VANILLA EXTRACT AND OIL TO THE EVAPORATED MILK IN THE MEASURING CUP; MIX WELL THEN POUR THIS IN THE BOWL WITH THE FLOUR MIXTURE. STIR VIGOUROUSLY WITH A WOODEN SPOON UNTIL SMOOTH AND GLOSSY. IN THE SAME MEASURING CUP, MIX COFFEE AND BOILING WATER THEN STIR IT IN THE CHOCOLATE BATTER. POUR BATTER INTO THE PANS DIVIDING THEM EQUALLY (I THINK THAT’S ABOUT 2 3/4 CUPS OF BATTER FOR EACH PAN).
- BAKE IN THE PREHEATED OVEN FOR 30-35 MINUTES OR UNTIL A TOOTHPICK INSERTED IN THE CENTER COMES OUT CLEAN. TAKE OUT OF THE OVEN (TIP: IF YOUR CAKE HAS A DOMED TOP PRESS IT DOWN GENTLY USING A TEA TOWEL TO MAKE IT LEVEL) AND LET COOL IN THE PAN FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES BEFORE INVERTING CAKE INTO A WIRE RACK. COOL COMPLETELY BEFORE FROSTING WITH CHOCOLATE GANACHE..YUM!!!
- TO MAKE THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE FROSTING: HEAT CREAM IN A HEAVY SAUCEPAN UNTIL YOU SEE LITTLE BUBBLES FORMING; TAKE OFF THE HEAT AND POUR INTO THE BOWL WITH GRATED CHOCOLATE. LET STAND FOR ABOUT A MINUTE BEFORE STIRRING; WHEN YOU STIR THE GANACHE, YOU DO SO GENTLY AND AVOID INCORPORATING AIR OR BUBBLES – THE HEAD OF THE SPATULA SHOULD BE SUBMERGED IN THE MELTED CHOCOLATE WHILE STIRRING. COOL AND CHILL IN THE FRIDGE BUT DON’T LET IT SET; TAKE IT OUT AND WHIP IT WITH A WIRE WHISK UNTIL IT CAN HOLD ITS SHAPE. DON’T OVER-WHIP OR IT WILL BECOME GRAINY AND WILL MELT WHEN LEFT OUTSIDE BUT IT’LL STILL BE DELICIOUS, SO THERE’S REALLY NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT 😉
- FOR DULCE DE LECHE: SIMPLY SIMMER A CAN OF SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK IN A POT FULL OF WATER. YOU CAN MAKE THIS 2-6 CANS AT A TIME DEPENDING ON HOW BIG IS YOUR POT. MAKE SURE THAT YOU TURN THE CANS WHILE IT’S SIMMERING TO GIVE THE MILK A “STIR”. I NORMALLY COOK THIS FOR 3 HOURS BUT FOR FILLINGS, IT’S EASIER TO WORK WITH IF IT’S COOKED FOR JUST TWO HOURS, IT’LL HAVE JUST THE RIGHT CONSISTENCY FOR FILLING CAKES. STIR IT WELL BEFORE USING.