Makes two 9 inch layers
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter at room temperature – 12 tablespoons plus more for the pans
- All purpose flour – 2 cups plus more for pans
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – 2/3 cups
- Semi sweet chocolate (chopped) – 1/4 cup
- Boiling water – 1 cup
- Sour cream/curd – 1/2 cup
- Baking soda – 1.25 teaspoon
- Granulated sugar – 1 cup
- Dark brown sugar – 3/4 cup
- Salt – 1/2 teaspoon
- Large eggs – 4 (room temperature)
- Pure Vanilla extract – 2 tsp
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350F (approximately 180C).
- Butter the bottom and sides of two 9 x 2 inch round pans. Flour the pans and tap off the excess
- Put the cocoa powder and chocolate in a medium bowl. Pour in the boiling water and whisk until the chocolate is melted. Whisk in the sour cream(I substitued with yoghurt). Let it cool to room temperature.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl. Beat the butter and both sugars in another large bowl with a mixer on a medium high speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at at a time, then the vanilla, reduce the speed to low. Beat in the flour mixture in three batches alternating with the cocoa mixture. Finish mixing with a rubber spatula. Divide the batter between the pans.
- Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Loosen the edges with a knife and turn out the cakes on to the rack. Let it cool completely
Chocolate American Buttercream Frosting Preparation
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter – 4 sticks (room temperature)
- Salt – 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Milk – 1 tablespoons
- Vanilla essence – 2 teaspoons
- Confectioner’s sugar – 2 cups
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – 2 tablespoons
- Semisweet chocolate chips – 1 cup(melted and cooled)
Method
- Beat the butter and salt in a large bowl witha a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy about 2 minutes.
- Reduce the speed to low and beat in confectioner’s sugar 1 cup at a time, increasing the speed to medium high. Repeat with the remaining 1 cup. Beat until fluffy about 3 minutes. .
- Beat in unsweetened cocoa powder with the milk and vanilla.
- Then add cooled melted semisweet chocolate until smooth.
Assembling the layers and frosting
Frosting gear required
- Cake turntable
- Cardboard cake rounds.
- Bench scraper
- Long serrated knife
- Small offset spatula
- Pastry bag
Process
- If your cake is in dome shape, you have to trim the top using a serrated knife and level it: To do this, Put the cake on the turntable. Make sure that the cake is cooled completely before starting the frosting process. Position a long serrated knife right where the cake begins to dome and use a sawing motion to trim off the domed top.
- If you wish to make a four layer cake, split each cake in half horizontally. Hold a long serrated knife horizontally against the middle of the cake. Slowly spin the turntable and score all the way around the cake with the knife, then cut the cake in half along the scored line
- To Assemble. Assemble your cake on an 8- 0r 9- inch cardboard cake round so it will be easier to move to fridge or a cake stand.
Spread a small amount of frosting in the center of a cardboard cake round, then put a bottom layer cake on the cardboard.
For a two layer cake, spread around 1 cup frosting on the cake with a small offset spatula, then top with another layer of cake with trimmed side up..
Repeat with more frosting . (For a super-flat even top, use an upside down bottom cake for the final layer.)
Frosting process
For a neat looking cake, start with a crumb coat- a thin layer of frosting that seals in any crumbs.
Spread a thin layer of frosting over the top and sides of the cakeusinga a small offset spatula or bencoh scraper, spinning the turntable as you go. It doesn’t have to be tidy. Crumbs are ok. Keep this in fridge for about 30 minutes.
Take it out and cover with remaining frosting and decorate.
Hope you like this recipe!
