Desserts
Bear-y Good Chocolate Cake
Makes one four-layer cake, about 12 servings
Bear-y Good Chocolate Cake
Makes one four-layer cake, about 12 servings
This final recipe in the “Yes, Chef!” collection is all about comfort. Deep, chocolatey, and unfussy, it’s the kind of dessert made when words won’t do the trick. With the Cuisinart hand mixer and bakeware, mix it fast, bake it right, and maybe even eat it standing up.
Ingredients
Unsalted butter, softened, or nonstick cooking spray, for the pans
Cake:
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- ¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted
- 2 teaspoons espresso powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup boiling water
- 2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Chocolate Frosting:
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2¼ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- ½ cup sour cream
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle position. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with softened butter or cooking spray, and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Reserve.
- Prepare the cake. Put the bittersweet chocolate, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and baking soda into a medium bowl, and then add the boiling water. Stir until the chocolate has melted. Cool to room temperature and reserve. Put the flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Mix on Speed 1 for about 30 seconds, or until fully combined; reserve.
- Using Speeds 1 to 2, mix the oil, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract into the cooled chocolate mixture. While mixing on Speed 2, slowly add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix until smooth, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape the bowl as needed. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the center, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let rest until cool to the touch.
- While the cakes are cooling, prepare the frosting. Put the chocolates and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water (or a double boiler). Once melted, add the vanilla, and mix together with a Cuisinart hand mixer. Add the salt, and then start adding the confectioners’ sugar, about ½ cup at a time. Once all the sugar has been incorporated, beat the mixture on Speed 3. Add the sour cream 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture comes together as a silky frosting. For best results, use the frosting the same day and do not refrigerate before coating the cake.
- Once the cakes are fully cool, unmold from the baking pans and then carefully halve to make 4 layers. Place one cake layer on a cake plate, and top with some of the frosting. Repeat with remaining layers. Once the final cake layer has been placed on top (it is best to invert the top layer so it is the flattest side facing up), cover the entire cake with the frosting.
- Cut and serve. Wrap any leftover cake well, and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
