Death by Chocolate Cake

'Nuf said.

JUST KIDDING!

I thought about just posting this picture and leaving it at that... I mean, come on, this cake speaks for itself! Moist chocolate cake, soft chocolate buttercream frosting that melts in your mouth, and thick, fudgy chocolate ganache all adorned with fresh raspberries. This cake is the thing dreams are made of!

But beware: eat at your own risk of falling into a delightful chocolatey coma and praying you wake up in the morning to do it all over again. It is tempting, dreamy, sin-fully delicious... Irresistible. It made the perfect dessert for a chocolate lover's birthday.

Death by Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cake

• 2 cups (260g) all purpose flour

• 2 cups (414g) sugar

• 3/4 cup (85g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder

• 2 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk

• 1 cup (240ml) vegetable oil

• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

• 1 cup (240ml) hot water

Chocolate Frosting

• 1 1/4 cups (280g) butter, room temperature

• 1 1/4 cups (237g) shortening (I don't usually use shortening in frosting, but it did make it nice and silky smooth, while still maintaining the true flavour of a buttercream frosting)

• 9 cups (1035g) powdered sugar

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 cup (114g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder

• 4–5 tbsp (60-75ml) water/milk

Chocolate Ganache

• 6 oz (1 cup | 169g) semi sweet Baker's Chocolate, chopped into small cubes

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

Make the chocolate cake:

1. Prepare two 9 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom, and grease the sides.

2. Preheat oven to 300°F.

3. Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk or sift together.

4. Add eggs, buttermilk and vegetable oil to the dry ingredients and mix well.

5. Add vanilla to boiling water and add to mixture. Mix well.

6. Divide batter evenly between cakes pans and bake for 30-33 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.

7. Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.

Make the Frosting:

1. Beat together butter and shortening until smooth.

2. Slowly add 4 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth.

3. Add vanilla and half of the water or milk and mix until smooth.

4. Add another 5 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth.

5. Add cocoa and mix until smooth.

6. Add remaining water or milk until the frosting is the right consistency.

Assembly Time:

1. Once cakes are cool, level the cakes with a large serrated knife.

2. Place first layer of cake on cake plate. Spread about 1 cup of frosting on top in an even layer.

3. Add second layer of cake and add another cup of frosting on top in an even layer.

4. Frost the outside of the cake. I use a bench scraper as well as an offset spatula to make it nice and smooth.

Make the Chocolate Ganache:

1. To make the chocolate ganache, add the chocolate to a medium sized bowl.

2. Heat the heavy whipping cream just until it begins to boil, then pour it over the chocolate. Allow it to sit for 2-3 minutes, then whisk until smooth. *

*Note: This ganache is for semi-sweet chocolate. You will need to adjust the amount of whipping cream if you use white, milk, or dark chocolate.

Finish Cake

1. Drizzle the chocolate ganache around the edge of the cake, then pour the remainder of the ganache on top of the cake and spread evenly. Ideally, I would have had a squeeze bottle to make the drips down the side of the cake. I just used a spoon and nudged the chocolate over the edge which had a similar effect.

2. Allow the ganache to firm up a bit in the fridge and then pipe the remainder of the frosting around the top edge of the cake and pipe a border around the bottom.

3. Decorate with fresh raspberries or other fresh fruit of your choice.