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8/8/09

Homemade Chocolate Layer Cake

Although I use a number of chocolate cake recipes I'm always keeping my eye out for more. I can't count the number of recipes I have in my files, books, hand written notebooks and magazines, but I wanted to add this one to my online collection so it never gets lost. It's a very simple recipe but the lighter-than-air texture comes from the dozen (yes, 12~) eggs whites!

This is special for the bittersweet chocolate and dozen egg whites but it's worth making.


Homemade Chocolate Layer Cake

12 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
6 T water
12 eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 1/3 c sugar
½ teaspoon salt
4 T unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups heavy cream
6 T confectioners sugar, sifted
1 t vanilla


Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease four 9-inch circular cake pans and line bottoms of circles with a piece of parchment paper.

Melt chocolate with water in a small heavy saucepan over very low heat, stirring. Cool to lukewarm.In your stand mixer, beat yolks, 2/3 cup sugar, and salt until thick and pale for about 5 minutes. Stir in melted chocolate until combined. In a separate extra large bowl, beat 12 egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. Add remaining sugar and beat until whites just hold stiff peaks. Fold one third of whites into melted-chocolate mixture, then fold in remaining whites carefully.

Spread batter evenly over four baking pans. Bake until the cake has puffed and the top is dry to the touch, maybe 16 minutes. Cool the cake pans on cooling racks for about 10 minutes. Place a piece of waxed paper over the top of the cake pans. Place a cookie sheet over paper and invert cake onto it, gently peeling off wax paper lining. For best results, place all of the layers in the freezer for at least 2 hours or until they are firm enough to be carefully lifted without breaking.

In order to make the filling: In a clean large bowl, beat cream with powdered sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla.

Bring first cake layer out of the freezer, arrange on your cake plate, cocoa side down. Spread 1/4 of filling evenly over the cake layer. Bring the next cake layer out of the freezer, placing it gently over the filling, again cocoa side down. Repeat until the cake is assembled. Keep cake in the refrigerator until serving time. The cake layers should thaw after about 2-3 hours of being in the refrigerator and the cake will be ready to serve.Print Friendly and PDF