Chocolate Layered Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan; dust pan with 2 teaspoons cocoa powder or as needed.
• Whisk cake flour, 3/4 cup cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Mix sugar and canola oil in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Beat eggs into sugar and oil, one at a time, blending in the first egg before adding the second. Gradually beat milk, coffee, and vanilla extract into sugar mixture until smooth.
• Reduce mixer speed to low and beat flour mixture into wet ingredients. Stir sour cream into batter. Pour into prepared baking pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with moist crumbs, about 40 minutes.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. , Pour into a greased and floured 9-in. round baking pan. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely., For frosting, in a small bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar, cocoa, vanilla and enough water to achieve spreading consistency., Cut cake horizontally into two layers. Place bottom layer on a serving plate; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with remaining layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans. Cut 3 circles of waxed paper or parchment paper to fit the bottoms of the pans, then press them in.
• In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and eggs and mix until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla, cocoa, baking soda and salt and mix. Add 1/2 of the flour, then 1/2 of the sour cream and mix. Repeat with the remaining flour and sour cream. Drizzle in the hot coffee and mix until smooth. The batter will be thin. Pour into the prepared pans and bake until the tops are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a few crumbs are okay), about 35 minutes. Halfway through the baking, quickly rotate the pans in the oven to ensure even baking, but otherwise try not to open the oven. Let cool in the pan 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks and let cool completely before frosting.
• Frosting: In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Drizzle in the melted chocolate and mix. Add the coffee and vanilla and mix. Add the sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Mix until well blended and fluffy. To frost the cake, use a spatula to cover 2 of the cake layers with frosting. Stack them together. Flip the third cake layer over and rest it on the top to create a very flat top for the cake. Frost on the sides and top. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) cake pans and line with parchment. Butter the parchment. Sift together the cocoa, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a medium bowl. Into a separate bowl, sift the cake flour.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the brown sugar and butter until very light and fluffy, 5 minutes. Meanwhile, stir together eggs and vanilla in a small bowl. With mixer on medium speed, add the eggs in two batches, scraping bowl occasionally, until incorporated. Beat the batter on high speed 1 minute.
• Lower the mixer speed to low; add the sifted cocoa mixture and mix until just combined. Alternately, add flour in three parts with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour. With motor running, gradually add the hot water; beat until just combined. Scrape the bowl thoroughly and beat on low speed for 30 seconds.
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake until the cake pulls away from sides of pan, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the cakes to wire racks to cool in pans 30 minutes; remove from pans to cool completely. Meanwhile, make the filling.
• To make the filling: In a medium saucepan, combine 2 1/2 cups water, sugar, corn syrup and cocoa. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and the remaining 1/2 cup water; stir into cocoa mixture. Return to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, boil 4 minutes or until the mixture is very thick and cornstarch is cooked. Remove from heat; stir in the butter and vanilla. Pour into a bowl and cover the surface directly with plastic wrap; cool completely. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour, before using.
• To make the frosting: In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter and chocolates; microwave until melted. Stir thoroughly to combine, then set aside. In a medium saucepan, whisk the eggs, sugar, and salt until combined; whisk in water. Cook the egg mixture over medium to medium-high heat until it registers 160 degrees on a candy thermometer, stirring constantly with a whisk (create as little foam as possible). Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl; whisk in the reserved chocolate mixture. Cool completely; refrigerate until stiff enough to spread, about 2 hours and up to overnight.
• To assemble: Cut the tops off the cake layers to make them flat and even on top. Place the bottom layer with trimmed-side facing up on a serving platter; spread blackout filling on top. Place the top layer with trimmed-side facing down on top of the filling. Coat the cake with the frosting.