Mile High Chocolate Cake With Vanilla Buttercream Recipe Epicuriouscom

Steps:

• Make cake layers:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 (9- by 2-inch) round cake pans and line bottom of each with a round of wax paper. Butter paper and dust pans with flour, knocking out excess.
• Whisk together hot water and cocoa powder in a bowl until smooth, then whisk in milk and vanilla.
• Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in another bowl.
• Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low and add flour and cocoa mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture (batter may look curdled).
• Divide batter between cake pans, smoothing tops. Bake until a wooden pick or skewer comes out clean and edges of cake begin to pull away from sides of pans, 25 to 35 minutes total. Cool layers in pans on racks 10 minutes, then invert onto racks, removing wax paper, and cool completely.
• Assemble cake:
• Put 1 cake layer, rounded side up, on a cake stand or platter and, using offset spatula, spread top with about 1 cup buttercream. Top with remaining cake layer, rounded side down, and frost side and top of cake with 2 cups buttercream.
• Decorate cake:
• For each color (you can make up to 5), transfer 3 tablespoons buttercream to a separate small bowl and tint with food coloring. Snip off 1 corner of each plastic bag to create a 1/4-inch opening, then spoon each color of buttercream into a bag, pressing out excess air. Twist each bag firmly just above buttercream, then decoratively pipe colored buttercream onto cake. Chill cake until buttercream is set, about 30 minutes.
• Just before serving, arrange 6 to 8 mini cupcakes on top of cake in 1 layer, then stack remaining mini cupcakes on top.
• *Wilton Paste Food Coloring available at wilton.com.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter cake pans, then line bottom of each with a round of parchment paper and butter parchment. Flour pans, knocking out excess.
• Melt chocolate with butter, then cool.
• Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• Beat eggs, sugars, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and thick, 3 to 5 minutes. At low speed, mix in melted chocolate until incorporated, then add flour mixture in 3 batches alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until each addition is just incorporated. Spread batter evenly in pans and rap pans several times on counter to eliminate air bubbles.
• Bake until cakes pull away from sides of pans and a wooden pick inserted in center of each comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.
• Cool in pans on a rack 10 minutes, then run a knife around edges of pans. Invert onto racks and discard parchment, then cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, then add milk and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture boils and is smooth and thick, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate and vanilla until smooth. Transfer to a bowl to cool to room temperature, covering surface with parchment paper to prevent a skin from forming.
• Beat butter with an electric mixer until creamy, then add cooled chocolate mixture a little at a time, beating until frosting is fluffy and spreadable.
• Cut each cake horizontally into 2 layers with a long serrated knife. Put 1 layer on a cake stand or large plate and spread top with 1 1/4 cups frosting. Repeat with 2 more layers, then add remaining layer and spread top and side of cake with remaining frosting.

Steps:

• 1. Heat oven to 325°F. 2. Line the bottom of two 6" cake pans with parchment paper and grease sides of pan. 3. Beat butter with sugar. Add eggs, one at time. Add vanilla, then buttermilk. 4. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the butter mixture. 5. Mix dry ingredients into batter. 6. Divide batter between two pans. 7. Bake each layer for 30 to 40 minutes. Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then remove cakes from pans. 8. Beat the butter until light and fluffy, then add the sugar and melted chocolate, followed by the milk or cream and vanilla. 9. Level the cake with a horizontal serrated knife. Spread fudge buttercream filling evenly over first cake layer. Place second layer on top of filling. 10. Put cake in freezer,. 11. To make vanilla buttercream, beat the butter until light and fluffy in a large bowl. Add sugar 1/2 cup at a time until fully incorporated. Beat in milk then vanilla. Frost and finish cake: Thinly coat entire cake with frosting (this is a "crumb" coat, to mask the chocolate crumbs better), then return the cake to the freezer for 10 minutes, to set the first layer of frosting, then finish frosting the cake with the remaining frosting.