The Rich And Decadent Death By Chocolate Cake Recipe

I’ve always found it weird when people call a cake – death by chocolate cake. I mean it really sounds weird. My Aadi laughs too. Then a few years ago, I did eat a chocolate cake at a restaurant that really felt like I had died and gone to chocolate heaven. Over the years, I’ve made many chocolate cakes, and my family, friends, and customers have raved about my recipes. But I’ve never named any ‘death by chocolate’. Until this one. It had the OMG moment for me and I knew this is it. I finally created the ultimate chocolate cake that deserved to be called ‘Death by Chocolate’. If you love chocolate, you must try this recipe.

Death by chocolate cake

Cake

Preheat the oven to 325°F/ 165°C/ Gas Mark 3 Pans – Grease and line 3 x 8-inch round baking pans with parchment paper.

Chocolate – Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt for a minute or more until smooth. Set aside to cool.Pro tip – you can also melt chocolate in a double boiler or in a bowl over a pot of simmering water. Cocoa paste – In a medium bowl, combine the cocoa powder, coffee, and hot water. Set aside. Dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt – and set aside. Wet ingredients – In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the egg with both white and brown sugars until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract followed by cocoa paste, and melted cooled chocolate. Combine well, then, add the buttermilk and oil. Wet to dry – Next, add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Combine well until you have a smooth batter.Pro tip – You will need a whisk or whisk attachment to ensure there are no lumps in the batter.

Bake – Divide the batter equally between the prepared baking pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes clean.Pro tip – I like to use cake strips to ensure my layer cakes bake flat. For even layers use a kitchen scale to ensure you have equal quantity. Cool – When baked, cool in the baking pans for 5 minutes. Then, invert and cool on a wire rack completely before you decorate.Pro tip – it is very important that the cakes are completely cooled before frosting. Otherwise, the frosting will melt on the warm cakes.

Chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream

Temper – Place egg whites and sugar in the bowl of the stand mixer. Using a whisk, place the bowl over a pot of simmering water (double boiler). Whip until all the sugar has dissolved and the egg whites are fairly warm (about 160 F).Pro tip – make sure the bowl is grease-free otherwise the egg whites will not whip Whip – Take the bowl off the heat and whip the egg whites on medium to high speed until you have a thick meringue with stiff peaks. Let the mixer continue to whip on medium-low until the mixer bowl feels cool to the touch.Pro tip – it is best to start whipping eggs at medium speed then increase speed as you go for the best meringue. Butter – Gradually add butter, one cube at a time, with the mixer at medium speed. Once all the butter is added, whip on medium-high for 2 minutes. Lastly, add the vanilla. Combine well until everything is well combined. Add the vanilla extract. This is your classic Swiss meringue buttercreamPro tip – it is VERY important that the meringue is cooled completely before you add the butter. Otherwise, you will have a soupy mess. Chocolate – Now, fold in the melted cooled chocolate. Combine until you have a smooth frosting.Pro tip – it is very important that the chocolate is not warm. Otherwise, it will seize when added to the chilled frosting.

Chocolate ganache

Microwave – Chop the chocolate into smaller similar size pieces so it melts easily. Pour the whipping cream over the chocolate. Heat in the microwave for a minute or more until all the chocolate is melted and smooth. Add the butter and vanilla extract. Double boiler – Alternatively, you can heat the cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Then, pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Let stand for 2 minutes. Combine with a spatula until it is smooth. Add the butter and vanilla extract. Rest – Cover the ganache with plastic wrap making sure to cover the surface of the chocolate to prevent any skin from forming. Leave to set in the fridge for 2 hours or on the counter for 4 hours until it’s about peanut butter consistency.Pro tip – If the ganache is set too firm/hard, place it in the microwave for no more than 10 seconds until you have a spreadable consistency.

Assemble

Level – Using a bread knife or cake leveler cut the domes off the cake layers. Brush each layer with the cooled simple syrup.Pro tip – if you baked two layers, you can split each layer horizontally to make four layers. Stack – Place a cake layer on the cake board or cake stand. Top with a big dollop of buttercream – spread evenly using a straight-edge spatula. Then, top the next cake layer on top followed by more buttercream and more layers. Chill for 15 minutes.Pro tip – Chilling the cake at this point will ensure the layers don’t move when you frost the outside. Frost – Next, spread the ganache around and on top of the cake. Using a paddle motion when spreading will help smooth the ganache better.Pro tip – A straight-edge spatula for the top, an offset spatula, and a bench scraper for the sides work better. Pattern – Create a rustic finish look by simply holding the tip of the spatula horizontally against the side of the cake and rotating the cake at the same time. Do the same on the top of the cake. Optional – You can pipe any remaining frosting as a border or on the top of the cake. I preferred to leave it like this.