Chocolate cake so good you'll slap yo mama

Just kidding mom :)

First thing's first

BUTTERCREAM

I use the recipe from Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Cake Bible. That woman knows her stuff. If you don't have a copy, turn this off and go get one. Then come back and finish reading. Then send me $20.

I find the recipe in the book to be a bit too small for a 4 layer 10 inch cake. So I multiply it by 1.5. In the recipe below, the italicized numbers are her original amounts.

Egg yolks 6 oz / 4 oz
Sugar 8 oz / 5.25 oz
Corn syrup 8.5 oz / 5.75 oz
Butter (soft) 1.5 # / 1#
Chocolate (melted and cooled) 9 oz /up to 6 oz

Beat the yolks until light in color.
Combine sugar and corn syrup in a small pot. Bring to a rolling boil. The entire surface should be covered with large bubbles.


















Beat the syrup into the yolks in a steady stream. Don't let the syrup hit the whisk. You will end up with chunks of sugar in the icing. If it happens, just fish the largest pieces out. You can tell the people eating the cake that it's "Toffee". People will believe anything.

Once all the syrup has been added, let the mixer go until the contents are completely cool.

Once cool, gradually add in the soft butter. Then add the chocolate. Below is the picture I took right as the whisk gave up the ghost.

Let me be clear
If you add the butter before the yolks/sugar mixture is completely cool,
you will be boned.
Or if you add the chocolate in and it's still warm,
you will be boned.
The butter will melt and it will just be a mess.

Once all this is done and you are bone free, wrap it up and throw into the fridge. Once it sets, make sure to let it come to room temp before you use it.

GANACHE

Make this after the cakes are in the oven. Super easy.

Cream 1 pint
Corn syrup 3 oz
Chocolate (chips or chopped up) 1.5#
Butter 1.5 oz

Bring cream and corn syrup to a boil. Meanwhile, place chocolate and butter in a bowl. Pour cream over chocolate in 4 or 5 steps, stirring in between. If you stir in too much air it won't look as nice and glossy. So go slow and do not use a whisk.

THE CAKE

Butter (melted) 10 oz
Eggs 6
Buttermilk (room temp) 16 oz
Hot coffee 16 oz
Vanilla 1T
Salt 1t
Sugar 1#14
Cake flour 1#
Cocoa 8 oz
Baking powder 2t
Baking soda 2t

Using a Kitchenaid with a whip attachment, mix melted butter and eggs until smooth.
Add buttermilk, coffee, vanilla, salt, sugar
Sift the rest together and add in at low speed. Scrape the bowl often.
The batter will be very liquid. Pour into 2 10 inch pans (sprayed with Pam and coated with sugar)
Bake at ~350 until set.










Once cool, cut them in half.
Layer the cake with the butter cream, leaving enough icing to do the exterior. Put a crumb coat on and throw in the freezer for a bit. Once hard, use the rest of the buttercream and back into the freezer to set.
To finish, pour the ganache over the cake. and again, back to the fridge to set.

Pictures of the completed cake to follow.

And as always, she lubs her some ice