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Extreme Chocolate Layer Cake on a white plate with a silver fork

Extreme Chocolate Layer Cake

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Dessert
Keyword: chocolate cake recipe, chocolate layer cake
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 10 people
Calories: 675kcal
This Extreme Chocolate Layer Cake is chocolate decadence...at its BEST! Chocolate lovers will flip for this recipe. So dense and incredibly flavorful. And chocolaty!
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Ingredients

  • ½ cup unsalted butter at room temp (plus a little more for greasing the pans), plus 2 tbsp
  • cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • ¾ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
  • tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp fine sea salt
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • cups buttermilk

FOR THE FROSTING

  • cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
  • ½ cup unsalted butter at room temp
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp sea salt coarse, optional, for topping the cake

Instructions

  • Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
  • Lightly butter two 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment paper. Dust the pans with flour, tapping out the excess.
  • In a small heatproof bowl, whisk together the boiling water and cocoa until smooth. Let cool completely.
  • In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
  • In a large bowl, beat on medium-high speed (use a hand held or stand-up mixer) the sugar and butter until the mixture is light in color and texture, about 3 minutes.
  • Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
  • Beat in the vanilla and the cooled cocoa mixture.
  • Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with the buttermilk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed, beating until smooth.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pan and smooth the tops.
  • Bake the cakes until they begin to pull away from the sides of the pans, 35 - 40 minutes.
  • Transfer to wire racks and let cool in the pans for 15 minutes.
  • Run a knife around the inside of each pan to release the cake and invert the pans onto the racks, lift off the pans, and peel off the parchment paper.
  • Turn each cake right side up and let cool completely.

MAKE THE FROSTING

  • In a medium bowl, sift together the confectioners' sugar and cocoa.
  • Using a mixer on low speed, mix in the butter until it is crumbly.
  • Mix in the vanilla, and then gradually mix in enough of the cream to make it spreadable.

FROST THE CAKE

  • Place 1 cake layer, bottom side up, on a cake plate.
  • Using an icing spatula, spread the top of the layer with a generous 1/2 cup of the frosting.
  • Place the second layer, top side down, on top of the first layer.
  • Frost the top, then the side, with the remaining frosting.
  • Sprinkle top with sea salt (optional).

Nutrition

Calories: 675kcal | Carbohydrates: 104g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 965mg | Potassium: 82mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 86g | Vitamin A: 967IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 1mg