Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Cream Frosting

By sklesley

From "The Essence of Chocolate"

Ingredients

• For the frosting:
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 7.5 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped finely
• 12 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• For the cake:
• 3 cups sugar
• 3 scant cups flour
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp. Dutch processed cocoa
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 2 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup oil
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups hot coffee

Preparation

Step 1

For the frosting:
In a saucepan, bring the sugar and cream to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer cream and sugar for 6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate and butter until completely melted. Stir in vanilla. Let frosting cool to room temperature, whisking every now and then during cooling. (Can be done in refrigerator to speed the cooling process.) Once cooled, frosting will be spreadable.

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease, flour, and line bottoms of three 8 or 9" layer pans.

In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix to combine.

In a separate bowl combine beaten eggs, vegetable oil, and milk. Stir to mix. Then with mixer on low pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix on low till evenly distributed.

Pour hot coffee into batter and mix on medium till smooth. Batter will be very thin.

Pour into the cake pans. Bake 35-45 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.