Chocolate Crunch Layer Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting

By ezunich

Frosting takes awhile to thicken. 30 minutes or so. Make right after you put the cakes in the oven to bake - that way the frosting is ready to spread once the cakes are down baking and cooled.

Ingredients

• Frosting:
• Cake
• 4 oz unsweetened chocolate
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1 3/4 cup cake flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 1 1/4 cups whipping cream
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 lb milk chocolate, chopped
• Garnishes
• 4 (1.4 oz chocolate covered English toffee bars (Heatb or Skor) cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 7 oz milk chocolate (Hershey's)

Preparation

Step 1

Cake

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°. Butter two 9 inch cake pans with 1 3/4 inch high sides. Line bottoms of pans with waxed paper; butter paper. Dust pans with flour; tap out excess. Combine chocolate and 1/2 cup hot water in small saucepan. Stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Cool to lukewarm, stirring often.

Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then vanilla. Beat in chocolate mixture. Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with milk in 2 additions, beating just to blend after each addition. Divide batter equally between pans.

Bake cakes until tester inserted in center comes out clean and cake just begins to pull away from sides of pan, about 35 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 5 minutes. Cut around pan sides. Turn cakes out onto racks; peel off waxed paper. Cool cakes completely.

Frosting

Combine whipping cream, corn syrup and unsalted butter in heavy large saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until mixture begins to simmer. Add chopped milk chocolate. Reduce heat to low and whisk until frosting is smooth, about 1 minutes; transfer to large bowl.
Fill another large bowl with ice. Set bottom of bowl with frosting atop ice. Whisk until frosting is cool and begins to thicken, about 8 minutes. Place bowl of frosting on work surface. Using electric mixer, beat until color lightens and just until frosting becomes thick enough to form soft peaks when beaters are lifted, about 2 minutes (frosting will continue to thicken as it stands).

Assembly

Place 1 cake layer, flat side up, on 8 inch diameter tart pan bottom or cardboard round. If desired, place pan bottom with cake atop 8 inch diameter cake pan to make simple decorating stand. Top layer with 1 1/2 cups frosting, spreading to edge. Sprinkle evenly with diced toffee. Top with second cake layer, flat side down press slightly to adhere. Spread thin layer of frosting over top and sides of cake to seal and set crumbs. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake.
Sprinkle chocolate curls atop cake. Chill at least 2 hours.