- 12
Ingredients
- Nonstick vegetable oil spray
- 1 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup hot strong coffee
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 large eggs
- 9 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 1/8 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
- 1 1/2 cups chilled heavy cream
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)
- Special equipment: Two 9"-diameter cake pans with 2"-high sides; a 9"-diameter springform pan
Preparation
Step 1
For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat cake pans
with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pans
with parchment-paper rounds; coat paper.
Place cocoa powder and chocolate in a
medium metal bowl. Pour hot coffee over.
Let stand for 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Stir
in buttermilk and vanilla; set aside.
Whisk cake flour and next 3 ingredients
in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer,
beat sugar and butter in a large bowl until
light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs
one at a time, beating to blend between
additions and occasionally scraping
down sides and bottom of bowl. Beat until
light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add dry
ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with
chocolate mixture in 2 additions, beginning
and ending with dry ingredients. Divide
batter evenly between pans; smooth tops.
Bake cakes until a tester inserted into the
centers comes out clean, about 35 minutes.
Transfer to wire racks; let cakes cool in pans
for 10 minutes (cakes will deflate slightly).
Run a knife around pans to loosen cakes;
invert cakes onto racks. Peel off paper and
let cakes cool completely. Turn cakes over.
If needed, use a long serrated knife to cut
off bumps or trim dome from top of each
cake to create a flat, even surface.
For caramel ganache:
Place chocolate and
salt in a medium bowl. Stir sugar and 1/4 cup
water in a medium deep saucepan over
medium-low heat until sugar dissolves.
Increase heat and cook without stirring,
occasionally swirling pan and brushing
down sides with a wet pastry brush, until
sugar is deep amber, about 9 minutes.
Remove from heat and gradually add cream
(mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir over
medium heat until caramel bits dissolve.
Pour over chocolate in bowl. Add vanilla; stir
until mixture is smooth. Let cool slightly.
Place 1 cake layer in springform pan. Pour
1 cup ganache over. Chill until set, about
30 minutes. Cover remaining ganache and
let stand at room temperature.
For filling and assembly:
Place 2 tablespoons cold
water in a small heatproof glass or metal
bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over; let stand until
gelatin softens, about 10 minutes.
Pour water to a depth of 1/2" into a small
skillet set over medium heat. Transfer bowl
with gelatin to skillet; stir until gelatin
dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove bowl
from skillet. Set aside.
Place cream and powdered sugar in a
large bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla
bean. Using an electric mixer, beat cream
until soft peaks form. Add gelatin; beat
filling until firm peaks form.
Spoon filling over chilled ganache on
cake layer in pan; smooth top. Gently place
second cake layer on top. Cover tightly with
plastic wrap and chill until cream layer is
set, at least 6 hours or overnight.
Remove sides from springform pan.
Using a knife or offset spatula, scrape off
any filling that may have leaked out from
between cakes to form smooth sides.
Transfer cake to a wire rack set inside a
rimmed baking sheet.
Rewarm remaining ganache until just
pourable. (Microwave in a microwave-safe
bowl, or set a metal bowl over a large
saucepan of simmering water until just
warm, not hot.) Pour ganache over cake,
tilting cake as needed to allow ganache to
drip down sides and using an offset spatula
to help spread ganache, if needed, to cover
sides of cake. Chill until ganache is set,
about 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Cake can be made
2 days ahead. Cover with a cake dome; chill.
Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour
before serving.
Sprinkle cake with flaky sea salt.