Best Chocolate Cake!

“Put ‘eat chocolate’ at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you’ll get one thing done.”

True story. If you do only one thing this weekend – it should be to make this chocolate cake. It’s seriously moist, sweet, and amazingly chocolate-y. There’s no need to waste more time – here it is – now go bake!

Chocolate Cake

2 1/2 cups flour

2 3/4 cups sugar

1 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup milk +1 tsp. white vinegar (let stand 15 mins)

3 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup French Vanilla Coffee

1/4 cup Bacardi Rum

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter six 6-inch springform pans (I made two 3 layer cakes). Combine dry ingredients in large bowl, whisk, and set aside. Combine oil, milk/vinegar, eggs, and vanilla in stand mixer and mix well. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in 3 parts and mix together. Next add coffee and rum and mix well. Bake for 40 mins-1 hour, depending on your oven – just make sure a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely before adding the frosting.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

2 sticks unsalted butter

4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup heavy cream

strawberries (for layering)

Beat butter in stand mixer until smooth. Combine sugar and cocoa in a separate bowl, then add in 1/2 cups to butter while mixing. Add vanilla and heavy cream, and mix until smooth.

Assembly

Frost a thin layer of chocolate buttercream on the first cake layer. Then use a large round tip to pipe a circle all the way around the first cake layer. Fill in with fresh, thinly sliced strawberries. Cover with more buttercream. Place second layer on frosting and repeat with frosting and strawberries. Top cake with third layer, and cover whole cake with a crumb coat of buttercream frosting. Place in the fridge and allow to harden a bit, at least 30 minutes. Remove from fridge and do a final smooth coat of chocolate buttercream. Place back in fridge and allow to harden. Meanwhile, create your decorations. 

Once the ganache is cooled enough, but not too much, pour it over your cake and allow it to drip a bit. While it is still wet, place your chocolate leaves, swirls, strawberries on top. I also piped some little buttercream kisses with a small round tip around my leaves and swirls. I then added some more gold touches with the paintbrush.

Chocolate Ganache

4 oz semi-sweet chocolate

¼ cup heavy whipping cream

Heat cream on stove until it starts to just bubble a bit. Turn off the heat and remove from the stove, pour over the chocolate in a separate bowl. Mix until combined and smooth. Allow to cool so that the ganache is thicker before pouring over the top of the cake.