Luscious Chocolate Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange two racks in center of oven. Line bottoms of three 9-by-2-inch buttered cake pans with parchment; butter again. Dust bottoms and sides with cocoa; tap out excess. Sift cocoa into a medium bowl; stir in 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water until smooth; gradually whisk in milk. Set aside to cool.
• Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on low until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar, scraping down sides twice. Beat in vanilla.
• Add eggs, a third at a time, beating after each addition. With mixer on low speed, alternate adding flour mixture and reserved cocoa mixture a little at a time, starting and ending with flour mixture. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans; spread with an offset spatula until level.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans if necessary, until a cake tester inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean. Let cool in pans set on a wire rack, about 15 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans, and return to rack to cool, tops up.
• Trim cake layers until level. Place one layer of cake on a cardboard cake round. Spread about 1 1/4 cups whipped ganache on cake; top with a second cake. Repeat. Spread remaining whipped ganache evenly over top and sides of cake to seal in crumbs and form a smooth surface. Chill until crumb coat is firm, about 30 minutes.
• Place cake (still on the cardboard cake round) on a wire rack set in a baking pan. Pour enough ganache glaze over cake to fully coat, shaking pan gently to help spread ganache if necessary. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes. The ganache in the baking pan may be strained through a fine sieve and added back into glaze. Pour remaining glaze over cake; allow excess to drip off sides. If top is not smooth, gently shake pan, or run an offset spatula quickly over surface. Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Combine all dry ingredients.
• Put into large mixing bowl with the rest of ingredients except for water.
• Add boiling water and stir. (Don't worry, your batter will not be thick.
• Put into greased 9 x 13, or 2 8inch cake pans that have been greased and floured.
• Bake at 350 degreesF.
• Bake layers for 30-35 minutes.
• Bake 9 x 13 for 35 to 40 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, combine cocoa and water; set aside to cool completely. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with cocoa mixture, beating well after each addition. , Pour into three greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For ganache, place chocolate in a bowl. In a small heavy saucepan over low heat, bring cream and sugar to a boil. Pour over chocolate; whisk gently until smooth. Allow to cool until it reaches a spreadable consistency, stirring occasionally., For frosting, in a large bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar, cocoa, milk and vanilla; beat until smooth., Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate; spread with 1 cup frosting. Top with second layer and 1 cup ganache; sprinkle with 1/2 cup almonds. Top with third layer; frost top and sides of cake. Warm ganache until pourable; pour over cake, allowing some to drape down the sides. Sprinkle with remaining almonds. Refrigerate until serving.

Steps:

• Position oven rack in the center of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°; butter and flour two 9 x2 inch round cake pans.
• Make the cake--Whisk together the cocoa and boiling water in a small bowl until smooth.
• Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
• Beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed in a large deep bowl until well blended; the mixture will be dry.
• Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Decrease speed to low and beat in the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour, just until well blended.
• Add the cocoa mixture and blend well.
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
• Bake for 40 minutes, or until a pick comes out clean; cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks for 20 minutes, then invert cakes onto the racks and remove the pans.
• Turn the cakes right-side up and cool completely.
• Make the frosting--melt the chocolate with the water in a small heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of about 1 1/2 inches of nearly simmering water, whisking until smooth; transfer to a large deep bowl.
• Heat the sugar with the egg yolks in another heatproof bowl over the same saucepan of nearly simmering water, whisking constantly, for about 4 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is warm to touch.
• Whisk the sugar mixture into the chocolate mixture, add in the vanilla, and beat with an electric mixer on high speed for 3 minutes, or until the mixture has cooled to room temperature.
• Beat in the butter one piece at a time, beating until smooth after each addition.
• Assemble the cake--Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate; spread about 1 cup of frosting evenly over the layer.
• Top with the remaining cake layer and frost with the remaining frosting; serve cut into wedges.