This triple chocolate cake is a 3 layer moist layered cake. It is filled with whipped chocolate buttercream filling and covered with chocolate ganche.
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Some situations call for a very serious piece of cake. When one of those times arises, look no further than this Decadent Triple Chocolate Cake. This is a chocolate cake recipe that will satisfy even the most intense of chocolate cravings.
There is nothing worse than ordering a slice of chocolate cake, being all excited to devour it, then when it arrives you take a bite and it's.... disappointing. Sadly there are a lot of lackluster chocolate cakes out there but I promise you this one will NOT disappoint!
First of all, the chocolate cake itself is one of the best chocolate cakes you will ever try, it is an incredibly rich and moist cake. But the really special thing about this cake is that we don't even bother with chocolate frosting, we are going straight to chocolate ganache, all the way. There is chocolate buttercream in between every one of the moist chocolate cake layers, as well as smooth chocolate ganache dripped all over the top of the cake.
Why You'll Love This Cake
Extremely rich and chocolatey.
Luxurious chocolate buttercream in between every layer and topped with chocolate ganache.
No mixer or special equipment is required unless you prefer.
Ingredients
Flour - All-purpose flour is best for this cake. We want it to have good substance to help create that dense, fudgy texture.
Sugar - Regular white sugar
Cocoa Powder - Make sure you use Dutch-processed cocoa powder for a moist cake with a rich chocolate flavor.
Milk - Whole milk is best, but you can use whatever you have to hand.
Eggs - We'll use the whole eggs in this chocolate fudge cake. Use large eggs and always free-range if you can.
Sour Cream - This is the secret to creating a super moist chocolate cake.
Vegetable Oil - You can also use any kind of flavorless oil instead, such as canola oil.
Vanilla - Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste for a base to add to the rich flavor.
Espresso Powder - You won't taste the instant espresso powder at all, it will just help to show off the chocolate flavor more.
Chocolate - To make the chocolate ganache. I like to use a combination of milk and dark chocolate, but you can adjust this according to your personal preference. Make sure you use a real chocolate bar and not chocolate chips or chocolate candy bars. It is important to use high quality chocolate in the ganache for best results.
Heavy Cream - Make sure you use heavy cream, heavy whipping cream, or double cream. The fat content should be at least 33%.
**Make sure the eggs, milk and sour cream are all at room temperature before beginning.
See recipe card below for quantities and instructions.
How to Make Triple Chocolate Cake
The process of making this decadent dessert is dangerously simple in just a few short steps.
Preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C and prepare 3 8-inch cake pans. I also like to spray with cooking spray and put parchment paper circles on the bottom.
Dry Ingredients - In a large mixing bowl, sift all the dry ingredients (except the espresso powder) and whisk to combine.
Wet Ingredients - Whisk together all the wet ingredients (except the hot water), pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and whisk everything together until the batter is smooth and free from lumps.
Add Coffee - Mix the espresso powder with the hot water and mix until dissolved. Pour into the chocolate cake batter and whisk until incorporated.
Bake - Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans and bake for 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
How to Make Chocolate Ganache
The chocolate ganache is what really makes this cake a chocolate lover's dream. You can use milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or a combination of both.
Chop Chocolate - Chop the chocolate into small pieces so it will melt more easily. Set aside.
Heat the Cream - Heat the cream in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until it is scalding (tiny bubbles starting to appear but not boiling).
Pour over Chocolate - Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let it sit for 1 minute.
Stir - Mix the chocolate and cream together in concentric circles in the middle of the bowl until it has combined.
Cool - The ganache should be thick and glossy. Let it cool completely before using.
For The Buttercream
With a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat butter on high speed for about 3 minutes or until creamy and lightened in color, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Add confectioners sugar, cocoa powder, 3 Tbsp heavy cream, 2 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/4 tsp salt. Beat on low speed until sugar is incorporated then increase to medium/high speed and beat for 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl several times to ensure everything is well blended.
Add another Tablespoon of heavy cream if needed to thin the frosting.
How to Assemble Death By Chocolate Cake
You can either leave this as a three-layer cake, or you can torte the layers to make 6 thin layers, which means you can get even more chocolate ganache in there. If you are a serious chocolate lover like me, this could be the way to go.
Level each of the cake slices so they have a flat top, then cut each one in half so you have 6 thin slices of chocolate cake.
Stack the cake layers, filling in between each layer with an even layer of chocolate buttercream and then crumb coat and frost the whole cake.
Put a big dollop of ganache on top of the cake and smooth it all over the top and sides until it is completely covered.
For a more showstopping finish, you can add the ganache as a drip and some buttercream rosettes on top of the delicious chocolate cake.
In this picture I did just 3 layers instead of 6.
The Science of This Triple Chocolate Cake
There are a few nerdy things that make this chocolate cake so spectacular. First of all, using vegetable oil instead of butter gives the cake a much more dense and moist crumb for that luxurious soft bite feeling.
Backing that up is the use of cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate. If you are looking for a fudgy texture it's better to use just cocoa powder as well as an additional fat (in this case, the vegetable oil), as the fat will stay soft at room temperature, whereas chocolate hardens and gives a firmer texture when it's set.
The use of sour cream gives the cake it's very soft texture while also adding some dairy to add to the rich flavor.
The espresso powder doesn't. make it taste like coffee, but it does help to bring out the rich chocolate flavor even more.
Lastly, the addition of the hot water blooms the cocoa powder and helps it to dissolve into the batter and be fully incorporated BEFORE baking. This means that the chocolate flavor has a chance to really seep into the batter and great that rich, decadent flavor.
Equipment
Whisk - There is no need for a stand mixer or a hand mixer for this recipe, I usually use that for my buttercream. All you need is a bowl and a whisk to make the chocolate cake!
Round Cake Pans - 8-inch cake pans. You'll need 3 pans if you want 6 thin layers, or 2 pans if you want 4 thin layers.
Cake Leveler - I love this tool to help me get nice even cake layers. You can just use a serrated knife though.
Storage
Keep your Triple by Chocolate cake in an airtight container to protect it from getting dry. Keep it at room temperature for up to 5 days.
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