Chocolate coffee layer cake

Wow, it sure has been a while since I’ve posted, hasn’t it? My bad. Blame it on schoolwork, upcoming finals, AP exams next week (AHHHH!), etc. etc.

I suppose it’s mostly because I haven’t found blogging quite as interesting as of late. Which is fine. People change; we find new hobbies to suck up all of occupy our time. I’ve been doing a lot of writing, bouncing around a lot of new story ideas. It’s all good. So maybe I haven’t baked as many cakes in the past few weeks, or posted as many recipes. It’s probably better for my health, anyway.

You're saying eating giant slices of this ISN'T healthy?!

But I’ve still got a handful of recipes left in my files, this cake being one of them. I made this a few weeks back for some party-type thing, and holy hell was it good. I mean, obviously. Just look at it. Two thick layers of rich, moist chocolate cake, rich espresso buttercream, and a nice layer of ganache on top. What’s not to love?

Absolutely nothing.

The only comment I have about the recipe is that the original calls for coffee extract in the frosting. I don’t have that, so I used espresso powder dissolved in water. But I kept the coffee extract in the recipe just in case any of you wanted to use it.

Tastes awesome either way.

Anyway. Here’s the recipe.

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Chocolate coffee layer cake

Adapted from Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis

Ingredients

Chocolate cake

60 grams • Dutch-processed cocoa powder • ¾ cup

152 grams • vegan yogurt • 2/3 cup

305 grams • hot water • 1 ¼ cups

362 grams • all-purpose flour • 2 2/3 cups

8 grams • baking powder • 2 teaspoons

4 grams • baking soda • 1 teaspoon

3 grams • salt • ½ teaspoon

21 grams • flaxseed meal • 3 tablespoons

135 grams • warm water • ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon

168 grams • coconut oil, room temperature • ¾ cup

96 grams • vegetable shortening • ½ cup

300 grams • granulated sugar • 1 ½ cups

230 grams • dark brown sugar • 1 cup

12 grams • vanilla extract • 1 tablespoon

2 grams • espresso powder • 1 teaspoon

Coffee buttercream

300 grams • granulated sugar • 1 ½ cups

45 grams • all-purpose flour • 1/3 cup

366 grams • nondairy milk • 1 ½ cups

84 grams • coconut cream (the fatty part of coconut milk that rises to the top of a can when chilled 

overnight) • 1/3 cup

336 grams • vegan margarine, room temperature and cut into small pieces • 1 ½ cups

4 grams • vanilla extract • 1 teaspoon

36 grams • coffee extract • 3 tablespoons

Glaze

224 grams • dark chocolate, coarsely chopped • 8 ounces

168 grams • vegan margarine, room temperature • ¾ cup

22 grams • light corn syrup • 1 tablespoon

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch round baking pans and line the bottoms with parchment.

In a medium bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, yogurt, and hot water until smooth. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in another bowl. Also combine flaxseed and warm water in a small bowl and set aside to let thicken.

Place coconut oil and shortening in the bowl of an electric stand mixer and beat until smooth. Add granulated sugar and dark brown sugar and cream until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add flaxseed mixture gradually, mixing to incorporate. Add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with cocoa mixture and ending with flour mixture. Mix only until just combined after each addition.

Divide batter between prepared pans and bake for 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 30 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the coffee buttercream, start by combining sugar and flour in a medium saucepan. Add milk and coconut cream and cook over medium heat, whisking consistently to keep from clumping. Cook until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened, about 10 minutes.

Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on high speed with the paddle attachment until the mixture is cool to the touch; this will take about 7 to 9 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add the margarine one piece at a time. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until frosting is light and fluffy, another 1 to 2 minutes. Add vanilla and coffee extracts and continue mixing until combined. If the frosting is too soft, put in the fridge to chill slightly, then beat once more until it reaches the proper consistency. If the frosting is too firm, set the bowl over a pot of simmering water and beat with a wooden spoon until it reaches desired consistency.

To assemble the cake, simply frost both layers with coffee buttercream. Chill while you make the glaze so the frosting firms up.

To make the chocolate glaze, simply place chocolate, margarine, and corn syrup in the top of a double boiler (or, if you don’t have one like me, a small saucepan). Over very low heat, stir together the mixture until chocolate and butter are completely melted together and smooth. Stir the glaze to remove excess heat. Pour glaze on top of cake to finish. Refrigerate cake for another 15 minutes to set the glaze.

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So shiny...

For more awesome layer cakes, click these links.

Brooklyn blackout cake. This one actually has chocolate pudding in the frosting.

Brownie mega cake with raspberry, rosewater, and cookie dough. Because over-the-top cakes are the best.

Strawberry rhubarb layer cake. Perfect for spring!

That ganache though.