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Chocolate Cascade Cake

Ingredients

Cake

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup strong black coffee cooled
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Soil

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted

Chocolate Shards

  • 8 oz dark chocolate (high quality) melted
  • 2 oz white chocolate

Ganache

  • 12 oz dark chocolate chopped
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter

Instructions

Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
  • Grease and line two tall 9-inch cake pans.
  • In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  • In another bowl, whisk eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla.
  • Combine wet and dry ingredients, mix until smooth.
  • Pour batter into prepared pans.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on wire racks.

Chocolate soil

  • Mix dry ingredients, stir in melted butter until crumbly.
  • Bake at 300°F (150°C) for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Chocolate shards

  • Spread tempered dark chocolate thinly on a baking sheet.
  • Before it sets, drizzle with melted white chocolate and create swirls with a toothpick.
  • Once set, break into shards.
  • Cool completely.

Ganache

  • Heat cream until simmering.
  • Pour over chopped chocolate, let sit for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth.
  • Add butter and stir until incorporated.

Assemble

  • Place one cake layer on a plate.
  • Spread with ganache.
  • Add second layer.
  • Pour remaining ganache over the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.
  • Decorate the top with chocolate shards arranged vertically to create a "cascade" effect.
  • Sprinkle chocolate soil around the base of the cake and on top between the shards.

Notes

Make sure the chocolate used for the shards is not something the goes liquid at room temperature. Toll house dark chocolate chips did not hold up. Consider increasing the amount of sugar in the cake batter.