Chocolate Cake

1 stick (112g) butter
1 1/3 cups (257g) sugar 
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (56g) cocoa powder
2 large eggs
2 oz (56g) dark chocolate, melted
1 3/4 cups (210g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder
3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) salt
1/2 cup (118 ml) water
1/2 cup (118 ml) milk

1. All cold ingredients should be at room temperature for better incorporation. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Melt the chocolate. I like to chop it up fine like in the “ingredients” photo above, and melt it in the microwave in 30-second intervals. Chocolate burns easily, so stir between every zap. Mine took about 60-90 seconds to melt. Keep on the side.

3. Using a tabletop or handheld electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and cocoa powder together on medium high speed until smooth, creamy and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Hard to see with the cocoa in the bowl, but it went for about 3 minutes.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, until each one disappears into the mix. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. The dry, gritty stuff wants to collect at the bottom. Don’t let it win.

5. Pour in the melted chocolate. Hopefully, by now your chocolate came down in temperature a little. It should feel like a warm bath. If it’s too hot, it might melt the butter, and that’s no good. If it’s too cold, it might re-solidify into little bits when it hits the cold bowl. So, warm. We want it warm.

6. In a medium bowl, stir together the dry ingredients, which include flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir ‘em up good.

7. Combine the milk and the water in a microwave-safe cup and microwave them until hot, about 45 seconds. Like a “too hot” bath.

8. Drop the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl and mix on low speed until MOSTLY combined, and then, with the machine still running, pour in the hot water/milk mixture. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl again. The dry ingredients tend to hide there.

9. Pour the batter into a parchment-lined, 9″ round baking pan. Then bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or almost clean, about 40 minutes. Let the cake cool completely, even for several hours, to let the crumb firm up and be less delicate when slicing. I like to chill the cake in the fridge for a couple of hours, so that slicing goes more smoothly.

Next, make the Chocolate Mousse

8 oz (224g) dark chocolate (I used 61% El Rey brand)
1 stick (112g) unsalted butter
4 large eggs
6 (45g) tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water
2/3 cup (158 ml) heavy cream

1. Working with a large bowl, melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave. Again, use 30-second intervals and stir every time between zaps to make sure the chocolate doesn’t burn. Set aside.

2. Whip cream to a loose peak consistency. You can do this with a mixer or by hand. It’s not exactly liquid anymore, but it’s not stiff, either. It should just barely hold streaks. I scraped this into another bowl, so I could free up my Kitchenaid bowl for the rest of the mousse recipe. Refrigerate the cream until we’re ready for it.

3. Set up a double boiler: Fill a pot with water and bring it to a boil. Grab a bowl that’s big enough to fit over the pot without touching the boiling water and crack in the eggs, then pour in the sugar and water. Whisk it up and set it over the boiling water. Our only goal here is to warm dem eggs. Whisk the whole time. They’ll start to get frothy. After a few minutes (about 3), move the bowl off the heat and stick your finger in it. Yes, you heard right. This is to gauge the temperature. Don’t feel like you’re after some exact degree of heat. It should feel like a very warm bath. We are about to whip the crap out of them and warm eggs whip well. If they’re still cool, return to top of pot.

4. If they’re nice and warm, pour into the KitchenAid bowl, and whip on high for about 3 minutes. (If you have a hand mixer or you’re whipping by hand, go ahead and do it in the bowl you warmed them in.) The eggs will get very thick, pale and creamy looking.

5. We’ll start by pouring about 1/3 of this fluffy egg mixture into the melted chocolate bowl. Carefully fold it in, scraping from the bottom of the bowl, over to the top. This will help lighten the very dense chocolate mixture, so when we fold in the rest, it won’t deflate.

6. Pour in the rest of the egg mix and fold that in. Then fold in the whipped cream.

 

Now we can start the assembly:

1. Line a 9″ springform pan with parchment.

2. Peel off the paper that ended up on your cake.

3. Slice off the dome by holding a serrated knife parallel to the table and slowly sawing away.

4. Now slice the rest of the cake in half, horizontally into two even rounds.

5. Set one slice into the prepped springform pan.

6. Pour in half the mousse and smooth it out to the edges.

7. Carefully place the other cake layer on top and press it down gently.

8. Pour the rest of the mousse on and smooth that out over the top as uniformly as possible.

9. Freeze this on a flat shelf for at least 4 hours. Or overnight.

 

Make the milk chocolate frosting:

Take note that you have to start the frosting a few hours before you plan to frost the cake. Right when the cake goes into the freezer is a good time.

1 1/4 cup (300 ml) heavy cream
8 oz (224 g) milk chocolate, chopped into peas-sized bits
1 stick (112 g)  butter
1/2 tsp (3 g) vanilla extract
1/4 cup (30 g) powdered sugar

1. Bring the heavy cream to a boil and pour over the chocolate. Allow it to rest for a minute or two to let the heat melt the chocolate. Then whisk it up into a sort of loose ganache. Refrigerate it until it sets to a soft solid, at least 3 hours (overnight’s ok, too.)

2. When you’re ready to frost the cake, whip your butter (which should be softened to room temperature) and vanilla until they’re very smooth and creamy, 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the bowl.

3. Add in the set up milk chocolate ganache and powdered sugar and whip until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes.

 

Finish the assembly:

1. Grab the cake from the freezer and run a knife around the edge to release it. Carefully release the springform mechanism to free the cake.

2. Frost the cake on top and sides.

3. You can decorate in any way. Or leave the cake simply frosted. I scooped the rest of the frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip, and piped two rows of “kisses”. Refrigerate until you’re ready for the glazing step.

 

Make the chocolate glaze

4 oz (112g) dark chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup (80g) heavy cream 
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Pour the heavy cream, corn syrup and oil into a microwave-proof cup and nuke until almost boiling (you might be able to see it gurgling in the cup), about 45 seconds. It will look curdled but pay it no mind. Stir it up to blend.

2. Pour over the chocolate and allow to sit for a minute to melt it all. Whisk everything until completely smooth.

3. When the chocolate sauce is lukewarm, and ONLY when it’s lukewarm, stir it up and pour it over the cake to glaze the top. If the sauce is too hot when you pour, it will melt the frosting underneath, making the top look muddled. It will probably set quickly because your cake is still giving off frozeness from within, so hop to it.

4. Viola! Refrigerate this until ready to serve, up to a day ahead. Make sure it’s fully defrosted before serving!