Triple Chocolate Cake with Ganache
If you’re a chocoholic like me, you’re probably always on the hunt for your next fix. Devil’s food cake or fudge cookies will do in a pinch, but if you have a really stubborn itch to scratch, this triple chocolate cake will do the trick! With three types of chocolate and an intensely fudgy texture, this cake is truly enchanting. In fact, I’m convinced this cake tastes just like the one Bruce Bogtrotter stole from Mrs. Trunchbull in the movie Matilda! As hard as that scene is to watch, doesn’t it always make you want chocolate cake?!
My triple chocolate cake is:
Fudgy: It has a moist, dark chocolate crumb that pairs fabulously with the ganache center and my favorite chocolate frosting (though you could substitute chocolate buttercream instead). Impressive: With three tall layers topped with piped icing swirls and a ganache drip, this is one stunning cake. Check out my separate detailed tutorial on how to do the ganache drip, if you need a refresher. Decadent: With chocolate on top of chocolate on top of–you guessed it–even more chocolate, this cake was bound to be rich! It’s a chocolate lover’s dream come true. Straightforward: Honestly, yes, there are a lot of steps, but none of them overly complicated. Plus, the cake batter comes together in one bowl without a mixer!
What You Need
Triple chocolate cake contains quite a few ingredients, but that’s to be expected with a dessert as decadent as this! Let’s highlight the most important ones before we dig in.
Cocoa powder. Dutch process or dark cocoa powder are my preferences for this cake, since their flavor is deeper and more intense. You could use natural cocoa, but the flavor will be different. Curious about the differences between cocoa powders? Read my natural vs. Dutch process cocoa post! Hot water or coffee. Hot coffee will yield a stronger, more intense chocolate (not coffee) flavor, but hot water will work too. Whichever you use, make sure it’s steaming HOT–even boiling! This will bloom your cocoa powder and enhance its flavor. I use this trick in my double chocolate muffins too. Chocolate. Use either semisweet or dark chocolate, whatever is your preference. You’ll need 20 oz total; 12 oz for the frosting and 8 oz for the chocolate ganache. Buttermilk. Just like in German chocolate cake, we’ll add buttermilk here for flavor and moisture. Buttermilk also helps activate our baking soda, especially since we are using an alkaline cocoa powder. If you don’t keep buttermilk on hand, my buttermilk substitute will work in a pinch. Cream. Add a splash of cream to your frosting if it’s too thick (this can sometimes happen if you accidentally over-measure your powdered sugar), then save the rest for making the chocolate ganache.
SAM’S TIP: Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature before getting started. This ensures everything will combine easily, which means you are less likely to over-mix your cake. Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
Assembling & Decorating Triple Chocolate Cake
SAM’S TIP: This recipe makes a lot of frosting! Since this is a decadent three layer cake, and I want to make sure you have plenty to play around with for decoration. You can always reduce the frosting if you wish though! Want to add a fresh twist? Serve with a drizzle of raspberry sauce! Enjoy! Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! You can find all of my baking videos for free on YouTube.
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