Big Chocolate Cake
by Ruth Reichl
dessert
Yield: Serves 20 to 25
Ingredients
You have 1 of 15
protein
- ○6 largeeggs
dairy
- ○3 sticks (1 1/2 cups)unsalted butter(softened)
- ○3/4 cupwhole milk
- ○1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup)unsalted butter(softened)
- ○1 cupwhipped cream cheese
grain
- ○3 cupsall-purpose flour
pantry staple
- ✓1/8 teaspoonsalt
- ○1 1/2 teaspoonsvanilla
- ✓2 teaspoonsbaking soda
- ✓3/4 teaspoonsalt
- ○1 1/2 cupsdark brown sugar(firmly packed)
- ○1 1/2 cupsgranulated sugar
- ○1 teaspoonvanilla
- ○2 1/2 cupsconfectioners' sugar
other
- ○1 cup plus 2 tablespoonsunsweetened cocoa powder(not Dutch Process)
- ○1 1/2 cupsboiling water
- ○5 ouncesunsweetened chocolate(chopped)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 13x9x2-inch baking pans and line bottoms of each with wax paper. Butter paper and dust pans with flour, knocking out excess.
- Whisk together the boiling water and the cocoa in a bowl until smooth, then whisk in the milk and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Beat together the butter and sugars in the large bowl of a standing electric mixer until pale and fluffy, then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. On low speed, beat in flour and cocoa mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with the flour mixture (the batter may look curdled).
- Divide batter between pans, smoothing tops. Bake in the middle of the oven until a tester comes out clean and layers begin to pull away from the sides of pans, 25 to 35 minutes.
- Invert cakes onto racks, remove wax paper, and cool completely.
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring until melted. Cool to room temperature.
- Beat together the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add remaining ingredients and beat until well combined.
- Put one cake layer, rounded side up, on a cake plate and spread with 1 1/4 cups frosting. Top with another cake layer, rounded side up, and spread top and sides with remaining frosting.