The Ultimate Dark Chocolate Layer Cake with Whipped Dark Chocolate Ganache

Sharing the Ultimate Dark Chocolate Layer Cake with Whipped Dark Chocolate Ganache for your weekend chocolate fix! Picture a super simple chocolate cake that’s made without a mixer, is super fluffy, moist, and extra chocolate-y. Each layer of this fluffy and rich cake is covered with a decadent, roll your eyes back delicious whipped dark chocolate ganache that’s not too sweet, fluffy, creamy, and SO. GOOD. From there, the cake is topped with super simple chocolate ganache drip that really makes this cake a chocolate lovers dream. There’s really just so much to love about this cake! Every bite is perfectly sweet, rich, decadent, extra chocolate-y, and truly delicious. It’s the perfect cake to enjoy for any special occasion, but especially fun for Valentine’s Day or even birthday’s! Trust me, this cake is SO GOOD, and guaranteed to be the best EVER chocolate cake.

→ This post is also available as a Web Story: Chocolate Layer Cake

About The Recipe

If you’ve ever read our blog before, then you know that I absolutely love all things chocolate. Whether that’s a piece of chocolate, homemade brownies, chocolate ice cream, truffles, etc. It’s one of my favorite things to eat!

And, to be honest, my love affair for chocolate cakes has always been around. I can’t think of a time when I didn’t have a chocolate cake for my birthday. My mom used to even bring us chocolate cake for snack time in kindergarten! (No, I’m not kidding. She’s that awesome!)

So, I might have just a slight obsession with chocolate that dates back to the very beginning of – well, me.

My mom always said that, as a kid, I used to get more chocolate on me than in my mouth. Which, between me and you, is still true to this day. Though, that never stopped my mom from giving me all the chocolate-y sweets she baked for her catering business or whenever we went out somewhere.

But, as I got a little bit older, I still had a huge love of chocolate. It’s just things got a little too sweet for me and her. I mean, we both equally love chocolate (though, I think I might edge her out just a bit), but it always felt like, whenever we made a chocolate cake, it ended up being much too sweet.

So, this is the cake that my mom developed to give me the ultimate dessert for birthday’s! I guess you can really say that this is an homage to everything little me (and me now!) loved. Chocolate, on chocolate, with more chocolate!

It’s truly the perfect chocolate cake for any and all occasions! Anniversaries, birthday’s, holiday’s…even if you just want to celebrate the weekend. This cake is not only super simple to make, but it’s truly a chocolate lovers dream.

Every bite of this cake is rich, silky, chocolate-y, sweet without being too sweet, and just SO. DARN. GOOD.

If you are or know a chocolate lover, this is the cake you need to bake right now!

Why You Will Love This Dark Chocolate Cake

• The cake itself is SUPER simple to make. No mixer required! It’s actually just a super simple dump cake.
• The frosting is made from ganache, NOT buttercream. So, it’s less sweet than a traditional chocolate cake, which means it makes for the perfect dessert for adults.
• This recipe uses a technique called “blooming” to help enhance all the delicious chocolate flavor!
• Four layers of deliciously rich chocolate cake…need I say more?
• Makes for a great cake to celebrate anything with!

Equipment Needed

• Mixing Bowls
• Whisk
• Rubber Spatula
• Four 8-Inch Round Cake Pans
• Stand Mixer
• Piping Bags
• Cake Tester
• Turning Cake Stand

Ingredients

(Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)

For The Cake:

• Natural Process Cocoa Powder
• Boiling Water
• All-Purpose Flour
• Granulated Sugar
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Large Eggs
• Vegetable Oil
• Whole Milk
• Vanilla Extract

For The Frosting:

• Semi-Sweet Chocolate
• Heavy Whipping Cream

How To Make This Chocolate Cake

Step 1: Make the frosting

Heat cream in a medium sized pot until the cream begins to bubble around the edges.

Pour heated cream over the chocolate chips and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir together.

Pour the ganache into a large glass casserole. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it down to touch the chocolate. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Step 2: Make the cake batter

In a medium sized bowl, combine the boiling water and cocoa powder. Mix together with a whisk until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and whisk together until well combined.

In another medium sized bowl, mix together the wet ingredients with a whisk until well combined.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together.

Stir in the bloomed cocoa powder.

Step 3: Bake

Divide the batter amongst four greased and floured cake pans. If you have a scale, this is 15 ounces per pan. If you don’t have a scale, that’s roughly about 2 cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until the cakes start to pull away from the pans and test done.

Take out of the oven and let rest for about ten minutes. Turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack and let cool completely. If needed, level the cakes with a serrated knife.

Step 4: Whip the ganache

Pour ganache into mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds.

Step 5: Assemble the cake

So, now that the cakes are leveled and the ganache is whipped, it’s time to start assembling! Place your bottom cake layer on a cake plate and add roughly about ½ cup of the whipped dark chocolate ganache. Spread it evenly across the top. Repeat this step until the cake is fully assembled.

With the remaining frosting, frost the outside of the cake. Decorate as desired.

Whipped Ganache FAQ’s

Why is my whipped ganache grainy? When it comes to working with chocolate, there are so many things that can go wrong. One of the main reasons for a grainy ganache is that the cream was overheated. Though, don’t fret! You can fix it. Place the grainy whipped ganache into a sauce pan and turn on a very low heat. The lowest your stove can go! From there, use a whisk and gently stir until the chocolate is totally melted again. Once melted, pour back into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the ganache sit in the fridge for 1-2 hours. Add back into the mixer or use a hand mixer and whip until light and fluffy.

Can I pipe a whipped ganache? Actually, yes! This ganache is VERY stable and holds shapes well. With this as the frosting, you can really go all out! It is more stable than a buttercream (and tastes even better!).

Decorating Ideas

There are so many things you can do with this cake, but here are a few of our favorites!

• Make a little extra frosting and pipe decorative elements on top of the cake.
• Use chopped chocolate or chocolate curls to press to the bottom of the cake or sprinkle on top.
• Use sprinkles! Especially if it’s for someone’s birthday.
• Dust with cocoa powder or powdered sugar.
• Use chocolate drips!

How To Make Chocolate Drips (3 Simple Steps!)

If you want to decorate this cake the same way we did, no worries! Making chocolate drips is actually SUPER simple. Below is a quick guide on how to make it!

1. In a medium-sized bowl, combine ¼ cup of chocolate and ¼ cup of heavy cream. Heat in the microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring well with a rubber spatula in-between each, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
2. Let the mixture cool slightly.
3. Using a spoon (or a piping bag!), spoon a small amount of chocolate ganache onto the edge of the cake. Gently push over the edge with your spoon and it will create a drip! Repeat as often as you’d like. The bigger the drip, the more chocolate you will need to push off the edge. Fill in the middle once the drips are complete.

How To Store

One of the best things about this cake is that it freezes beautifully. You can freeze this cake as a whole or just freeze slices. I recommend freezing individual slices of cake as it’s already portioned out and ready to eat whenever you want a slice of delicious chocolate cake!

You can also keep this cake in a cake plate on the counter for about 3 days, but we recommend placing it in the refrigerator as it is a very moist cake! It should keep in the fridge for about 7-9 days.

Expert Tips

• You can boil the water in a microwave, on the stove top, or in a kettle!
• Mixing the boiling water and cocoa powder is a technique called, “blooming”. This allows for the powder to dissolve and release all of it’s amazing flavors. That means you wind up with a much more flavorful and delicious cake!
• Be sure to check the expiration dates on your baking powder and baking soda
• Use a cake tester or a toothpick to test when this cake is done.
• Do NOT over-whip the ganache!
• You may need to level the cake layers before assembling. The best way to do this is with a cake leveler or a serrated knife.
• Pipe the whipped ganache between each layer of cake! This ensures no tearing of the cake and helps provide more even layers!
• When assembling the cake, it’s best to keep your offset spatula clean.
• You can decorate this cake however you wish!

When you make this Ultimate Dark Chocolate Cake with Whipped Dark Chocolate Ganache recipe, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.

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