The Only Chocolate Cake Recipe You'll Ever Need With Claire Saffitz | NYT Cooking
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- Опубліковано 26 жов 2023
- Your next baking project is here: In this installment of “Try This at Home,” a series that guides you through different baking projects and techniques, Claire Saffitz is showing us how to make her recipe for chocolate cake.
This is Claire’s platonic ideal of a chocolate layered cake, perfect for adding to your regular baking rotation. Watch on to learn all of her smart tips and tricks.
Get the recipe: nyti.ms/3tM9M0h
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All the food that’s fit to eat (yes, it’s an official New York Times production). - Навчання та стиль
Thanks for having me! For additional dessert recipes, be sure to visit my UA-cam channel.
Where is the recipe please
Linked in the description. Just a note, it may be paywalled.
@@kjdude8765 Paywall came up in Chrome but not in Brave.
You’re a woman after my own heart! Delicious flavor, texture, neat presentation & enough frosting so you taste it between the layers! I’m always disappointed when a 3 layer cake doesn’t get enough frosting between the layers-it just ruins it if you get the ratio wrong- and this recipe is perfect! I’m going to try this recipe this weekend! Thank you for sharing your recipes and your brilliance -you make it fun! 😊
Ol’ Half-Sour Saffitz ❤
I just love the fact that you get to learn the reasons why some ingredients go in a specific order or why they're added a certain way. Claire is phenomenal and I'm so happy to see her thrive in her element.
I made this recipe and it's absolutely FIRE. The cakes bake so perfectly!! Sour cream as a substitute for the creme fraishe worked wonderfully! I love how soft this cake is and it holds its shape so well! Thank you so much Claire, this recipe was super fire!!!
Good to read that! My grandpa turns 90 in a month and grandma asked me to make a cake for everyone. I just had this in my recommendations and I think I’ll make it!
What is creme fraishe?
@@_Sabrina999 I do recommend to frost the cake as soon as you make the buttercream. I put the buttercream in the fridge and it took forever to defrost and when it comes to room temperature, you have like a chance of it curdling (sometimes).
The cakes however turned out super perfect, nice and moist and so tasty!! The sour cream/creme fraishe does the trick in keeping it so moist!
Isn't it too salty? She seems to add so much salt and uses very bitter/salty ingredients.. lol
It's also easier to get lactose-free sour cream than it is to get lactose-free creme fraishe.
No one does it like Claire 👸🏼
False this is basically Ina Garten’s recipe.
@@TylerCordaroThey all put their own spin on the recipe from the cocoa tin. I mix a good porter with the coffee, replace half the sugar with dark brown sugar & use a mixture of buttermilk & sour cream. Also, 1/4 t almond extract.
@@TylerCordaroi mean all chocolate cake recipes are gonna be pretty similar to each other.
@@TylerCordaroEvery generation needs a Martha Stewart
@@TylerCordaro Guess what, "Mr. Wrong," this basic chocolate/coffee flavored cake recipe has been around & around for many years...I'm 70 years-old & ought to know it... *: )*
I’m not even halfway through this, and I’m so impressed with how well she explains everything. I’m learning things I never knew I wanted to know 😁
Yes, that's Claire, the impatient, *perfectionist!* HaHa...Seriously, Claire is a consummate *pro,* & to me, her word is "culinary gospel."😊
The parchment circle for sure!
Happy veterans day!
Yes, it’s the clarity. Everything is explained beautifully. Thank you so much. Amateur new grandpa practicing for first birthdays… twins!! :))
I baked this cake. It was my first ever cake from scratch and it turned out PERFECT! So delicious! Thank you Claire! It's the perfect recipe and you made it so easy to follow. A+++
God Bless Claire Saffitz 🙏🍰
God Bless President Trump 🙏🇺🇸
happy veterans day!
Did you make the frosting also? I’m curious how it compares to other frosting?
great job!
Can you describe how did you arrange the coffee?
Ok I never comment but I had to come back to this video to comment. I have tried every chocolate cake recipe under the sun…… they’re always too crumbly, dry, or lack in flavor.
This is truly the best. Perfect in every way. Flavorful, soft, stable. Now, my go-to recipe 🥲
Thank you so much Claire !!
What I like about this cake is that despite the outward appearance of a very rustic and rough looking frosting, once you cut into it, you see these flawless and meticulously even layers that are no doubt the work of a perfectionist. I just think that it speaks a lot to who Claire is as a person
happy veterans day!
It speaks to using the same standardized cake pans for all three layers.
The absolutely great thing about this is all the tips and tricks to make the cake look and taste fabulous! I'm 60 and just learned some awesome tips: cutting the round parchment, using parchment to keep the plate clean, always frost cut side down (seems obvious and yet😁). Thanks for not assuming we know all the small steps that make this beautiful and a definite keeper!
happy veterans day!
Hi would this cake be too sweet? Thanks
Claire, thank you so much for giving us amateurs the confidence and courage to take on baking this cake. I have cooked for my wife and kids for twenty-seven years but never baked anything. Your joy in cooking and helping us be better cooks is appreciated.
This is the BEST tutorial I have ever seen on anything on UA-cam 🤯 She's so smart and she KNOWS her craft 🔥
Amazing video. She explains everything in a very comprehensive and nice to hear way❤
The level of description of each step and why - is absolutely perfection!
This is why I like Claire and her content. She has this deep bag of knowledge about baking and can scientifically explain why she chose to do what method. Shes the baking goat!
happy veterans day!
Her, Sohla, Brad, and Morocco were the legends at BA.
She wasn't the first to do any of this, or the first to scientifically analyze the ingredients or their interactions
@@tylerdavis5701 So? I didn't say she's the only one or the first one who does this. So what's your point then?
My Hungarian mother’s buttercream included a homemade pudding. When I lived in Germany during the 80’s my German landlady, who was locally famous for her baking, made frosting the same way. Less butter, less sweet, and just delicious!
It's called a German Buttercream frosting. Makes a great frosting.
Guess I should have watched the video
When I was a child, in the 80s, there was a book of cake recipes that my mother had bought with the fashion magazine Burma (German I think?). Almost all cake recipes included a forsting in which either a pudding was prepared or a boxed pudding was used, and then the butter was added. I never dared to make a frosting of this type, but now that you mention that, I realize that all the pastries in that area of Europe are handled in this way. Love it!
@@quiquetall i heard somewhere (some youTube video) that the german buttercream is not as stable as the others. i never found it a problem.
One of the few recipes we have from my great-grandfather, who was a Hungarian pastry chef, is a hazelnut torte with a chocolate frosting. The frosting kind of has the same roots as this German buttercream, but... amped up a bit: there's no flour, just the dutch-processed cocoa, sugar, and water, and eight, count 'em, *eight* egg yolks (the whites go in the torte). The other difference is that you cook the pudding until it's way past pudding stage and well into thick goop territory, otherwise known as "egads my arms hurt".
Claire and these recipes are making me so happy! I love her teaching style and the filming.
Absolutely beautiful. I always feel like I could bake anything after watching Claire explain it first.
The most professional cake making demonstration on UA-cam. Absolutely brilliant. Very, very nice presentation. Came across as totally natural.
This is absolutely the best chocolate cake recipe I've seen. Thank you so much for sharing your work, I really appreciate it.
Made this for my family for thanksgiving. First time making a layer cake. It was time intensive but not to difficult! Having the video tutorial made it so much easier for me, I felt assured that I was doing it right. Thanks Claire, it turned out great, and It’s delicious!
This looks so good. Wonderful demonstration and instructions!
I love how you explained. You really know what you're talking about and your clean with what you say. Thank you. It was so enjoyable watching.
This is one of the best cooking videos on the entire Internet. ❤
One of the best chocolate cake recipes i ve come across with great attention to basics thats so well explained.. Thanks Claire
I have now made this recipy a couple of times (followed it all to the letter no random substitutions) and honestly the cake itself is UNREAL I am not a big cake person but it was amazing! The only thing I would add is that the dark chocolate frosting is very rich, which for me was just a bit much. However I found that if I swapped about 3/4 of the dark chocolate in the frosting to milk that it was much easier to eat especially if you have picky eaters at the table. Regardless of that though this cake is spectacular!!! As always claire does it best and thank you as always for explaining the baking process fully as this would have helped me so much when I was first starting to bake!
"if I swapped about 3/4 of the dark chocolate in the frosting to milk" - Milk choc bar or whole milk?
@@ashahmad89 milk chocolate bar 😊 I still keep some dark in (I actually made this cake again this week) and it just made it a bit less rich as I couldnt even finish a full slice with so much dark choccie frosting!
I’m thinking of making this for my son’s birthday for our at home family party. My son and niece are still younger kids( under 12). Di you add the coffee mixture to the cake mixture? I’ve seen on another channel, because this chef had kids, instead of using coffee m he just used boiling water. I’d imagine Thst would work just fine as well?
@@dolce616 yeah I have always used the coffee mixture when making it, but if you do it with boiling water let me know how it turns out! Would be good to know 😊
I watch your channel and love how you explain everything and easy to understand,I have been baking all my Adult life,well actually started when I was 13years old and I am still learning!Thanks for all you do!Love from Canada Ontario.
happy veterans day!
love the detail on assembly and frosting the cake
Amazing! I’m a professional cake maker and I learnt a thing or two here. Thank you! What a refreshing presentation style too. Loved it. ❤
I was just wishing for a Chocolate cake recipe from Claire and bam it dropped today!
Wishes do come true♥♥
Happy veterans day!
I just made this cake. It’s absolutely gorgeous and so freaking delicious. I can’t wait to make it again!!!❤
oh my god do I love NYT cooking with the jazz and the recipes 👩🍳😘
Every year, for my birthday, my mother would make a little Joffre chocolate cake. She only had one pan, small and heart-shaped, and she baked the layers one by one. It took her at least half a day to make, bless her, and my favourite part was that I got to clean the chocolate cream off the spoons and the bowl 😂 This cake reminds me a lot of that, it probably tastes amazing and has great texture!
thank you. how nice.
Just the best video of a chocolate cake. Clear explanation and very doable. 🎉
happy veterans day!
Such an excellent chocolate cake recipe. Claire, you know what you’re doing and I so appreciate your step-by-step presentation. ❤
happy veterans day!
As a pastry chef I love your recipe and your easy style. Thank you
That was awesome. I love complicated/complexed recipes. I hope to make this soon.
What an incredible job. So well thought out and explained. Thank you.
happy veterans day!
She is so thorough and detailed with her demonstration. I love her videos. ❤
happy veterans day!
The most beautiful piece of cake making,no that ain't no cake that is a gift,I want to say thank you,love this recipe!
Happy veterans day!
Just finished making this cake. I just want to say thank you, Claire! I just bought your book because of the "no just cooks" part; that's like my whole identity - just cooking - cuz baking has discouraged me SO much. I've challenged myself to bake everything in the book at least once.
I am a complete novice at baking but picked up the courage to try this recipe. I forgot to bloom the cocoa (added directly to dry ingredients by mistake) but the cake turned out STUPENDOUS. No one paid me to say this - this is the most delicious chocolate cake I have ever eaten. Thank you for the detailed recipe and video!
Did you make the frosting also? Please tell me if it’s good or just okay?
Yes I followed the recipe closely, including the frosting. It's delicious, chocolatey but also feels light.
@@fareenaalam7572 Thanks for replying. Do you think it would be good if I add raspberry to the layers? I love chocolate and raspberry combined. My birthday is next Thursday so I want to make it.
My grandfather was a German baker. He sorted his eggs by week on shelves to ensure the right egg texture was used… loads of insights, even in how to stack eggs on shelves. 😊
happy veterans day!
I loved having each step explained and with context
Happy Veterans day!
A great end to a wonderful year of your cooking videos. Merry Christmas!
This tutorial is awesome! As a cooking enthusiast, having cooking channel, I appreciate your effort in teaching new recipes
happy veterans day!
I'm here for Claire! Love her content and it's so fun to see her in a professional set again. I miss her in the BA test kitchen.
Happy Veterans day!
The color grading of this video is next level!
I love baking pies, cookies and the like from scratch but have never had the confidence to try my hand at a cake….until today! Claire explained everything so beautifully and it honestly made me feel like I could be successful 😂 Thank you for sharing your talents 🌸🌺
Love you Claire…have tried lots of chocolate cakes before, this looks amazing can’t wait to bake!
happy veterans day!
you are a gift to others....so gorgeous, as you are as well. Thank you for this moment in cooking a stunning cake.
happy veterans day!
I adore this woman !!!
looks brilliant. can't wait to make it.
Those cake scraps are the all time best chef's treat, so moist and gooey. Great memories from my childhood :)
happy veterans day!
I made a layer cake from a box for my boyfriend's birthday this year, first time trying it and it turned out alright, I'm glad I was able to intuit about half of the technique for assembling it, I'll have to try the full recipe and the tricks I missed for next year! Definitely seems like something accessible but still wonderful.
Cooks shouldn't feel bad about box cakes. If you can doctor the box cake with additional pudding and other addins, it can be a very reliable member of your repertoire. It has just the right amount of chemicals to give you consistent results. I would make Claire's cake too, for a special occasion.
happy veterans day!
Looks delicious and such a wonderful presentation!
I truly enjoy your work
Unlike many video recipes, this is one I feel as though I can tackle with a great deal of confidence - because I have been given a boatload of information and demonstration. Thank you so much. Your cake looks and sounds heavenly; I can’t wait to create this as a gift for family and friends. Patricia
Yeah, Id really love to know how you can make a cake with confidence from a vodeo recipie that doesent mention how much of the ingredients youre supposed to use at all.
@@jakubbraun1041the recipe’s in the description
Just made this for my daughters 2nd birthday. Seriously one of the best chocolate cakes I have ever made. It baked beautifully, the cake was perfectly moist and the flavor was deep chocolate without being too sweet, (I filled mine with marshmallow fluff)
My birthday is next week and I’m searching for the best chocolate cake to bake at home.
This cake is AMAZING! I didn't have that creme you added, and didn't have sour cream too so I just used milk and for cake batter I forgot to add the oil but it turned out so GOOD. I did this for my father's birthday, he and everybody else loved it.
thank you claire!
I’ve made this one three times! It’s amazing and the frosting is in my opinion the best part! The most important step I’d say is to not over cook the cake, it can get really dry if you over do it so you have to pay attention to that
happy veterans day!
Can you make it a day ahead of time ?
@@danielamoran879 definitely the best way to do it if you are well prepared and not a procrastinator like me lmao, you can just wrap up the cake layers in Saran Wrap and refrigerate / freeze them and just take them out when you’re ready to use them!
@@danielamoran879most cakes can actually be wrapped and left out at room temp when they’re not iced yet. if you choose to refrigerate (makes it easier to frost), i would use a simple syrup or milk brushed on the cake before frosting for moisture since refrigerating dries the cake out :)
@@dahjiat.8562thank you
My birthday is in December and I always bake my own cake. This is definitely the recipe I’m going to try! It looks so perfectly balanced and pretty approachable. Thank you, Claire. 🎉
Happy Birthday from NC
happy veterans day!
Happy birthday 🎉 same my birthday is in December 27th can t wait to try this cake
Did you make it? My birthday is next month and I want to make the best chocolate cake ever.
@@beatrizsandoval4395 yes i made the cake and it was delicious
Ok I never comment but I had to come back to this video to comment. I have tried every chocolate cake recipe under the sun…… they’re always too crumbly, dry, or lack in flavor.
This is truly the best. Perfect in every way. Flavorful, soft, stable. Now, my go-to recipe
Thank you so much Claire !!
Obsessed with Claire and so excited to try this recipe! Thanks NYT Cooking! 💕
happy veterans day!
I have a somewhat similar recipe for chocolate layer cake that I've made many times, with varying results. It was fascinating to watch you go through the steps and show me how to do it CORRECTLY! It seemed like you and I were alone, and you were telling me everything I've ever wanted to know about making a cake. I found myself hanging on your every word! Thank you so much for this!
happy veterans day!
I love the attention to detail 🔥
I made it yesterday for my friend, it is so SO GOOD 👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾 thank you !!!
Happy veterans day!
Just made this and it exceeded my expectations. Thanks.
Happy veterans day!
realized that what I like about Claire's explanations of her process is that it sounds scientific. and I guess with baking, it is so precise that it is somewhat scientific. but I like do understand why something works or is important.
Exactly like I need to know why somethings in a recipe so I don't question it
Baking and desserts are extremely scientific relative to savory courses, which is why attempts at doing Top Chef/Chopped type shows for desserts haven't worked out, the discipline doesn't mesh with improv.
Happy Veterans day!
I haven't tried the cake itself, I just made the buttercream to use as frosting for a different cake. It is absolutely intense, great flavor if you only eat a tiny bit, but way too much otherwise. So I ended up adding whipped cream from two cups of heavy cream (and 1/2 c granulated sugar) to tone it down a bit. That definitely helped but it still is quite strong. Very buttery. It is delicious now since I didn't use a very thick layer of it plus a different mild vanilla filling inside the cake. Having said that, I definitely will be saving other recipes from Claire, she is an amazing instructor and a highly skilled baker. This filling was just a bit much for us, is all. Much love to Claire!
Wow!!!!! Beautiful
I don't usually comment but after a lot of trys the last years I tell you that is the best cake I have ever tried, easy and not too sweet!!! The buttercream for me is fire🔥
happy veterans day!
My birthday is soon. I haven't baked a cake in so long. I will be making this for myself. Hopefully I can make this just as good with a hand whisk.
You Go Claire....You Are The Best...
I just baked the chocolate base,omg it is such a good method, it's tastes so chocolatey!!I'm going to make the icing, its almost like a chocolate brownie 😋
I ❤ a cocoa chocolate cake. I ❤ a Claire recipe (her carrot cake from cookbook #1 is the best), but have only made egg white buttercreams, so an egg yolk buttercream will be fun to try. Looks like it will be amazing.
happy veterans day!
Thanks for this! Great explanations ♥
I made a chocolate cake about a week ago and it was aggressively meh, so I definitely want to try this one.
happy veterans day!
Making this today. Can’t wait!
I am going to have to try this for the holiday season. it looks beautiful and yummy. I love how approachable this is to someone that doesn't really bake. cheers.
happy veterans day!
I'm so glad to see Claire in a professional kitchen again.
Love it. I really hope we can get more of these "go-to" high quality but low (or mid-low) technique and unique ingredient cake recipes. I'd love to have a playlist of go-to recipes for all sorts of cakes, cupcakes and so on that aren't insane like say on SeriousEats (love the site) where the investment (time, technique and ingredients) is just too advanced for what I'm wanting to end up with. I just want a cake for family or friends, not to win first place at a county bake off or something.
Personally if I was to make this cake I'd love for one of the layers to substitute the chocolate buttercream for something like cherry or black/raspberry filling. I just love that mixture of chocolate with fruit filling like that rather than all chocolate cake plus all chocolate buttercream. Just like a vanilla cake with strawberry filling or lemon filling.
Try maybe going in a sachertorte direction and incorporate apricot jam in it
happy veterans day!
Claire, you are an icon❤
I had a craving for some chocolate cake. I normally just use a box mix. But I thought I'd give this recipe a try. WOW! Just WOW! This is by far the BEST chocolate cake I've ever made AND eaten. Incredibly moist & that FROSTING! OMG. I used 'salted butter' so the salt content was a bit high but even with that, this cake was amazing. Next time I'll use unsalted butter OR just cut back on the salt. I do love salt (more than usual) though added to sweets. I must say, this is NOT an 'easy' or 'quick' recipe. But it's worth the time & effort! Thanks for sharing this. It's a keeper & will be part of my 'repertoire' when it comes to baking.
That is awesome - it looks amazing and looks like it tastes amazing. I've been looking for a cake recipe just like this - very chocolatey but no overwhelming with a light fluffy chocolatey frosting. That really does look like "the one"! 😁👍
happy veterans day!
So glad to see that the difficult nature of stopping smoothing frosting affects even Claire!
Happy veterans day!
Looks perfect 👌 - will definitely try at home ☺
Amazing recip
I like how she explains the reasons for everything she does, not many Cooking presenters do this, at least not so well. Cake looks amazing, although I'm scared to think how many calories are in each slice 😅 But I still would love to make it 👍
happy veterans day!
Love this so much. Going to bake next week for my birthday (I always bake my own so I get exactly what I want, and I love baking). If you bake a lot, just order parchment rounds that fit your pans.
I’m glad I’m not the only person who bakes my own birthday cake! 😂 I don’t even really celebrate my birthday, but I love cakes
@@TheBLGL me too... It's just an excuse to eat good cake! Ha!
happy veterans day!
not really into baking, but this makes me want to try baking a cake myself! I would trust Claire with my life lol thank you, Claire!
I really enjoyed watching your baking show. Fun!
Happy veterans day!
INGREDIENTS
Yield:10 servings
FOR THE CAKE
Room-temperature butter, for greasing the pans
2cups/260 grams cake flour
2¼cups/450 grams granulated sugar
2teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt
1½teaspoons baking soda
1½teaspoons baking powder
1cup/80 grams unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy
¾cup/177 grams strong freshly brewed coffee, steaming hot
1cup/240 grams crème fraîche, at room temperature
1tablespoon vanilla extract
5large eggs plus 2 large yolks, at room temperature
¾cup/180 grams neutral oil, such as avocado or vegetable
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
8ounces/226 grams semisweet chocolate (54 to 64 percent cacao), finely chopped
1cup/240 grams whole milk
½cup/100 grams granulated sugar
3tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy
2tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ¾ teaspoon Morton kosher salt
4large egg yolks
1¼cups/284 grams unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces, at room temperature
2teaspoons vanilla extract
Add to Your Grocery List
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional Information
PREPARATION
Make the recipe with usWatch
Step 1
Arrange an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and another in the lower third. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of 3 (8-inch) cake pans with butter, then line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper and smooth the parchment to eliminate air bubbles.
Step 2
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cake flour, granulated sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder; mix on low speed just until combined.
Step 3
Bloom the cocoa: In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the cocoa powder and hot coffee. Add the crème fraîche and vanilla, then whisk until completely smooth. Set aside.
Step 4
In a separate medium bowl, whisk the 5 whole eggs and 2 yolks until smooth; set aside.
Step 5
Mix the batter: To the stand mixer bowl, add the oil and half of the cocoa mixture; mix on low speed just until the flour is completely coated in the liquid ingredients. Pause the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then mix on medium until smooth and pasty, about 30 seconds. Pause and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl again, then add the whisked eggs and remaining cocoa mixture. Beat on medium speed, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl once or twice, until the batter is very silky and has the consistency of thin pancake batter, about 1 minute.
Step 6
Pour the batter into the prepared pans, dividing evenly. (For uniform layers, use a scale - you’ll get about 550 grams of batter per pan.) Transfer the pans to the oven, positioning two on the upper rack and one on the lower, staggering them so the pans above don’t block the one below. Bake, rotating the top two pans side to side and rack to rack after 20 minutes, until the tops of the cakes are domed, springy to the touch and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.
Step 7
Remove the pans from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Step 8
To make the buttercream, start with the pudding base: Place the chocolate in the clean bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. In a small saucepan, combine the milk and ¼ cup/50 grams of the sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar, then remove from the heat and set aside. In a medium bowl, add the cocoa powder, flour, salt and remaining ¼ cup/50 grams sugar, and whisk until combined. Add the yolks to the bowl and whisk slowly to combine (it will seem very thick at first, but will loosen up), then whisk more vigorously until the mixture is pale, thick and smooth. Whisking the yolk mixture constantly, slowly stream in about half of the warm milk mixture, then whisk the contents of the bowl back into the saucepan. Set the saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, whisking constantly and scraping against the sides, until thick and bubbling, 1 to 3 minutes. Immediately scrape the pudding over the chocolate in the stand mixer bowl.
Step 9
Make the buttercream: Let the pudding mixture sit for a few minutes, so the heat gently melts the chocolate, then mix with the paddle on low speed until the chocolate is completely melted and the pudding is smooth and glossy. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the outside of the bowl is cool to the touch, 10 to 15 minutes. With the mixer running, add the butter a couple of pieces at a time, waiting for each addition to incorporate into the pudding before adding the next, until you have a smooth, glossy, spreadable frosting. Stop the mixer, thoroughly scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and add the vanilla. Beat once more just until evenly mixed.
Step 10
Unmold and level the cakes: Use a butter knife or small offset spatula to cut around the cooled cakes, pressing the blade firmly against the sides of the pans to loosen them. Invert the cakes onto a wire rack, remove the parchment paper if necessary, then invert again onto a second rack or cutting board so they’re domed side up. Holding a serrated knife parallel to the work surface, slice horizontally through the surface of each cake to level the layers. (The scraps are perfect for snacking.)
Step 11
Place one of the layers cut side-down on a serving plate, cake stand or cardboard cake round. Dollop about 1 cup buttercream in the center, then use an offset spatula to spread it evenly all the way to the edges. Place a second layer cut side-down over the first, center it, then top with another 1 cup of buttercream. Place the third layer on top, cut side-down, pressing gently to level it. Scrape about half of the remaining buttercream over the top of the cake, then use the spatula to spread it across the surface and down the sides, covering the entire cake in a very thin layer of frosting. (The cake will show through in several places; this is just the crumb coat.) Transfer the cake to the refrigerator and chill just until the frosting is firm, 10 to 15 minutes, then cover with the remaining frosting.
Step 12
The assembled cake will keep, loosely covered at room temperature, for 1 day. (Before covering the cake, chill it for 15 minutes so the frosting can firm up.) After 24 hours, refrigerate the cake and be sure to tightly cover any cut surfaces. Bring the cake to room temperature before serving.
Wish I could copy this but UA-cam doesn't allow.
Thank you so much for this.
Wish I could copy this but UA-cam doesn't allow.
Thank you so much for this.
Thank you!
In less than 3 minutes, Claire unlocks a mystery that's plagued me when baking cakes. That trick with the parchment is frickin' genius.
It’s the first time I’ve seen the parchment trick, it’s great!
Ina does it, too. Jeffrey’s favorite trick. Well, almost.
happy veterans day!
This looks lovely! I'll make this recipe for my fathers' birthday next month ^^
Awesome! I want that too. My mouth is already watering.
I made this recipe for thanksgiving. Everyone loved it. I used sour cream as substitute and I used fine pastry flour instead of cake flour and it came out perfect. The only thing I would like to modify in the future is the saltiness and sweetness. My palette doesn’t like too sweet or salty. And I found this salty.
What kind of salt did you use?
Stop the presses!! A Claire best chocolate cake recipe!?!?!? Perfect to bake this weekend!
Happy veterans day!
Fantastic!
Stumbled across this by accident. I hope there'll be more videos in this style. I've baked a few cakes myself and am interested in explanations why to do things a certain way and not another, not just a recipe list. Great, thanks! I'm motivated to recreate this cake.
I really want a rich, moist, dense cake like my Aunt Cake (Kate, only I thought her name was "Cake," because she baked the best cakes for me for every single silly holiday and birthdays!) made in the 1970's. I think she used either evaporated milk or sweetened condensed milk in the recipe and her frosting tasted so good. I have never had another cake like it. It was like eating a meal.