Recipe Index

Ingredients

• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 1¼ cups warm coffee
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 dash salt
• 8 oz semisweet chocolate
• ⅔ cup heavy cream

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, spray two 8-inch round cake pans, line their bottoms with parchment rounds, and spray the parchment too.
2. Whisk the vegetable oil, warm coffee, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl until combined.
3. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl, add the dry mixture to the wet, and whisk gently until fully combined.
4. Divide the batter between the pans and bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the centers spring back lightly or a toothpick comes out clean; cool the layers 10 minutes in the pans, then turn them onto a rack to cool completely.
5. For the ermine filling, cook the ¾ cup sugar, ¼ cup flour and milk in a pan over medium heat, whisking constantly, for about 10 minutes until thick and pudding-like.
6. Transfer the pudding to a heatproof bowl, cover it with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface, and chill it in the fridge for 40 minutes.
7. Whip the room-temperature butter with a whisk attachment for about 8 minutes until light and fluffy, then add the chilled flour mixture a scoop at a time until incorporated.
8. Scrape the bowl, switch to the paddle, add the vanilla and dash of salt, and beat on medium-high for 10 to 13 minutes until the frosting turns smooth and fluffy.
9. For the ganache, put the semisweet chocolate in a small bowl, heat the cream in the microwave until steaming but not boiling, about 1½ minutes, pour it over the chocolate, rest it a few minutes, and whisk until smooth; set it aside to cool.
10. Set one cake layer on a board, mound the cream filling on top, and cap it with the second layer placed upside down for a flat top.
11. Smooth the filling around the sides with an offset spatula, leaving no gaps, and chill the assembled cake for at least 30 minutes.
12. Stand the chilled cake on a rack over parchment, pour the cooled ganache over the top, and spread it with the spatula so it spills evenly down the sides.
13. Chill the finished cake in the fridge for about an hour before serving.

Prep: 60 min · Cook: 45 min · Total: 105 min

Nutrition (per serving, where published)

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient data