The Best Double Chocolate Cake with Black Velvet Icing
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This double chocolate cake is everything a chocolate cake should be: fudgy, moist, intensely chocolaty. When assembled into layers with chocolate ganache slathered in between, as the original recipe instructs, this cake becomes the perfect birthday finale for any chocolate lover; when topped with black velvet icing, as pictured here, this cake becomes an elegant dessert, a perfect treat to enjoy with morning coffee or afternoon espresso.
Why Is This Cake So Good?
A few things:
- Unsweetened cocoa powder, which imparts a deep, intense chocolate flavor and a rich, fudgy texture.
- Buttermilk, the magic ingredient in many a cake, namely this buttermilk blueberry breakfast cake.
- Oil (as opposed to butter), which keeps cakes incredibly moist (read: The Case For Making Cakes with Oil as Opposed to Butter).
The difference between Dutch-process and natural cocoa powder:
This info comes from Regan Daley’s In the Sweet Kitchen:
- Natural cocoa powder is produced if virtually all of the cocoa butter is removed from the cocoa liquor, leaving a dry cake that is then ground to a fine powder. Natural cocoa powder is quite acidic, so can be used as the necessary acid to activate baking soda in leavened baked goods, if present in sufficient quantity. Because of its high acidity and unpalatable bitterness, natural cocoa powder is best used only in baked or cooked desserts.
- Dutch-process cocoa (also called alkalized cocoa powder) has been treated with a small quantity of an alkaline solution to reduce the natural acidity. The process darkens the cocoa’s color, making it rich, often redder brown, and gives it a smoother, more mellow flavor.
- Both natural and Dutch-process cocoa have had about 75% of the cocoa fat removed.
- Although some recipes can be made with wither form of cocoa powder, many rely on the properties of one or the other. For this reason, be careful when substituting Dutch-process for natural and vice versa. In recipes for baked goods using baking soda as the leavener in which no other acid is present, Dutch-process cocoa is not appropriate as it does not contain sufficient acid to activate the baking soda. (You could use Dutch process for natural cocoa but an additional acid such as cream of tartar would need to be added.) Similarly, using natural cocoa powder in a recipe originally calling for Dutch process cocoa may cause the mixture to become overly acidic. Adding a small amount of baking soda, or increasing the amount already called for, will compensate for this.
- Natural cocoa is better for brownies, old-fashioned chocolate cakes and simple chocolate cookies. Dutch-process cocoa, more palatable than natural cocoa when raw, is good for icings, custards, creams and sauces that will not undergo further cooking. It has a more subtle, delicate flavor, one well suited to many to many elegant European-style cakes, biscuits, pastries and creams, and in any recipe where an overt, sharp chocolate flavor would overpower more delicate flavors. It is very good in nut cakes and ice creams, where a refined, un-bitter chocolate taste can complement the soft flavors of the other ingredients.
- If the cocoa will be tasted raw, as it is when dusted on cakes, cookies or truffles, opt for Dutch-processed. If the recipe is for a traditionally rich and fudgy baked good, use the stronger flavor of natural cocoa powder.
Double Chocolate Cake with Black Velvet Icing
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 10 to 12 servings
Description
Adapted from: Gourmet via Epicurious
Notes:
- The original recipe calls for making a chocolate ganache, which sounds heavenly, but I have always adored my grandmother’s chocolate glaze recipe — it’s called black velvet icing and it contains eggs, which is odd, but it’s so good — so that is the one I use. If you want to use Gourmet’s chocolate ganache, find it here.
- Some commenters have found the amount not to be enough for a full cake, so I’ve updated the quantities below to be a double batch, which should leave you with more than enough icing.
- If you want to make a half recipe, see this post: Gourmet’s Double Chocolate Cake, Revisited. I love these 6-inch cake pans for making half recipes of all sorts of cakes, namely this one. You need two.
Ingredients
for the cake:
- 3 ounces (85 g) fine-quality semisweet chocolate
- 1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
- 3 cups (648 g) sugar
- 2 1/2 cups (320 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups (144 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
for the black velvet icing (*updated to a double recipe April 2020, see notes above):
- 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate
- a heaping 1/2 cup of confectioners’ sugar
- 6 eggs, well beaten
- 8 tablespoons butter, room temperature
Instructions
- Make the cake: Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease two 9- or 10-inch by 2-inch round cake pans with unsalted butter or nonstick spray. Line bottoms with rounds of parchment paper. Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
- Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer, beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined. Divide batter between pans (being sure not to fill pans higher than 2/3 full—they will overflow if you do; it’s not worth it) and bake in the middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the icing: Because several commenters have had trouble, with the icing, I am suggesting you use a double boiler. If you know how to set up a double boiler, do so; otherwise, fill a pot with an inch of water. Place a medium bowl over top. Turn the heat to medium. Place the chocolate in the bowl. Once it has melted, stir in the confectioners’ sugar, whisking until smooth. Stir in the eggs a little at a time, whisking vigorously after each addition — a flat-bottomed whisk is good for this. (I use a whisk until the ingredients are blended and then switch to a heat-proof spatula.) Cook over low to medium-low until thick. Stir in the butter one tablespoon at a time. Set aside to cool. Transfer to a glass measuring cup with a spout for easy pouring or store in whatever vessel you wish.
- Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Remove parchment paper. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.
- If you are making a layer cake, halve each cake round crosswise to create 4 layers. Spread icing over one cake layer. Top layer with other cake layer. Repeat until all layers are stacked. Pour icing on top of top layer and with an off-set spatula (if you have one) spread it all over the sides. Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. Bring cake to room temperature before serving. (I keep mine at room temperature always…there’s never space in the fridge.)
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
440 Comments on “The Best Double Chocolate Cake with Black Velvet Icing”
I made the above cake last month!!! It is my favorite thing with cocoa powder. How do you top it?
My favorite is cocoa almond granola from Joy the Baker.
I love adding unsweetened coco powder to my butter cream icing. YUM
This chocolate cake recipe from Epicurious has actually been my go-to for years. It’s always a huge hit.
My favorite chocolate cake recipe is called Busy-Day Chocolate Cake. It comes from Lucinda Scala Quinn’s “Mad Hungry” cookbook and all the ingredients are mixed right in the pan before baking
I like making my chocolate mint cake with unsweetened cocoa. I feel the unsweetened cocoa helps control how it taste and adds alot of richness to the cake.
I’ve been making Zoë Francois’ (zoebakes.com and co-author of “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day”) Not Your Average Devil’s Food Cupcake as cupcakes and a layer cake for a couple of years now. This is a somewhat similar using cocoa, buttermilk, vegetable oil and I will definitely try this one too. Love love love chocolate!!!
OH man! That chocolate cake looks moist and DELICIOUS! It looks moist — is it??
I’m a brownie-a-holic. I love any chocolate, the darker and fudgier the better. My favorite thing to make is hot chocolate (guittard or lake champlain… I’m a VTer) or better yet, homemade Magic Shell – you know the stuff that hardens when you put it on ice cream. I use coconut oil to make it at home. SO much better. And don’t even get me started on coconut oil brownies. Fudgy gooey, but crisp and caramelized around the edges…
Allie — Yes, it is!! Make it, you will love it. I am so intrigued by your coconut oil-Magic Shell recipe. If you care to share, I would love to hear more!
Tiramisu! Unsweetened cocoa power between the layers of ladyfingers and custard made from scratch. There are no crumbs, dusts, or any bits of chocolate left on any plates.
I am just discovering LCC and can’t wait to taste the treats I just ordered.
I’ve been making this cake for years, although I know it as “Far From Disaster Cake” and I found the recipe on Orangette’s blog, jeez.. 5 years ago? It is by far THE BEST chocolate cake ever! 🙂
I am crazy for anything with hazelnuts and chocolate and love “crinkle cookies” with both theses ingredients using unsweetened cocoa powder. Your cake looks amazing!
Hi Alexandra, such a big fan of your site!! I’m itching to bake this. I have a few questions:
1. For the link for the Lake Champlain cocoa powder, it says that the cocoa powder is Dutch processed. Would it be ok to use Dutch processed cocoa powder in this recipe? I’m assuming that is the cocoa powder you used for your lovely cake.
2. For the frosting, do the eggs need to be tempered prior to putting it into the melted chocolate? I can just picture myself ending up with a mixture of chocolate and scrambled eggs…
Thank you for your wonderful blog!! Can’t wait to make the brownies too. The most recent chocolate cake I made was David Lebovitz’s Chocolate Idiot Cake that I made with a very expensive bag of TCHO chocolates. YUM. https://www.davidlebovitz.com/2007/01/shf-27-chocolat-1/
Jolene — Thank you for pointing out that LCC cocoa powder is in fact Dutch process. I had no idea that it was until you pointed this out. I did a little research on the difference between Dutch process and natural cocoa powder (added the explanation in the blog post, too), and I have come up with an explanation as to why I think it is OK to use Dutch process in this recipe: Dutch-process cocoa (which contains less acid than natural cocoa powder) is OK to use in this recipe because of the large quantity of buttermilk (also an acid) — there needs to be an acid in recipes that call for baking soda because acid activates the baking soda.
Also, the eggs for the icing do not need to be tempered. I was a little wary when I started making the recipe — it had been a few years — and I was tempted to melt the chocolate in a double boiler even, but I called my mother and she reassured me that direct heat works just fine. So as long as you take your time melting the chocolate over low heat and that you beat your eggs in a separate bowl before adding them to the pot, you will be fine. The key is keeping the temperature really low until the eggs have been added and then increasing it just slightly to help it thicken before you whisk in the butter. I hope that helps.
Our family favorite is deep, dark brownies. A scoop of vanilla ice may be required! The photo is just wondrous and depicts the exceptional chocolate as it sparkles and taunts us! What a scrumptious cake!
My fav chocolate cake comes from the recipe on the back of the Hershey’s cocoa powder container: Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake. I’ve used it for many years to make cupcakes for my sons. I add 1 tsp espresso powder to the cake recipe to give it some depth. If I leave it out, my sons notice!
One son is lactose intolerant and I can substitute lactose-free milk with good results. Instead of using the chocolate frosting recipe from the tin, I make buttercream frosting and add peppermint oil. I’ve seen this mint/chocolate combo referred to as “Grasshopper.” I think it tastes like Jr. Mints. The contrasting white frosting on black cake is pretty.
Amazing! I love making my mom’s Cherry Chocolate Bars with a bittersweet chocolate ganache frosting… Mmmmmm
My favorite recipe using unsweetened cocoa is from Alice Medrich, the queen of all things chocolate: Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts. Published in the February 2011 issue of Bon Appetit, you can find it on epicurious.com. I am a brownie nut, have tried many recipes, and I can’t stop eating these. I’ve shared the recipe with and baked batches for everyone I know!
That cake looks amazing, going to try it this weekend. My favorite chocolate cake recipe is Guiness Chocolate Cake. It too is made in one bowl, no electric mixer required, and the sour cream frosting is just perfect with it, not too sweet.
My favorite unsweetened cocoa powder recipe is so simple. Healthy “ice cream” involved mashing 1 frozen banana, 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder, and 1 small scoop of peanut butter. The taste and consistency is just like ice cream or frozen yogurt and it’s way better for you!
A plain and simple, unfrosted chocolate bundt cake.
My favorite cocoa-powder recipe is no-bake chocolate/peanut butter/oatmeal cookies! Now that I’m thinking about them, I might have to make some tonight!
The fudge walnut brownie recipe from cooking light 🙂 Mmm.
Gorgeous cake, btw
Cheers
I like this Chocolate Pecan Tart recipe:
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My favorite chocolate cake is my wife’s Devil’s Food Cake with dark chocolate ganache.
The brownies from “Baked: New Frontiers in Baking.”
This cake looks amazing, and those brownies sound amazing! I use the Epicurious recipe often too, unless I’m making layer cakes, because I find it a little gummy for layers. And that list of things to make with the cocoa – pure, pure sin!
I was looking at this recipe last night and realized I had all of the ingredients already to put it together, so I decided to just go ahead and make it. It was really not a very involved process –except for making the coffee–and I’m eating the cake cold right now and it is DELICIOUS, I will definitely be making this chocolate cake again! oh Ali my savior in the kitchen!
Katykat — Makes me so happy! xoxo
Hi Alexandra
I’m disappointed I missed the competition, oh well. Thanks so much for taking the time to teach us so much about Fair Trade products. I love cooking with chocolate and try to make something every week.
Now that you have encouraged me to use these products I will find my local outlet and give them a go.
One cake I recently made was a chocolate pudding cake. I should have the recipe on my website Chocolate Recipes Galore.com by Friday Nov 9th.
This cake looks amazing and when I took it to work to share with my colleagues, they too were impressed (and that was even before I had cut it up).
Anyway, just wanted to thank you for your interesting info. Happy baking!
Geoff — Looking forward to seeing the recipe! It sounds delicious. Thanks for writing in.
My mom’s “secret recipe” for german chocolate cake has cocoa powder, and although i havent made it myself (yet!) the depth of flavor is incomparable!
Above comment for chocolate “magic shell” is sooooo easy! Just melt together chocolate with coconut oil (1/2c chocolate chips with 1TB coconut oil) let cool and when room temperature pour on ice cream or dunk cookies/whatever in it and put in fridge until shell sets
Ttrockwood — thanks! I feel like this would be great for holiday candy making? I’m dying to make chocolate covered caramels with sea salt a la LCC.
Hey!! My husband is a chocoholic, but a hater of coffee. How strong is the coffee flavor here? I like to follow recipes exactly, but don’t want to be the only one eating an entire cake!! Would water be an acceptable sub??
Elizabeth, hi! The coffee flavor is hardly detectable. I wouldn’t even know it was there if I hadn’t made it myself or looked at the recipe. I have heard that coffee enhances chocolate flavor, so while I think water would be an acceptable substitution — seriously, if you are worried at all, just use water — part of me feels that coffee adds to the flavor of the cake in a non-coffee way if that makes sense. Good luck with it. It is SO good.