Luscious Chocolate Layer Cake Recipes

LUSCIOUS CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange two racks in center of oven. Line bottoms of three 9-by-2-inch buttered cake pans with parchment; butter again. Dust bottoms and sides with cocoa; tap out excess. Sift cocoa into a medium bowl; stir in 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water until smooth; gradually whisk in milk. Set aside to cool.
• Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on low until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar, scraping down sides twice. Beat in vanilla.
• Add eggs, a third at a time, beating after each addition. With mixer on low speed, alternate adding flour mixture and reserved cocoa mixture a little at a time, starting and ending with flour mixture. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans; spread with an offset spatula until level.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans if necessary, until a cake tester inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean. Let cool in pans set on a wire rack, about 15 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans, and return to rack to cool, tops up.
• Trim cake layers until level. Place one layer of cake on a cardboard cake round. Spread about 1 1/4 cups whipped ganache on cake; top with a second cake. Repeat. Spread remaining whipped ganache evenly over top and sides of cake to seal in crumbs and form a smooth surface. Chill until crumb coat is firm, about 30 minutes.
• Place cake (still on the cardboard cake round) on a wire rack set in a baking pan. Pour enough ganache glaze over cake to fully coat, shaking pan gently to help spread ganache if necessary. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes. The ganache in the baking pan may be strained through a fine sieve and added back into glaze. Pour remaining glaze over cake; allow excess to drip off sides. If top is not smooth, gently shake pan, or run an offset spatula quickly over surface. Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving.

CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans. Cut 3 circles of waxed paper or parchment paper to fit the bottoms of the pans, then press them in.
• In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and eggs and mix until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla, cocoa, baking soda and salt and mix. Add 1/2 of the flour, then 1/2 of the sour cream and mix. Repeat with the remaining flour and sour cream. Drizzle in the hot coffee and mix until smooth. The batter will be thin. Pour into the prepared pans and bake until the tops are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a few crumbs are okay), about 35 minutes. Halfway through the baking, quickly rotate the pans in the oven to ensure even baking, but otherwise try not to open the oven. Let cool in the pan 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks and let cool completely before frosting.
• Frosting: In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Drizzle in the melted chocolate and mix. Add the coffee and vanilla and mix. Add the sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Mix until well blended and fluffy. To frost the cake, use a spatula to cover 2 of the cake layers with frosting. Stack them together. Flip the third cake layer over and rest it on the top to create a very flat top for the cake. Frost on the sides and top. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

LYNN'S LUSCIOUS CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Combine all dry ingredients.
• Put into large mixing bowl with the rest of ingredients except for water.
• Add boiling water and stir. (Don't worry, your batter will not be thick.
• Put into greased 9 x 13, or 2 8inch cake pans that have been greased and floured.
• Bake at 350 degreesF.
• Bake layers for 30-35 minutes.
• Bake 9 x 13 for 35 to 40 minutes.

LUSCIOUS CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Position oven rack in the center of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°; butter and flour two 9 x2 inch round cake pans.
• Make the cake--Whisk together the cocoa and boiling water in a small bowl until smooth.
• Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
• Beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed in a large deep bowl until well blended; the mixture will be dry.
• Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Decrease speed to low and beat in the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour, just until well blended.
• Add the cocoa mixture and blend well.
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
• Bake for 40 minutes, or until a pick comes out clean; cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks for 20 minutes, then invert cakes onto the racks and remove the pans.
• Turn the cakes right-side up and cool completely.
• Make the frosting--melt the chocolate with the water in a small heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of about 1 1/2 inches of nearly simmering water, whisking until smooth; transfer to a large deep bowl.
• Heat the sugar with the egg yolks in another heatproof bowl over the same saucepan of nearly simmering water, whisking constantly, for about 4 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is warm to touch.
• Whisk the sugar mixture into the chocolate mixture, add in the vanilla, and beat with an electric mixer on high speed for 3 minutes, or until the mixture has cooled to room temperature.
• Beat in the butter one piece at a time, beating until smooth after each addition.
• Assemble the cake--Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate; spread about 1 cup of frosting evenly over the layer.
• Top with the remaining cake layer and frost with the remaining frosting; serve cut into wedges.

LUSCIOUS LAYER DESSERT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In 9x13 inch pyrex dish melt butter in oven, remove from oven and mix in flour, white sugar and nuts. Pat out to cover bottom of pan evenly. Bake 15 minutes. Cool completely.
• Mix cream cheese and sugar until well blended and creamy, fold in 1/2 of the Cool Whip. Spread evenly over cooled crust.
• Mix pudding according to package directions. Regrigerate 5 minutes. Spread over cream cheese layer.
• Spread remaining Cool Whip over top, garnish with chopped nuts, chocolate shavings.
• Refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottoms of 2 greased 9-in. round baking pans with parchment; grease paper., In a large bowl, combine cake mix, cinnamon, yogurt, eggs, milk and vanilla. Beat on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium 2 minutes. Transfer to prepared pans., Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. , Place 1 cake layer on a serving platter. Spread 1-3/4 cups whipped topping in a circle 1-1/2 in. wide around outer top edge of cake. Fill in center with 1 cup cherry pie filling. Top with remaining cake layer., Remove and discard 1/3 cup thickened cherry sauce from pie filling. Using some of the cherries, outline a star shape on top of cake; fill in center with remaining pie filling. Spread or pipe 1-3/4 cups whipped topping around the star. If desired, pipe remaining whipped topping around bottom edge of cake. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Store in the refrigerator.

GLUTEN-FREE LUSCIOUS LAYER BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter and egg until soft dough forms (dough will be crumbly). Using fingers, press dough in bottom of pan. Bake 15 minutes.
• Drizzle condensed milk evenly over baked crust. Sprinkle with white chips, chocolate chips, coconut and walnuts.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely, about 2 hours. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows.