"Ding-Dong" Moist Chocolate Cake

Makes: 2 8-inch x 3-inch round cakes

5 from 2 votes

Course: Breakfast

Author: Rita Whittington

Servings: 12

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 50

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Ingredients

Cake:

Dry Ingredients:

1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
¾ cup unsweetened baking cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients:

1 cup buttermilk (room temperature)
½ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs (room temperature)
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup water (boiling (or freshly brewed coffee))

Filling:

5 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup milk (whole is best)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar

Ganache:

16 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips (can use milk chocolate)
2 cups heavy whipping cream (room temperature)

Instructions:

Cake Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease and flour 2 8-inch x 3-inch round cake pans.
In a bowl of a stand mixer, sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix until combined.
In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
With the mixer on low, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry.
With the mixer still on low, add the hot water (or coffee) and stir until just combined, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean (not wet).
Cool in the pans for 30 minutes then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Filling:

Pour the cold milk into a small saucepan. Before turning on the heat, whisk in the flour so no lumps remain.
Turn the heat onto med/low and heat until the mixture is thick, like a roux, stirring the whole time. Make sure you cook it until it no longer tastes "raw".
Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla, and allow to cool completely.
In a separate bowl, cream together the butter (make sure it's softened slightly) and sugar on med/high speed, until fluffy - about 8 minutes.
Add the cooled milk mixture and beat again until the mixture resembles whipped cream.

Ganache:

Heat the heavy cream in a quart-sized, microwavable container and microwave for 3-4 minutes on high, or until it just begins to simmer. *Be careful to not let the cream boil over.
Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and let stand for at least 2 minutes so that it can thicken. (The ganache should be cool when pouring it over the cake.)
When ready to pour over the chilled cake, whisk the ganache until smooth then pour. (You may have some ganache left over.)

Notes:

Make Ahead: It works really well to make the cake part in advance and freeze it. It actually increases the moistness! Just be sure to thaw it before assembling.