This double chocolate layer cake from Gourmet Magazine is frosted with a delicious chocolate ganache.

Jessica Webster | AnnArbor.com

I stubbornly stuck to this chocolate cake recipe for years. If you had a cake-eating occasion, I would bake you my sour cream chocolate cake, convinced that it was not just the most delicious cake I had ever eaten, but that it would be your favorite cake too.

But then a few years ago, I found the week-old remains of a birthday cake in the refrigerator. There was a whole third of a cake left, and no one had been clamoring for it for dessert (or breakfast, my favorite time to eat chocolate cake). I realized at that moment that maybe my chocolate cake wasn't all that great.

After taking a few years off to mourn - and buying delicious but expensive cakes from Zingerman's Bakehouse and Patisserie Parmentier — I finally found a new chocolate cake recipe that really is (I think) the best chocolate cake you will ever bake.

This recipe comes from Gourmet Magazine, via  Epicurious.com. For something so delicious, it's a remarkably quick and easy recipe to execute. One of the things I love about the recipe is that you don't have to mess with double boilers or trying to melt chocolate in the microwave. The chocolate for both the cake and the frosting is chopped and then melted by adding it to hot liquids.

I also love that there are no hard-to-find ingredients. The only real challenge here is picking out what kind of chocolate you want to use for the recipe. I chose Valrhona cocoa powder and Callebaut semisweet chocolate, but am looking forward to experimenting with other types in the future.

Another area of experimentation can be the middle layer. The recipe calls for using the ganache, but I went with a mixture of chopped hazelnuts and creme de noisette for this cake. Next time I am going to try making some raspberry jam.

Do make a note of the cooking time. This cake batter is very moist, and it bakes slowly and at a lower temperature.

Double chocolate layer cake

Ingredients

For cake layers
* 3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
* 1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
* 3 cups sugar
* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
* 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 ganache frosting
* 1 pound fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
* 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

Special equipment

* two 10- by 2-inch round cake pans

Preparation

Make cake layers:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees and grease pans. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper.

2. Finely chop chocolate and, in a bowl, combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

3. 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 well. Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.

4. Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

Make frosting:
1. Finely chop chocolate. In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. Cut butter into pieces and add to frosting, whisking until smooth.

2. Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable (depending on chocolate used, it may be necessary to chill frosting to spreadable consistency).

3. Spread frosting between cake layers and over top and sides. Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. Bring cake to room temperature before serving.

Jessica Webster leads the Food & Drink section for the AnnArbor.com community team. You can reach her at jessicawebster@annarbor.com. 

Bonus:
The Today show had Epicurious.com editor-in-chief Tanya Steel on the show to make the cake. I take issue with her assertion that you can whip up the cake batter in 10 minutes (it took me more like 25, but I'm slow and prone to triple-checking the first time I make a recipe), but it's fun to watch Ann Curry get all goofy about chocolate cake.

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