Chocolate Cake with Whipped Ganache Frosting Recipe (2024)

Layer Cake
Chocolate
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A decadent chocolate cake that doesn't require multiple baking pans.

Lauren Weisenthal

Lauren Weisenthal was the author of the Pie of the Week and Sweet Technique columns for Serious Eats. From 2017–2021, she ran a restaurant called The Nightingale in Vinalhaven, Maine.

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Updated September 08, 2023

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Why It Works

Rather than have you bake a cake using multiple separate pans, this has you bake a single sheet cake and punch out the shapes you need.

Professional cake makers have a little secret up their sleeves that they don't want you to know about. Next time you're enjoying a piece of wedding cake and wondering how the baker achieves such perfectly uniform layers of cake, here is one possible answer: the cake layers are actually punched out from single sheets of cake. Some layers may even be pieced together from the scraps left over from punching out other circles or squares.

I love this method because it calls for pans that you already have and which can be used for a million different things. It only takes a tiny application of butter to hold down a single piece of parchment, and as long as you spread the batter evenly, the three layers will all be of uniform thickness and flatness, no leveling required. The baking and turning process becomes a cinch with a single pan to watch, and, when it comes time to decorate, you can skip the leveling process that is usually required for round cakes because sheets of cake barely dome on top at all.

If you're a baker who hates fussing with cake layers, or who hates having tons of different pans around to accommodate different sizes (like me!), then this is a great method to know. Consider the time and money saved on buying tons of pans of different sizes, on cutting out rounds of parchment, greasing each pan, divvying up the batter with a scale to get uniform amounts in each, and fretting over rotating the pans in the oven so that each layer cooks evenly and at the same rate. It really adds up.

Have I sold you yet? Great! Let's go through the process step-by-step.

Prepare the Pan

Chocolate Cake with Whipped Ganache Frosting Recipe (3)

Using a small pat of butter, smear a trail around the perimeter of the bottom of a sheet tray, then smear an X through the center. This will help hold the parchment in place.

Cut Your Stencil, Place the Parchment

For the first step, cut a stencil in the size and shape of your desired cake, then trace it onto parchment that has been trimmed to sit flat in the pan. Make sure that you will have enough cake to accomplish the task—depending on the size, you may need to increase the recipe and bake a second sheet or half sheet. Place the parchment on top of the buttered pan with the drawing side down, and pull it around until it is laying flat and in place. Press it all over—the butter will hold it firmly in place.

Spread the Batter

Using a large, flat offset spatula, spread the cake batter evenly over the surface of the parchment. Rotating the pan as you work will help make this job easier.

Test the Depth

Chocolate Cake with Whipped Ganache Frosting Recipe (4)

To make sure that the batter is evenly spread, sink the tip of the spatula into the batter at each of the four corners to see how deep the batter is at each spot. Adjust as needed.

Even Out the Sides

Chocolate Cake with Whipped Ganache Frosting Recipe (5)

Once the batter is of an even thickness, run a finger around the edge of the pan in quick, easy strokes, scraping the sides clean. The batter will run back into the sides, and this will help ensure that you don't have burnt edges that stick to the sides of the pan.

Bake and Test for Doneness

Here are two very important tips to remember when using this method:

Be sure to start with a template that you will use to cut the layers, and be sure that you'll have enough cake to make the completed cake or cakes that you desire. I like to trace the layers onto the parchment liner before I apply it, just to be sure.
For greater stability, it's a good idea to make the middle layer of the cake the one that gets pieced together—never the bottom layer, and only the top if you're not going to build tiers on top of it.

March 2012

Recipe Details

Chocolate Cake with Whipped Ganache Frosting

Active60 mins

Total5 hrs

Serves10to 12 servings

Ingredients

For the Cake:

17.4 ounces granulated sugar
12 ounces butter, softened
3 large eggs, room temperature
7.5 ounces whole milk
3.5 ounces water
2.5 ounces cocoa
12 ounces cake flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

For the Whipped Ganache:

24 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 quart heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
Optional: sea salt for sprinkling on top

Directions

For the Cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). If using cake pans, smear a small amount of butter in the bottom of each and line the bottoms with circles of parchment. If baking on a single jelly roll pan, cut a stencil in the size and shape of your desired cake, then trace it onto parchment that has been trimmed to sit flat in the pan. Smear an X of butter across the center and line the bottom with parchment.
Sift flour, baking soda, and salt together and set aside. Add boiling water to cocoa and mix, set aside to cool. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together on high speed for 6-8 minutes, until very light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and the beater, and beat on high speed to ensure mixture is fully mixed. Stop mixer, add cocoa water and half the milk, plus half the dry ingredients. Mix on low until incorporated. Scrape down the mixer, then add the rest of the milk and dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly on low speed, scraping down one more time. Finish mixing with a big rubber spatula by hand, taking care not to over mix. If using cake pans, divide the batter evenly into three, if using the jelly roll pan, pour batter out and smooth evenly over the sheet with an offset spatula.
Bake layers on middle rack of oven for 10 minutes, then carefully turn them and allow them to bake for an additional 10, or until the surface springs back a bit to the touch and cake pulls away from the sides. Remove cake from oven and allow to cool in pan(s) for 10 minutes. Invert cakes and pull off parchment, allow them to cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent drying.
For the Whipped Ganache: Chop chocolate very finely and place it in the bowl of a stand mixer. Bring cream and salt to a boil. Pour cream over chocolate and allow it to sit for one minute, then whisk until completely smooth (if you have a hand blender, this makes the process go faster). Chill ganache uncovered in fridge for two hours, stirring every twenty minutes. Once ganache feels cold but is still liquid, remove it from fridge and attach the bowl to the mixer. Whip using the whisk attachment, slowly at first, gradually increasing speed to high. You will notice mixture will thicken after about a minute, watch it closely. It will begin to hold soft peaks. Watch for it to get just slightly firmer, and don’t allow it to go any further. Ice cake with whipped ganache immediately after making, as it will begin to seize up if left to sit. Refrigerate cake until you are ready to serve, up to one day, allow it to come to room temperature before serving. Sprinkle with sea salt before serving if desired.

Special Equipment

Kitchen scale, stand mixer, three 8-inch cake pans or 1 jelly roll pan, parchment paper

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1061	Calories
71g	Fat
106g	Carbs
11g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10to 12
Amount per serving
Calories	1061
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 71g	91%
Saturated Fat 44g	219%
Cholesterol 199mg	66%
Sodium 695mg	30%
Total Carbohydrate 106g	39%
Dietary Fiber 5g	18%
Total Sugars 75g
Protein 11g
Vitamin C 0mg	2%
Calcium 111mg	9%
Iron 6mg	35%
Potassium 362mg	8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)