Chocolate Doberge Cake
 
Ingredients
  • 1¼ cups unsalted butter, softened
  • 3¼ cups firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1¼ cups Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1⅓ cups boiling water
  • Vanilla Buttercream (recipe follows)
  • Chocolate Ganache (recipe follows)
Vanilla Buttercream
  • 3½ cups unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 7½ cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 4½ tablespoons heavy whipping cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache
  • 10 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spray 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with baking spray with flour. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and brown sugar at medium speed until fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. (The ratio of butter to sugar makes this seem like it will not ever get fluffy, but it will come together.) Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in sour cream and vanilla until smooth, stopping to scrape sides of bowl.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating just until combined. With mixer on low speed, gradually add 1⅓ cups boiling water in three to four additions, beating well after each addition and stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Divide batter among prepared pans (about 3⅓ cups each).
  4. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in pans for 15 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.
  5. Using a large serrated knife, cut cooled cake layers in half horizontally. Place 1 cake layer, cut side up, on a cake plate or serving platter. Spread 1 cup Vanilla Buttercream on top. Continue stacking cake layers, spreading 1 cup buttercream between each layer. Once all cake layers are stacked, spread remaining buttercream in a thin layer on top and sides of cake. Refrigerate until buttercream is firm, about 20 minutes.
  6. Pour about two-thirds of Chocolate Ganache over top of cake, letting it drip down sides. Using an offset spatula, spread ganache around sides of cake. Use remaining ganache to patch any spots and smooth out ganache. (As ganache cools, it will thicken and become easier to spread, but if you wait too long, you won’t be able to spread it at all.) Let stand at room temperature until ganache is completely set, about 20 minutes. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Vanilla Buttercream
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and salt at medium speed until smooth and creamy. With mixer on low speed, gradually add confectioners’ sugar, beating until combined. Beat in cream and vanilla. Increase mixer speed to medium-high, and beat until pale and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.
Chocolate Ganache
  1. In a heatproof bowl, place chocolate and butter.
  2. In a small saucepan, heat cream over medium-low heat just until beginning to steam. (Do not boil.) Pour hot cream over chocolate mixture. Let stand for 5 minutes; stir until smooth. Let cool slightly, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Recipe by Louisiana Cookin' at https://louisianacookin.com/chocolate-doberge-cake/