the best chocolate cake, expletive-free
It is clearly some sort of oversight on my part that I haven’t gotten to this before because no annals of my cooking life could ever be complete without at least a single mention of one of the greatest cakes I was introduced to growing up: the Sh*t Cake. The Sh*t Cake, you see, is a lighter-than-air chocolate roll cake with whipped cream that my mother would make each and every Passover. Unfortunately, as anyone who has ever made a Yule Log or other such roulade cake knows, they crack and sever easily and often, and can be mighty frustrating because of this. A nice, sweet person like my mother, who otherwise echews displays of gutter mouth might even be so irritated by say the fourth or fifth crack or so to curse aloud while her (frankly, precious) 7-year-old daughter watches, and comes in turn to rename the cake.
But despite the annoyance of making the cake, we still go at it year after year (I’ve made it too, and it has indeed kept its nickname in the process) because the cake is really one of the best in the world. It manages to have an intense, pronounced bittersweet chocolate flavor but none of the heft of your typical flourless chocolate cake (although I love them, they are so often like gigantic truffles and less like something you can eat more than two bites of without running your fork through sauce, fruit or gulping down quantities of water). Besides having no flour, it also has no butter, milk, cream or chemical leaveners. Frankly, if you have a bag of good chocolate pieces, a dozen eggs, some sugar and salt, you could make this right this very moment, though you might need to dash to the store for some heavy cream for whipping. Mwa-ha-ha, consider chocolate cakes as you know them banished.
Many, many egg yolks are beaten to a thick, pale ribbon with sugar and a pinch of salt, melted, cooled chocolate is added and finally a gigantic cloud of furiously whipped egg whites is carefully folded in from a separate bowl, creating an impossibly light batter that is poured into a greased and parchment-lined and greased-again cooking sheet and baked for just 20 minutes. Were you rolling the cake, you’d let it cool (it doesn’t take long) covered with damp paper towels, then sprinkle unsweetened cocoa on it and flip it onto a large sheet of waxed paper before covering it with whipped cream and beginning to alternately curse and pray to the Let My Cake Not Break Gods. But you may have noticed that I skipped the foul language, the sweating and the frustration this time around and make it into a simple layer cake, partly because I find the log version somewhat diminutive (good for eight, maybe ten people but, uh, being a brown log not exactly the most ta-da presentation), partly because there’s something about a stacked layer cake that screams celebration but mostly because I just don’t love my friends enough to sweat, curse and pray over a cake when there is an easier way to go. Obviously.
It was a raving success. Busting out the middle-school math equations involving multiplying things by pi, Alex and I figured that by doubling the recipe, we could make 4 9-inch circles of the same approximate thickness as the roll cake, that is, about one inch. To make the cake assembly easier, I froze the layers until stiff (takes an hour or less), but that was the beginning and end of the trickery. It was a cinch to make, a cinch to put together and oh, you want to hear about the eating? The cake dissolves in your mouth. Dissolves. Ceases to exist in solid form. And that should be all you need to know.
Update: I–for once–put our New York Times Select account to use and dug and dug until I found the original recipe my mom uses on their website… in a scanned original, no less! The 1975 article, For His Sweet Tooth, had the deck, “Chocolate-flavored desserts are a favorite of most men.” The cake was promised to satisfy the most discriminating Dad on Father’s Day. Called “Heavenly Chocolate Roll,” the only differences I see in the recipe were that it called for semisweet, not bittersweet chocolate, there is perhaps a tablespoon more sugar, and it calls for 3 tablespoons of strong, cold coffee to be mixed with the melting chocolate. This is a great idea (though a tablespoon of instant espresso would work as well) as coffee always brings out the best in chocolate, without giving it an actual coffee flavor. The whipped cream filling is made with ¼ cup more heavy cream (not a bad idea; never too much!) and has only 2 tablespoons (not 3) of powdered sugar. It is flavored with ½ teaspoon of vanilla. Finally, it suggests that the top of the waxed or parchment paper is greased as well as the pan itself. It may not be completely necessary with parchment, but you can never be too safe. I actually did this anyway, out of habit. It suggests that the cake can be rolled in either direction, for a longer slimmer or shorter thicker roll. Good to know, eh?
Lighter-Than-Air Chocolate Cake
My mother’s recipe was clipped from the New York Times in the 1970s, that ancient decade in which I was born, but after finding this version from a 2001 Gourmet Magazine, we concurred that it was the exact same thing. To make it as a 4-layer cake, use the instructions that follow; to make a rolled cake, use the second recipe.
Just one little structural concern: the cake sinks a little in the middle. Nobody will know this once you hit it the layers up with some whipped cream, or once it’s rolled, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention it. Now get to work!
To Make a Four-Layer Chocolate Cake
For cake layers:
12 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
6 tablespoons water
12 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 1/3 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
For filling:
2 cups heavy cream
6 tablespoons confectioners sugar, sifted
4 tablespoons Grand Marnier*
Make cake layers: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease four 9-inch circular cake pans and line bottoms of circles with a piece of parchment paper.
Melt chocolate with water in a small heavy saucepan over very low heat, stirring. Cool to lukewarm.
Beat yolks, 2/3 cup sugar, and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer until thick and pale, about 5 minutes in a standing mixer or about 8 minutes with a hand-held mixer. Fold in melted chocolate until blended. Beat whites with cleaned beaters until they just hold soft peaks (you will need an enormous bowl for 12 egg whites).
Gradually add remaining 2/3 cup sugar and beat until whites just hold stiff peaks. Fold one third of whites into melted-chocolate mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.
Spread batter evenly over four baking pans and bake until puffed and top is dry to the touch, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating cakes between racks to ensure they bake evenly. Transfer pans to cooling racks and if necessary, loosen edges with a knife.
Sift cocoa powder over top of cake layers and place a piece of waxed paper over the top of the pans. Place a baking sheet over paper and invert cake onto it, gently peeling off wax paper lining. Place layers in the freezer for about an hour, until they are firm enough to be carefully lifted without breaking.
Make filling: Beat cream with powdered sugar and Grand Marnier with cleaned beaters until it just holds stiff peaks.
Fill and roll cake: Bring first cake layer out of the freezer and arrange on platter, cocoa side down. Spread one-quarter of filling evenly over the cake. Bring the next cake layer out of the freezer, placing it gently over the filling, again cocoa side down. Repeat this process until all layers and whipped cream are used.
Keep cake in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it. Two hours should be more than enough to assure that the layers are no longer frozen.
Dark chocolate grated into curls with a vegetable peeler makes for an excellent garnish.
* You can substitute the following for Grand Marnier: 4 tablespoons Cognac and 1 teaspoon vanilla; 4 tablespoons cocoa and 1 teaspoon vanilla; or 4 teaspoons instant-espresso powder or instant-coffee granules dissolved in 4 teaspoons water plus 1 teaspoon vanilla.
To Make a Chocolate Cake Roll
For cake layer:
6 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
3 tablespoons water
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
For filling:
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons confectioners sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier **
Garnish: unsweetened cocoa powder and powdered sugar
Make cake layer: Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil a 15- by 10- by 1-inch shallow baking pan and line bottom lengthwise | with a large piece of wax or parchment paper, letting paper hang over ends by 2 inches.
Melt chocolate with water in a small heavy saucepan over very low heat, stirring. Cool to lukewarm.
Beat yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer until thick and pale, about 5 minutes in a standing mixer or about 8 minutes with a hand-held mixer. Fold in melted chocolate until blended. Beat whites with cleaned beaters until they just hold soft peaks. Gradually add remaining 1/3 cup sugar and beat until whites just hold stiff peaks. Fold one third of whites into melted-chocolate mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.
Spread batter evenly in baking pan and bake in middle of oven until puffed and top is dry to the touch, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack. Cover top with 2 layers of damp paper towels and let stand 5 minutes, then remove towels and cool completely. Loosen edges with a sharp knife.
Sift cocoa powder over top of cake layer and overlap 2 layers of wax paper lengthwise over cake. Place a baking sheet over paper and invert cake onto it, gently peeling off wax paper lining. (Don’t worry if cake layer breaks; it will hold together when rolled.)
Make filling: Beat cream with powdered sugar and Grand Marnier with cleaned beaters until it just holds stiff peaks.
Fill and roll cake: Spread filling evenly over cake. Put a long platter next to a long side of cake. Using wax paper as an aid, roll up cake jelly roll–style, beginning with a long side. Carefully transfer, seam side down, to platter, using wax paper to help slide cake. (Cake will crack but will still hold together.)
Dust cake generously with cocoa powder and powdered sugar.
** You can substitute the following for Grand Marnier: 2 tablespoons Cognac and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; 2 tablespoons cocoa and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; or 2 teaspoons instant-espresso powder or instant-coffee granules dissolved in 2 teaspoons water plus 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
Yum !!
Oh wow. This looks incredible. I finally managed to bake a loaf of Russian sourdough today because reading about bread here has made me crave it something fierce. Now this. You must stop for the sake of my hips!!! My weakness for chocolate is much worse than my weakness for bread! :)
Your story of the cake name reminds me of a certain chicken we had when I was a child. Yes, I grew up in the country with farm fresh eggs that were delish (I still insist on farm fresh eggs to this day). This particular chicken was a very colorful character and managed to get out of the coop on a daily basis. My dad would always come in the house when he got home from work proclaiming that Son B*tch had gotten out again and was running around the yard. Naturally, I thought this was the poor critter’s name and evidently, although I don’t remember this, told my fourth grade teacher that I had a pet chicken with that name. I’m 27 now, and I still haven’t heard then end of me telling my fourth grade class all about my pet chicken named Son B*itch.
Okay, I’m so saving this for my 10% celebration. I’ve decided at milestones that I’m going to make special food and this is on that list. And, as always, beautifully tempting pictures help seal the deal.
What does it say atop the cake?? It looks wonderful, by the way. I love your writing!
If you were making this for Passover and needed a non-dairy filling instead, what might you suggest? I’m a terrible baker, but I gladly take on the holiday desserts to avoid the boxed stuff that my family tends to prefer. Thanks!
That cake was SOOOO good. I am so pissed that there was not any leftover this morning (afternoon) for me to have for breakfast! Yum Yum Yum! Thank you!
Wow that looks gorgeous! I’ve never seen a chocolate cake recipe like that before. I’ll have to try it out sometime, thanks!
Delurking Deb.
That cake looks awesome, I think I might have to try it this year.
Karen, I’m pretty sure Richwhip makes kosher for pesach non-dairy whipping cream, just go to one of the kosher grocery stores. Not the same as real whipped cream, but yummy none the less. Also, you could make a marshmellowy 7-minute frosting. Definetely a lot sweeter, but non-dairy and kosher for passover.
And tangentially related, epicurious has a chocolate cake recipe for passover that uses sweet potato in the base. It’s damn good, and you can’t taste the sweet potato. Another alternative to the truffle cake for passover.
Duh, why didn’t I think of that? What a great idea. I always made mine in a roll too, but this looks super.
I never had a problem with cracks. Here’s my method. After the sheet cake cools off for about 10 minutes (just so it’s warm, not hot), I take it out of the pan, carefully remove the parchment paper and roll it up in a clean four sack towel. Let it cool rolled up in the towel overnight. It firms up and stays in a roll. The next day gently unroll and fill with whipped cream. I sometimes add a few tablespoons of whipped cream cheese to the heavy cream before whipping to give it more body.
Either way, way delish. All your pictures and recipes are wonderful, and wonderfully inspiring. Thank you so much, Deb.
p.s. Still laughing about the son of a bitch chicken.
I had the priviledge of eating a piece of that cake. It was awesome. I think it was the best cake I ever had. Thank you Debbie. Also, Debbie: for another Passover alternative, maybe you should try that idea Alex had about making You-Know-What Surprise with matzoh (adding salt, of course).
OK, YUM! I’m going to have to give this a shot in the next few days. It’s not often I see a “baking” recipe that I’m willing to dive in and try, but you’ve got me hooked!
This sounds wonderful….and since it melts in yor mouth the evidence is quickly gone forever (unfortunately it disappears to your hips!) Can’t wait to give it a try!
fascinating. it´s a sort of mousse, I guess, but more solid, which means I´m going to love it even more. thanks for doing all the maths for changing it into cake shape, now I have to do my own maths and turn it to grams, and I´m done.
It looks and sounds sinfully delicious!
Deb, thanks for the Charleston and Savannah suggestions!
What a great idea! I love the texture of roll cakes but they are a pain to make. This is a wonderful idea and the presentation is definitely better!
On another note, I made the Russian Black Bread and Oh my! is it ever good! My husband and I agreed that the aroma while I was kneading proofing and baking the bread was worth the 20 ingredients in the recipe. And then we tasted it… I couldn’t believe I had baked such a bread! It’s wonderful, the flavor is incredible. I can’t describe it but one thing I know for sure, it won’t be the last time I make it! Thanks so much for posting the recipe and raving about it!
Thank you for giving me a reason to look forward to Passover. I can’t wait to try this cake with my family. Maybe my daughters will dread the holiday a little less.
What a delicious looking cake, and such presentation!
Your soda bread looked amazing too, and I agree with your description of the real stuff as it is terrific when warm, but nigh unpalatable when cooled. I could eat yours until I burst into carb overload.
I’m just thinking about all the fun I could have eating the part that got cut away to form the circles! You didn’t talk about that part, huh!?
…or did you bake the layers in circles?
How did the edges get scalloped? Were they trimmed? The cake pans look round, but the edges don’t look cut!
this cake does look very fragile but i sure it melts away when u put in in your mouth.
I love the little chocolate shapes your made.very cute.Definitely saving this recipe for my next baking session.Thanks.
Whenever I make roll cakes, I always take the slightly warm cake, invert it onto a floured or sugared tea towel, and then immediately roll the warm cake up in the tea towel. Put together the filling, then unroll the cake, fill, and roll (w/o towel this time, obviously). Rolling the cake while still warm prevents cracking, at least that is what I always thought.
Your cake looks glorious- I think you should call it chocolate cloud cake or something similarly ethereal.
what i love is that this can be made for passover- and i think my grandmother made something similar for pesach, but added honey to it as well, and it was butter cream, not whipped. but the whipped cream sounds even better!
and of course, i will make it! is it wrong for me to want to leave work right now, go home and make it??
The Lighter Than Air Chocolate Roll from Gourmet was the first cake roll I ever made and I was surprised that it didn’t crack at all! I think I got really lucky.
I love the idea of a cake version… it is so tasty, I can just imagine how delicious your version must be!
Alternatively, you could make the meringue buttercream from Baking With Julia (my own standard, wow-the-crap-outta-them icing) for in between the layers. So smooth and silky it sortof dissolves in your mouth, sliding down your throat in a pure experience of flavor. So good.
This photo is such a teaser, Deb. You are evil. :)
Why, oh why, wasn’t this recipe up last week when I needed to bake a birthday cake for my fiancee’s birthday. Now I have to find some other excuse to bake it, and those don’t just fall out of the sky when you’re trying to slim down before the wedding!
Deb,
Your mother wasn’t blasphemous, she was skatological.
And that does look like f***ing good cake (which is neither blasphemous nor skatological).
Kevin — nits picked while you wait
I think this cake may be making an appearance at a Passover seder in San Diego this year. :)
Good lord, Deb, that cake sounds AMAZING. I don’t have a real reason to make one anytime soon, but it looks like I’ll just have to make something up. Maybe I’ll start celebrating Passover…
oh, lighter than air you say? and i love those little chocolate decorations!
With a cake like this I would be afraid to eat it. I will only stare at it and admire the layers.
OK, this looks way too good to eat. Maybe I’ll just have to come to seders at your house….
Oooh! I have a recipe just like this that I love! My only question is, having whipped cream as a filling instead of a frosting, how do you keep the layers from slipping all over? Even after refrigerating I doubt I’d have that kind of luck. =P
Deb (or anyone else with more brains than me) (which, as you’ll see, is everyone), help!
I can’t figure out your instruction for the waxed paper/baking sheet thing , and this is because I’m a true idiot, I know, but I’m a true idiot that wants to make her fiancee this cake so that he keeps wanting to marry me until July, after which he’ll be trapped in my clutches for all eternity. Um, that’s not me talking. That’s the chocolate cravings.
So… I sift cocoa on the top of the cake round - right - got that. From there I couldn’t visualize the next step.
Any help appreciated. Must. Make. this. cake….
Oh, wow. Must make this cake. Thank you!
I think the scalloping comes from the batter puffing up unevenly around the edges, yes? It doesn’t look uniform enough to be from a scalloped pan, but it’s pretty nonetheless.
Carol, I think this is how it works: You have a cake layer all baked in the pan that has been lined with a circle of parchment. You dust the top of the layer with cocoa powder, presumably to make it less sticky. You then take fresh sheet of paper and lay it over the pan, and a flat baking sheet over that. Holding the whole sandwich (pan, liner paper, cake, fresh paper, cookie sheet) firmly, a palm on top and a palm on the bottom, turn the whole thing over. Voila. Now you have the cake layer sitting free and flat on a fresh sheet of paper on a flat sheet, not sticking to the paper because of the cocoa powder. Peel off the liner paper, which is sticking to what is now the top, and put the whole thing in the freezer.
At least I think that’s how it works.
Jenn — Farm-fresh eggs! It’s a testament to the fact that I never had them growing up that I can rarely tell the different between the organic, free range and other options available to us. But I can taste the difference in Europe, sigh. Doesn’t everything taste better there?
Jenifer — You can even make it in a smaller quantity as a two or even one layer cake, by halving or quartering the big recipe. It is absolutely worth the points.
haasome — It says Goodbye Jess and we will miss you. My friend Jocelyn’s roommate is moving to freaking Arizona for a job, so she had a surprise going-away part for her on Saturday night. I meant to add some notes about piping melted chocolate, which is nearly impossible on top of cold, airy whipped cream. First of all, the melted chocolate quickly cooled when it reached the tip, therefore firming up, so it was very hard to get out without constantly pressing it again the heat pipe (of all things!) to keep it melted and working quickly. Finally, I piped each letter on a piece of waxed paper, where it quickly cooled and I was able to pick them up and place them on the cake top. It was much, much easier this way.
Karen — Ack, sorry I have no idea. I mean, I know I should suggest a margarine or shortening-based frosting (there are a ton of recipes online), but they sort of turn my stomach. Another idea is to make it one or two-layered, keep the shortening-based frosting on the side for dolloping, and make a quick fruit sauce. One of my favorites is raspberry. Take a bag of frozen raspberries, defrosted, puree them in a food processor, press them through a fine mesh strainer to get the seeds out and then cook this mixture briefly with a tablespoon or three of sugar, to taste. Once it dissolves, you will have the best raspberry sauce on earth. You can use the extra to mix into plain yogurt.
Timi — Thanks for the ideas. I will try to feature a couple other recipes I bust out for Passover over the next couple weeks. They’re not Passover recipes per se, but flourless! Eggy! And all those other things that make desserts phenomenal.
Marie — Thanks for the suggestions. Whipped cream cheese sounds AWESOME.
LyB — Yay! I’m so glad you made the black bread and loved it too. I wish to eat it everday — such depth! Complexity! That Hensperger is fantastic, and I will have to try more of her recipes now. Which reminds me, I still need to thank the person who gave ME the recipe…
Hillary — We most certainly do not dread Passover desserts in my family. Not one bit. ;)
Liz — The cake shrunk a little bit when it cooled. I caught a picture because I wanted to warn people, but it had no effect on the final shape since so it’s padded with so much glorious whipped cream. Scalloped! That sounds much better than “shrunk.”
Mercedes — Warmth does help the rolling but I think that warmth would melt the whipped cream. I have had success with the cooled rolling method above, however, it does take much patience and the ability to not get too frustrated. Inevitably, there will be a crack somewhere!
Bernadette — Oh thank you. That sounds wonderful, and now I finally have an excuse to buy that book. I can’t wait.
Molly — Oh, I think it makes for a perfect birthday, or just-for-the-hell-of-it cake too! The truth is, we all know that nobody wants to feel weighted down after dessert and while this is the furthest thing from heath food, it’s lightness is always appreciated. Now get cooking!
Alicia — The layers really don’t slip. The cake is that light, to the point that the whipped cream is actually heavier and really keeps the layers in place. Gah, hungry now!
Carol in VT — What Kitt said. ;) But yes, the cocoa goes on top of the cake, and keeps it from sticking to the waxed paper when you flip it over onto it. The cookie sheet just gives you a firm surface to keep the cake on once flipped. Good luck!
I got kind of carried away with enthusiasm, sorry! It really is a spectacular cake and I was mentally rehearsing how to make it.
Thank you–I was looking for something different for the first seder. This looks delightful!
we had sponge cake- similar, but heavy as all get out from the DOZEN eggs- and every year while the cake was baking we had to tiptoe around the house because any loud noise or bang? the cake would FALL, sponge cake disaster.
this looks delish- a true passover delight.
Perhaps this question is a bit too belated to get to you, but I am wondering how light the cake layers are - do you think they would be too delicate to support a denser filling like a fudgey ganache, mousse, or buttercream? I want make it super decadent for my mother’s 60th brithday, but would hate to have it collapse on itself. (Also it has to drive with me through an hour and a half of traffic and I worry about fluffy whipped cream layers slipping all about). Your advice would be much appreciated!
Lorrior — The layers truly do not slip, mostly because they are so light, they adhere well to the whipped cream. The whipped cream really just acts like glue. I’m not sure how something fudgey would work (to be honest, although it’s just personal taste, my internal alarm is going off, absolutely certain that a chocolate filling would be overkill; I always prefer that fillings contrast, not compete with, cakes). I think it would certainly dominate. If you don’t use the whipped cream, I’d definitely opt for the lightest of your alternative fillings, such as mousse. Or, butter cream beaten in with whipped cream. Though the cake is very light, the dark chocolate flavor is very pronounced. It just doesn’t weight your tongue the way most flourless chocolate cakes do. Good luck!
Lorrior–having recently made (and happily eaten) this cake, I’d respectfully suggest that your filling suggestions might be too much. The cake already is quite rich and dramatic. I made the version with the cocoa-vanilla whipped cream and it was splendid–a perfect balance of textures. I’m wondering if, to alleviate the structural anxieties, you could drive the cake through traffic still in the pans and then assemble it when you get where you’re going? To anyone else reading–go make this cake! It’s heavenly! Even my 88 year old grandmother who’s cooked many a Passover dessert said this was the best she’d ever had. So there.
Recommend increasing whip cream to 3 cups to cover sides of cake. Cake baked by expert looks great! My cake looks BAD (there is not enough whip cream to “stick out” and separate the layers and sides are pathetically ragged looking) but I will cover sides with whip cream tomorrow when the stores are open and if licking the parchment was any indication the cake will taste great! (Ok, may have had less yield whip cream because forgot the requested addition of amaretto so ended up with about 6tbsp booze in whipping cream but cake still needs a cover up).
Hi there, Just wondering if this cake needs to be eaten immediately after taking it out of the fridge? I’m only asking because I would like to take this cake to a party but dont want it melting orfalling apart on me on the way there! LOL!
Thanks!
Hi Judy — The cake is best very cold, but it won’t melt or fall apart if you have to take it there. I’m assuming that it will be eaten within an hour or hour and a half of being taken out. Whipped cream does tend to go soft if it’s out too long, but you’ve got a cushion of time before that happens.
Hi,
Like Karen, I was also looking for something dairy-free for Passover. I am going to try using this cake, but then rolling it up with a raspberry filling, borrowing the syrup and filling from this recipe:
http://www.foodfit.com/recipes/recipe.asp?rid=712
and modifying the glaze to use almond milk (and no corn syrup). I may even dust it with some powdered sugar stars of David.
I’m sort of astounded at how many Passover recipes out there call for margarine. I wouldn’t ever think to use margarine for baking normally.
Deb - did you really use round pans for this? It looks like you used something bundt-end-ish (like the top/bottom/widest part of a bunt pan) for an interesting edge.
Please tell me your secret!
Or is it my bad eyes and new way-to-fine monitor setting?
Yes, I did. I mentioned in the head notes on the recipe that the cake layers sink a tiny bit in the middle which is why it looks a little pulled-in. However, it all gets filled with whipped cream and nobody complains.
This is the most amazing chocolate cake I have ever made! Don’t be intimidated by how complex it sounds - it’s really not that hard. And extra whipped cream will cover up any cracks, breaks, crumbs etc on the layers. I made it with only 3 layers by using only 3/4 the recipe and it was a little easier for me to handle. I used instant coffee for flavoring in the cream. This cake is so good that it just won’t matter how it looks once you start eating it.
I kinda made this for my Stepdad’s birthday, he requested a chocolate ice cream cake. I made the chocolate layers as specified, and then used the vanilla ice cream as filling, and then topped it with whip cream. It took me 2 tries to get it right, I had serious issues with the egg whites the first time, but I’m blaming it on the low pressure caused by the hurricane that happened to be going on. The next day I tried again and everything went together perfectly, if not a little messily (that’s one serious mass of egg whites to manage)
And the cake was fabulous, I don’t really like chocolate cake, but I loved this one. Personally I would stick with the whipped cream layers, I thought the ice cream took away from the cake a little. But my Stepdad was happy.