Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Chip Mascarpone Filling and Chocolate Fudge Frosting

 

It’s my birthday!  Again!  Ugh!  

My friend Geoff (uhh, cough, just a few [several too many now]) years ago said, “Now that you’re 29, you can start subtracting every year.”

At this point, that miiight be awkward.

But thankfully I don’t feel my age.  It’s just a number, riiiight?!  That’s what folks say to people struggling with said number in an attempt to make them feel better.  Nice try.  Or, it never works on me.

Driving around town one day in early January I said to my beloved, “Aw boy babe, I gotta figure out my birthday cake.  Again.  Hm.”

Poor guy then had the cajones to say, “ya know you could have someone make a cake for you so you don’t have to.”

There was a lengthy pause as I pondered how nice that might be but then thought why waste the cash when I can make it myself.  I know he meant well.

In the end, the cake I made was kind of a fail, pretty so-so, if even that good.  Top to bottom, all around fail actually.  Mike doesn’t want to eat it.  Which pretty well blows because a. birthday, b. I sprang for some fancier ingredients to spoil myself, c. wasted ingredients, f. no fun cake to share with you, and e. birthday.

Hmph.   

I shoulda listened to Mike.

Of course I’m half tempted to test out similar recipes to the one I made but then I’m worried I’ll be wasting more of these fancier ingredients.  And then have too much cake around for two people.  Is that a bad thing though?  I’m torn.

But yeah, right?  I’m kinda really bummed.  The only bummer to an otherwise great birthday week.  Ugh, and I had some cool things to share about it too…..hmph. 

So instead of a big birthday cake extravaganza, siiiighhhhh, I’ll share a cake that was quite stellar unlike what I made this week, one I baked for my dad’s birthday last year from Call Me Cupcake.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Chip Mascarpone Filling and Chocolate Fudge Frosting. 

Yep, that is a mouthful of title.  A big mouthful of yum though.  

We share half birthdays so it’s an appropriately timely share.

To be completely honest, I was compelled by the photos.  Originally, at very first blush.  Then the name of the recipe hooked me, sealed the deal.  Chooooocolate.

My brother and his family were in town that weekend as it was also our, Mike and I, ten year wedding anniversary.  Heh, we seem to group big events together, this family, haha.  I threw Mike a surprise party.  Which I managed to pull off, as a matter of fact.  And yes, I baked a two-tiered cake for that party.  So then yes, I baked essentially three cakes for one weekend.

Heh.  

What was I saying about too much cake around?  Yeah, ok.

All right, I am a’-ramblin’ here.

So this cake is hardly as complicated as it sounds, don’t brush this one off.  Dash those pangs of dread right quick, you can make this, I promise.

In fact, this is easier as there’s no creaming involved.  Plus you can mix the cake by hand, with a whisk!  Best of all, the end result is show-stoppingly, bakery-quality fabulous.  For such an easy cake!  Crazy!

To start this off, get the oven warming then grease and flour (or cocoa powder) (or baking spray containing flour) a pair of eight inch round cake pans.* 

Now, don’t panic.  This recipe was written originally in grams so I thought I’d give my kitchen scale* a workout.  If you don’t have one, no worries, cups are listed.  Note if you do go the grams route, the values don’t equal the cups exactly in conversion; I altered the grams to reflect the original recipe so that’ll be more accurate.

Heh, but what you never hear about with kitchen scales* is what happens should you over-add, how do you remove if you’ve got other ingredients in the bowl.  Carefully, I guess.

So, melt the butter, let it cool a hair, combine it with the milk, and set aside. 

In a mixing bowl,* toss in the dry ingredients, give them a quick fluff then add the wet ingredients and beat everything until just mixed but smooth.  By just mixed, that means you may see a bit of flour still which is totally a-okay as you’ll give a few healthy stirs by hand with a spatula to ensure everything’s combined.

This is off to a grand start, isn’t it?

Split the batter between the two pans and bake these lovelies for about 22-26 minutes, cool for ten, then flip them out to cool completely on a rack.

They’re gorgeous, yeah?

In the meantime, mix up the dreamy creamy filling by beating the mascarpone and sugar together until nice and smooth.  Add in the cream and salt, beating until the mix thickens up after which drop in the chocolate bits and stir by hand.

You can get the frosting going at this point too.  Melt the chocolate and set aside to cool. In a mixer, beat up the butter, powdered sugar, and cocoa until it’s fluffy and pale. Add the liquid, the yogurt and whip together until it’s gloriously frosting-like.

 

Oh.  Oh my.  Lordy lordy.  Right?  Just dive right into that bowl?!  Wow.

To assemble this number, slice the two cake rounds evenly in half horizontally with a long serrated knife.*  Though I did it right on the rack, another way to do this is to place the cake on a flat plate, lean down a bit and holding the knife steady in the middle of the round, spin the plate slowly while also gently moving the knife in long strokes through the cake.

Here’s one that’s been halved. It’s not complicated to do, truly.

Place the top of one round upside down on your serving plate and with a third of the filling, coat that cake evenly.  Add the bottom half atop, repeat with the filling, add the bottom of the second cake atop that, the remaining filling, then the top half of the second cake to crown the whole shebang.

Filling time!

Kind of an awkward angle there but you get the idea of how it should be, yeah?  Yes, the top layer broke but no biggie, it’s getting slathered in frosting.

Now, pulling it all together, frost with the fudge frosting as you see fit and voila, a super duper fancy sounding (and tasting) cake without all that super duper fancy time and effort!

It is as heavenly and delicious as it looks, yes.

It appears I was a slacker and didn’t get photos of the cake sliced, probably too busy stuffing the cake into my face, my sincerest apologies.  But go ahead and make this cake to find out how fabulous it is sliced up!

Note:  This content originally appeared on Flaky Bakers.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Chip Mascarpone Filling and Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Yield

10 slices

Prep time

45 Min

Cook time

26 Min

Total time

1 H & 11 M

This easy bakery quality cake is a chocolate lovers dream with a fluffy soft cake, a creamy dreamy mascarpone filling studded with chocolate chips, and a luxurious fudge frosting.

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

• 1 3/4 sticks (198 g, 14 tablespoons) butter salted or unsalted, room temp (add a pinch more salt if using unsalted)
• 1/2 cup (119 ml) milk, room temp
• 1 2/3 cups (200 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (9 g) baking soda
• 2/3 cup (56 g) cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups (297 g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) fine sea salt
• 2 large eggs, room temp
• 2/3 cup (151 g) plain whole milk yogurt or sour cream, room temp
• 1/2 cup (118 ml) hot water or coffee

Chocolate Chip Mascarpone Filling

• 8 oz. (227 g) mascarpone, 1 small tub
• 2 tablespoons (14 g) powdered sugar
• 2/3 cup (158 ml) heavy cream
• pinch fine sea salt
• 3 oz (85 g) dark chocolate 85%, chopped as chunky or fine as desired

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

• 3 1/2 oz. (99 g) dark chocolate, 85%, rough chopped
• 1 1/2 sticks (170 g, 12 tablespoons) butter, salted or unsalted, room temp (add a pinch of salt if using unsalted)
• 1 cup (114 g) powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup (21 g) cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons (44 ml) milk or heavy cream
• 1/4 cup (57 g) plain whole milk yogurt or sour cream, can be omitted

Instructions

Chocolate Cake

1. Move a rack to the lowest spot in the oven and begin preheating the oven to 350° F (176° C). Grease two 8” round cake pans, dusting with either flour or cocoa powder.
2. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter then add the milk. Let cool for a few minutes.
3. Using a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt together with a whisk. Pour in the butter/milk mixture, add the eggs and yogurt, and beat with a whisk until nicely smooth. Whisk in the hot water (or coffee).
4. Split the batter between the two cake pans and bake on the lower rack for 22-26 minutes, until a toothpick tester comes out with a few crumbs. Cool the cakes for 10 minutes and flip out of the pans onto a rack to cool thoroughly.

Chocolate Chip Mascarpone Filling

1. In a mixer bowl, combine the mascarpone and powdered sugar, beating until thickly creamy. Add in the cream and salt, beat again until thoroughly combined and creamier. Remove from the mixer and stir in the chocolate chunks by hand. Divide filling into thirds.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

1. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate on 15 second intervals until nearly melted. Stir until smooth and let cool.
2. In a mixer bowl, cream the butter, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder until fluffy and pale, around 2 minutes.
3. Add in the melted chocolate, beat until combined.
4. Add in the remaining ingredients and beat until well combined, the mix looking like fluffy frosting.

Assembly

1. Slice the cakes horizontally to create four layers. Take the top of one cake and flip it upside down onto the serving plate.
2. Add a third of the filling and spread evenly.
3. Place the bottom half of the first cake atop and spread another third of filling across it evenly.
4. Place the bottom half of the second cake atop, spread the final layer of filling, and top with the last half of cake right side up. Frost as desired with the chocolate fudge frosting.
5. Store the cake in the fridge. Be sure to remove the cake about a half hour to 45 minutes before serving to lose the chill.

Notes:

Adapted from Call Me Cupcake.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

720.25

Fat (grams)

45.26

Sat. Fat (grams)

27.59

Carbs (grams)

73.13

Fiber (grams)

2.93

Net carbs

70.20

Sugar (grams)

50.11

Protein (grams)

7.81

Sodium (milligrams)

545.43

Cholesterol (grams)

147.88

Please see the "info" section for nutrition and gram weight details.

cake, chocolate cake

recipes

American

*The 8” round cake pans, kitchen scales, mixing bowls, and serrated knives are Amazon affiliate links.  Happy baking, thanks!  Please see the "info" tab for more, well, info.