Layer Cake

I tend not to be a dessert person. Not because I lack an immense sweet tooth—au contraire, mon cheri. I just prefer to fit into my pants.

Layer cake is one of those luscious dishes that seem so extravagant. It’s an indulgence. A whole slice of cake is a commitment. It’s not just a macaron or a piece of chocolate you can pop in your mouth and just walk away, no one the wiser. This is a sit-down, look-at-this-I’m-having-dessert kind of thing.

For this recipe, I consulted the Mast Brothers. Former Down Easters-cum-Brooklynites and the “pioneers of bean-to-bar,” these guys are on the top of their game when it comes to all things chocolate. So when making a layer cake, I deferred to the chocolate gods.

I was proud of myself. I followed Ina Garten’s major rule of thumb: always read the whole recipe from start to finish. I get impatient and just jump in sometimes only to realize I missed a step or forgot a pertinent piece of equipment at the very moment I’m stirring something molten.

Yet, I still screwed up. Here’s where I went wrong: I let the sugar caramelize a little too long. It should have been a golden brown and it was just, well, brown. The cake was not quite done when I first tested it, so I let it go for a few more minutes. I should have let it sit. The extra time dried it out. I’ll remember that for next time.

The upside? It looks damn good. A picture-worthy cake if ever there was one.

Here’s the recipe:

CAKE:

6 eggs

2 c. sugar

2 cups cake flour

¾ c. cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

FROSTING:

2 c. sugar

2 c. heavy cream

3 oz. dark chocolate, chopped

Cake:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter two 9” round cake pans. In a large bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer, beat eggs and sugar until thick. Combine flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder in a medium bowl and sift them into egg mixture. Fold them in lightly until mixture is smooth. Pour batter into cake pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes. (Check with cake tester for doneness.) Let cool completely.

Frosting:

Caramelize sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until golden brown. In a separate saucepan, heat heavy cream. Carefully pour over caramelized sugar.  Bring to a boil and dissolve all of the sugar into the cream. Pass caramel sauce through a sieve into a bowl containing the chocolate. Let melt for one minute. Stir in tight circles until emulsified. Spread frosting between each cake layer and on top and sides of cake.