Proof Bakery's Chocolate Espresso Cake aka THE BEST CAKE EVER

This cake is absolutely insane. Both the taste and the assembly. I had so much fun making it though. It a dark chocolate cake with espresso buttercream, a chocolate cremeux and then covered in a chocolate ganache glaze. The cake layers are also brushed with an espresso simply syrup to take it over the top. Now this is a celebration cake. I highly encourage you to make it even though it might appear slightly complicated, it’s not too bad and you can practice many baking skills along the way.

I used Proof Bakery’s recipe published on the LA Times online. And I cut the recipe in half to make a four layered six inch cake.

Here are the recipes:

For the cake:

2 sticks butter, room temperature

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 cups freshly brewed coffee

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour 3 six inch cake pans.

In a bowl of stand mixer, add sugars and butter. Beat with paddle attachment for 3 to 5 minute until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, incorporating well after each egg.

Whisk together in a separate bowl the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to butter/sugar/egg mixture. Turn mixture on and slowly stream in coffee. Once batter has just come together (do not overmix) turn off mixer and pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 20 minutes.

For the espresso buttercream:

3 egg whites

3/4 cup white sugar

2 sticks butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons strong freshly brewed espresso (I used a bialetti)

Fill a medium saucepan with 1 inch of water. Place on stove and bring to a simmer. In a very clean bowl of stand mixer combine sugar and eggs. Place over simmering water and whisk constantly. Sugar will dissolve and mixture is ready when it is warm to the touch. Remove from heat and whisk with stand mixer on high speed for 5 to 8 minutes until light and fluffy and the bowl when touched is no longer warm.

Add cubes of butter one at a time, incorporating each before adding the next. When all butter is incorporated whip until light and fluffy then add espresso and beat until incorporated. Set aside.

For the chocolate cremeux:

4.4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate chunks

3 egg yolks

2 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup whole milk

1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon heavy cream

In a medium saucepan over low heat combine the milk and cream.

While milk cream mixture is slowly warming combine sugar and egg yolks in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. In a separate medium bowl combine chopped chocolate and set a fine mesh strainer over the top.

When milk/cream has come to a simmer, add about 1/3 of it to the egg and sugar mix and whisk together. Add egg sugar milk mixture back into saucepan and begin to heat again. Heat, stirring constantly until mixture reaches 180 degrees. Remove from heat and pour through strainer over chocolate. Stir chocolate and cream mixture until chocolate has melted. Set aside.

Ganache glaze:

1.75 ounces dark chocolate chopped

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 1/3 tablespoons corn syrup or honey

1 1/2 tablesoons butter chopped

Melt chocolate in microwave or in a double bowler. Set aside and heat cream and honey until simmering.

Pour over chocolate and whisk to combine. Add pieces of butter and whisk to combine. Use immediately to pour over cake or refrigerate and reheat when ready to use.

Espresso simple syrup:

1/2 cup espresso

1/2 cup sugar

Combine in a saucepan and turn on medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.

ASSEMBLY

Cut cake layers in half so you now have 6 layers.

Brush the first layer with espresso simple syrup. Frost with cremeux and then buttercream. Place second cake layer on top and repeat with simple syrup, cremeux, and buttercream. Do this for 4 total layers.

Pour warm glaze over the top of the cake. It will run down the sides. Crumble one of the leftover cake layers into fine crumbs. Take handfuls of crumbs and stick them to the sides of the cake until entire cake is covered.

There you go!