The Best Chocolate Layer Cake with Cream Filling
Buckle up. This dreamy chocolate cake is going to be the one you constantly crave. This chocolate cake is perfectly moist and topped with a rich chocolate ganache. It is the easiest ganache recipe you will ever make and it tastes absolutely amazing! But wait- there’s more! In between the chocolatey goodness is a creamy, vanilla filling that’s smooth and oh so rich yet delicate! This is THE BEST chocolate layer cake with cream filling you will sink your teeth into! Let me tell you more about it…
The Best Chocolate Layer Cake with Cream Filling
This dreamy chocolate cake is going to be the one you constantly crave. The chocolate cake has a perfect moist crumb and is covered with the easiest chocolate ganache recipe. But wait- there's more! In between the chocolatey goodness is a creamy, vanilla filling that's smooth and oh so rich yet delicate!
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2 Cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour
- 2 Cups White Sugar
- 3/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Espresso Powder (or see notes!)
- 1 Cup Milk
- 1/2 Cup Butter, melted
- 2 Eggs
- 2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 Cup Boiling Water
Cream Filling
- 1 Cup White Sugar
- 5 Tbsp. Unbleached All Purpose Flour
- 1/4 tsp. Salt
- 1 Cup Milk
- 1 Cup Butter, softened but not melted
- 1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
Easy Ganache Frosting
- 1 1/2 Cups Dark Chocolate Chips
- 6 Tbsp. Butter, chopped into small cubes
- 1/2 Cup Whole Milk
Instructions
CHOCOLATE CAKE
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9x13 glass baking pan by lining pan with parchment paper. It is very essential that you use parchment paper so the cake can easily be removed.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder (see notes). Mix well to combine.
- In the same bowl, mix in milk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well to combine then carefully add the boiling water and stir until smooth.
- Pour batter into the baking pan and spread evenly.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes and then carefully remove cake by lifting the corners of the parchment paper out of pan and place on a wire rack. Let cool completely before moving on to the next steps. The cake can be chilled in freezer to speed up the cooling process.
CREAM FILLING
- While the cake is cooking/cooling, prepare the cream filling so that it has time to cool as well.
- In a medium sized saucepan, combine sugar, flour, and salt. Whisk well to combine and remove any lumps.
- Add in the milk a little at a time and whisk until smooth. Place on stove and heat slowly on medium heat.
- Continue whisking until the mixture is thickened into a pudding like consistency. (This is a delicate process of allowing it to heat and thicken slowly otherwise it may burn.)
- Remove from heat. Once slightly cooled, cover, and allow to cool completely. You can speed up this process by refrigerating it but you will want to pay close attention so it does not get too cold. You will need it at room temp for the next step.
- Once flour/milk mixture has cooled, continue with next step. In a large mixing bowl whip butter until whipped and smooth. Gradually add flour/milk mixture and whip again until all of the ingredients are well combined. After the mixture is well combined add in the vanilla.
- Whip these ingredients on high until the mixture is smooth, light, and airy.
EASY GANACHE FROSTING
- While the cake and cream filling are cooling, make the chocolate ganache.
- In a medium sized bowl, place the chocolate chips and the cubed butter.
- In another medium sized glass bowl, heat milk for 1 1/2-2 minutes in the microwave until the milk starts to slightly bubble. Another option would be to heat on the stove and remove once the milk starts to steam.
- Pour the warm milk over chocolate chips and allow to sit for 3 minutes. Then, stir until smooth and creamy. It may take a minute or two to come together. Allow to cool before using.
ASSEMBLE
- Once all of the ingredients have cooled, it's time to assemble the cake!
- Begin by slicing the cake in half to create a top and bottom layer. You can make this assembly easier on yourself by slicing the two layers in half to create 4 pieces of cake. You will never see where you cut it in half once its frosted. (you can just barely see where I cut the cake in half in the picture)
- Place the bottom layer on a large cookie sheet and spread cream filling evenly over entire layer.
- Next, place top layer of the chocolate cake over cream filling.
- And finally, frost the cake with ganache frosting.
- Chill cake 30 minutes before slicing and serving. This allows all the layers to chill and really have delicious flavor!
Notes
ESPRESSO POWDER: if you do not have espresso powder on hand (we never do either) we came up with an excellent substitute! Our coffee grinder has a fine ground setting and this is the perfect substitute for espresso powder. Simply use 1:1 ratio espresso powder to fine ground coffee.
This recipe is a combination of recipes we love from:
THE LAYERS of the best chocolate layer cake!
We created this cake because we first fell in love with all of the individual recipes that made up the layers. Originally, we made this chocolate cake and added it to our favorite list. We also made the creamy filling but we originally used it for the frosting. After much thought we decided it would be perfect to use as a decadent filling. Lastly, we needed a frosting that would elevate this cake. So easy chocolate ganache it is! Each individual layers are from bloggers we’ve used in the past and combined them to form a brand new cake! Let’s dive in to the layers!
Chocolate cake
- Everyone needs a good, solid chocolate cake recipe. When Mom found this one we knew it was going to be our go to recipe! The addition of coffee/espresso powder enhances the chocolate flavor. No worries though, if you don’t have a espresso powder (like we never do) we’ve found an excellent substitute! Finely ground coffee. Read the notes of the recipe for further tips. The chocolate cake has the most perfect moist crumb, almost a slight brownie gooeyness! This chocolate cake recipe is from https://addapinch.com/
Cream Filling
- This cream filling is and old fashioned recipe called Ermine Frosting or sometimes called boiled milk frosting. This family favorite uses sugar, flour, butter, and milk instead of the usual butter and powdered sugar to make buttercream. This mixture, cooked on the stove, yields the smoothest texture ever- almost like a hostess cupcake filling!!! While most would use it as a frosting we knew it could serve a much higher purpose as a cream filling. YUM! We found this recipe at https://sugarspunrun.com/
Easy Ganache Frosting
- This chocolate cake with cream filling needed more than classic buttercream over the top. The frosting needed to compliment and highlight the chocolate cake layers and cream filling. Enter chocolate ganache. But the problem- we had no heavy cream in the house. Turns out, no heavy cream, no problem! This easy and no fuss ganache uses ingredients you have on hand and creates the most decadent and firm yet creamy chocolate layer over the top of the cake. Simply use melted chocolate chips, butter, and milk. Who wouldn’t love that on top of cake?! We found this recipe at https://www.designeatrepeat.com/
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Why we love The Best Chocolate Layer Cake With Cream Filling
This cake has many steps and layers to assemble. And while we don’t always have time to make something so time consuming, we enjoy making extra special desserts on long winter days, rainy weekends, or just because! Trust us when we say it is the best layer cake and you will devour every bite. It will be well worth your time!
It’s the perfect treat to surprise our guys with during afternoon coffee. Who doesn’t enjoy a sweet treat with a hot cup of coffee?!
This cake makes a large amount so we store extras slices in the freezer and pull it out when we’re needing an easy treat fast or when we are craving chocolate.
Step-by-Step Instructions To Make The Best Chocolate Layer Cake With Cream Filling
CHOCOLATE CAKE
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 glass baking pan by lining pan with parchment paper. It is very essential that you use parchment paper so the cake can easily be removed.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder (see notes). Mix well to combine.
- In the same bowl, mix in milk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well to combine then carefully add the boiling water and stir until smooth.
- Pour batter into the baking pan and spread evenly.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes and then carefully remove cake by lifting the corners of the parchment paper out of pan and place on a wire rack. Let cool completely before moving on to the next steps. The cake can be chilled in freezer to speed up the cooling process.
CREAM FILLING
- While the cake is cooking/cooling, prepare the cream filling so that it has time to cool as well.
- In a medium sized saucepan, combine sugar, flour, and salt. Whisk well to combine and remove any lumps.
- Add in the milk a little at a time and whisk until smooth. Place on stove and heat slowly on medium heat.
- Continue whisking until the mixture is thickened into a pudding like consistency. (This is a delicate process of allowing it to heat and thicken slowly otherwise it may burn.)
- Remove from heat. Once slightly cooled, cover, and allow to cool completely. You can speed up this process by refrigerating it but you will want to pay close attention so it does not get too cold. It needs to be at room temperature for the next step.
- Once flour/milk mixture has cooled, continue with next step. In a large mixing bowl whip butter until whipped and smooth. Gradually add flour/milk mixture and whip again until all of the ingredients are well combined. After the mixture is well combined add in the vanilla.
- Whip these ingredients on high until the mixture is smooth, light, and airy.
EASY GANACHE FROSTING
- While the cake and cream filling are cooling, make the chocolate ganache.
- In a medium sized bowl, place the chocolate chips and the cubed butter.
- In another medium sized glass bowl, heat milk for 1 1/2-2 minutes in the microwave until the milk starts to slightly bubble. Another option would be to heat on the stove and remove once the milk starts to steam.
- Pour the warm milk over chocolate chips and allow to sit for 3 minutes. Then, stir until smooth and creamy. It may take a minute or two to come together. Allow to cool before using.
ASSEMBLE
- Once all of the ingredients have cooled, it’s time to assemble the cake!
- Begin by slicing the cake in half to create a top and bottom layer. You can make this assembly easier on yourself by slicing the two layers in half to create 4 pieces of cake. You will never see where you cut it in half once its frosted.
- Place the bottom layer on a large cookie sheet and spread cream filling evenly over entire layer.
- Next, place top layer of the chocolate cake over cream filling.
- And finally, frost the cake with ganache frosting.
- Chill cake 30 minutes before slicing and serving. This allows all the layers to chill and really have delicious flavor!
