Description
A stunning four-layer dark chocolate cake featuring a dramatic black frosting and a shimmering gold drip. This centerpiece dessert hides a delightful treasure trove of gold-wrapped candies in its center, making it the ultimate showstopper for any sophisticated celebration.
Ingredients
- Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Unsalted butter, room temperature
- Granulated sugar
- Large eggs, room temperature
- Vanilla extract
- Warm water
- Milk, room temperature
- Black gel icing color
- Vegetable shortening
- Powdered sugar
- Gold-wrapped candies (Ferrero Rocher, Rolos, gold coins)
- Heavy cream
- White chocolate chips
- Gold luster dust
- Vodka or clear almond extract
- Green gel food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C) and line four 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper and grease the sides.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl for at least one minute.
- Cream the room temperature butter and granulated sugar for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next.
- Mix the dark cocoa, vanilla extract, and warm water into a smooth paste and add to the batter.
- Alternately add the flour mixture and milk to the batter in stages, mixing until just combined.
- Stir in the black gel icing color until the batter reaches a deep charcoal hue.
- Divide the batter between the four pans and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool cakes in pans for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Beat together butter, shortening, and salt for the frosting until smooth.
- Gradually add 9 cups of powdered sugar, cocoa, vanilla, and liquid until a spreadable consistency is reached.
- Use a 3-inch cutter to remove the centers of two cake layers to create the candy vault.
- Stack the layers with frosting: solid layer first, followed by the two hollowed layers.
- Fill the center hole with gold-wrapped candies and top with the final solid cake layer.
- Frost the exterior of the cake smoothly and create a white chocolate ganache for the drip.
- Apply the ganache to the edges, let set, then paint with a mixture of gold luster dust and vodka.
- Pipe a green frosting border at the base and a vanilla ring on top to finish the design.
Notes
Ensure all your refrigerated ingredients are at true room temperature to prevent the batter from breaking during the emulsion process. When painting with gold luster dust, use a high-proof clear alcohol like vodka because it evaporates quickly, preventing the white chocolate ganache from softening or becoming sticky. Always chill your cake for 20 minutes before applying the ganache drip to ensure the chocolate sets perfectly as it runs down the sides.
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Southern American