Double Dark Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe List

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups	plain flour
2 cups	sugar
3/4 cup	cocoa powder
2 tsp	baking soda
1 tsp	baking powder
1/2 tsp	salt
1 cup	buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup	vegetable oil
2	extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp	vanilla essence
1 cup	hot coffee
125g	baking chocolate, for chocolate shards
ICING:
200g	cream cheese, softened
175g	unsalted butter, softened
225g	semi-sweet chocolate
1 tsp	vanilla essence
~2 cups	icing sugar
SYRUP:
1/3 cup	sugar
1/3 cup	water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F / 180 C. Prepare two 8-inch or 9 inch cake pans – Line with parchment, then butter and flour the pans.
Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined.
In another bowl or large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla, gently whisk.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine – scrape up from the bottom to catch any flour mixture hiding below.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack to complete cooling.

For the icing:

Melt the chocolate in MW or using a double boiler method. Let it cool.
Cream together the softened cream cheese and butter. Make sure there are no lumps.
Add Vanilla essence and mix well. Add melted chocolate. Combine.
Add 1 cup of icing sugar and mix well. Do a taste test and add the rest of the icing sugar accordingly and combine well.

For sugar syrup:

For chocolate shards:

Melt 125 gms of baking chocolate in MW or using a double boiler method.
Spread the melted chocolate (there is no need to cool it) on a parchment/baking paper. Cover it with another parchment paper of same size. Roll it into a tube, refrigerate it with the seam side down for 2 hours.
Unroll the tube and the chocolate will crackle itself. Shards is ready. Use as per your liking.

Assembling the cake:

The cake has to be cooled completely before icing.
Place one of the cakes on a cake board & brush it with sugar syrup, make sure the entire cake is brushed.
Place some icing on top of it & spread using a spatula. Place the other cake on top of this and repeat the process.
After the top layer is placed and covered with icing, apply the icing around the sides as well. Now you can decorate the cake with Chocolate shards.
Refrigerate the iced cake. Keep the refrigerated cake at room temperature for 20-30 minutes, before serving.

NB:

Recipe makes two 9" cake pans or two 7" cake pans with 12 cupcakes excess.
Coffee: 3 tsp of instant coffee powder + 1 cup hot water
1 cup buttermilk substitute: 1 tbsp lemon juice (or white vinegar) + remainder in milk OR 1 cup plain yogurt
2 extra large eggs substitute: 2 whole eggs + 1 egg white