Ingredients
Scale
For The Sponge
- 200 g All-purpose flour
- 30 g Natural cocoa powder
- 200 g Castor sugar
- 6 g Baking soda
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 125 g Milk
- 50 g Oil
- 50 g Melted unsalted butter
- 125 g Water
- ½ tsp Vanilla essence
For The Soaking Syrup
- 60 g Water
- ¼ tsp Vanilla essence
For The Filling
- 180 g Dark couverture chocolate
- 90 g Fresh cream
For The Buttercream
- 300 g Unsalted butter
- 150 g Melted chocolate
- 1 tbsp Natural cocoa powder
- 1/8 tsp Salt
Instructions
For The Sponge
- Preheat your oven to 180° C or 350° F (OTG mode: lower rod + upper rod + fan). Grease two 6-inch round baking tins with oil and place butter paper at the bottom.
- In a bowl, sift all the dry ingredients, starting from all-purpose flour, followed by natural cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda and salt.
- In a different bowl, mix all the liquid ingredients, including milk, oil, melted butter, and water.
- Now add the liquid ingredient mixture to the dry ingredients gradually in parts and mix to get a smooth and lump-free batter.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking tins equally.
- Bake them at 180° C or 350° F (OTG mode: lower rod mode only) for 35 – 40 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
For The Soaking Syrup
- Mix water and vanilla essence to make the soaking syrup. Keep it aside until the assembly.
For The Filling
- In a safe bowl, melt dark couverture chocolate and warm fresh cream. While melting chocolate, make sure that you microwave it for a short burst of time, or you may end up with burnt chocolate.
- Add warm, fresh cream to the melted chocolate and form a smooth and glossy ganache.
- Transfer it to a piping bag and keep it aside for the assembly.
For The Buttercream
- In a microwave, melt dark couverture chocolate and let it cool down completely before adding it to butter. Or it may melt the butter, and you can end up with a runny buttercream.
- Beat butter with an electric hand beater until it’s light and fluffy. Make sure that the butter is at room temperature before beating it.
- Once the butter is light and fluffy, add in melted chocolate, then beat again until properly incorporated.
- Lastly, add natural cocoa powder and salt, then mix with smooth and fluffy buttercream frosting again.
- Transfer it to a piping bag and keep it aside for the assembly.
For The Assembly
- Before assembling the cake, let the cake cool down properly before de-molding and dividing.
- Once cooled completely, de-mould them using a palette knife or an offset spatula. Ensure that the pressure is towards the tin, not the sponge or the sponge may have a dent from one side.
- After de-moulding, divide the sponges into 2 using a serrated knife or cake leveller. And cut the domed part of the sponge as well if you have any.
- On a cake base, spread a bit of ganache so the cake doesn’t budge from the centre while layering and frosting.
- Place one layer of sponge on top, then soak it with soaking syrup. You can use a pastry brush, squeeze bottle, or spoon to soak the sponge.
- Now, pipe the ganache on top and smooth it out using an offset spatula or bent palette knife.
- Place another layer of sponge on top and repeat the same process as we did with the first layer until we get 4 layers of layered cake. Do not forget to soak the top layer as well.
- For crumb coating the cake, pipe the ganache all over the cake and at the top as well,
- Then, smooth out the ganache using a palette knife and remove the excess with a scrapper.
- Keep it in the refrigerator for 15 – 20 minutes so the crumb coat sets properly.
- For the final Coating, after 15 – 20 minutes, pipe thick layers of chocolate buttercream all over the cake, then smooth out. Make sure that you have sharp edges at the top.
- Now, with a cake comb, scrape the excess around the side of the cake.
- Apply very little pressure while scrapping the excess, or all the buttercream may come from the cake.
- Pipe shell pearl borders around the base of the cake using a piping bag.
- Now, on top, run a pastry brush from the centre to the edge while rotating the turning table.
- Pipe braided border around the top edge of the cake using a leaf nozzle.
- And you are done with the most beautiful and delicious eggless chocolate cake.
- Prep Time: 50 to 60 minutes
- Assembly Time: 40 to 50 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 to 40 minutes