Moist Triple Chocolate Cake
This moist triple chocolate cake is extremely chocolatey! It has three moist chocolate cake layers, whipped chocolate ganache for the filling, creamy chocolate cream cheese frosting, and a chocolate drip.
I wanted to create the most decadent chocolate cake. Kind of like the cake from Matilda. This is exactly this cake. This cake has really moist chocolate cake layers. Even when it is cold, it is still super soft. The whipped chocolate ganache really ups the chocolate flavor and the filling makes it so creamy. The chocolate cream cheese frosting is also super creamy, and plus the chocolate drip. It is just all the chocolate! Your friends and family will love this for their birthday!
I have tips and tricks and process photos to easily help you make this recipe! If you love chocolate desserts, you have to try my chocolate peanut butter filled cupcakes.
Tips for triple chocolate cake
Here are my tips, so yours turns out like this recipe!
- Tip 1: Don’t overpack your flour. If you stick your measuring cup into the flour, it will compact it down. This leads to more flour and a drier cake.
- Tip 2: Make sure to pull out your dairy ingredients 2 hours before using. To have cake batter and frosting that blends well, your ingredients need to be room temperature.
- Tip 3: Make your chocolate ganache for the filling an hour before you need it. You don’t want it to be too set, otherwise it won’t whip up
- Tip 4: Make your chocolate cream cheese frosting and the chocolate drip right before you need it. I also have a post all about how to make chocolate cream cheese frosting.
Assembling the cake
For more chocolate cake recipes, try moist chocolate cake and brownie cake.
Make sure to leave a star review if you loved this recipe! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @stephaniesweettreats. To get more ideas follow me on Pinterest.
Moist Triple Chocolate Cake
This moist triple chocolate cake is a very rich chocolate cake. It has three moist chocolate cake layers, whipped chocolate ganache filling, and chocolate cream cheese frosting. It is decorated with a chocolate drip.
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Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup Cornstarch
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 cup Oil, Canola or Vegetable
- 1 3/4 cups White granulated sugar
- 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- 4 Large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup Hot water
Whipped Chocolate Ganache
- 1/2 cup Heavy cream
- 1 cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 cups Unsalted butter, room temperature
- 16 oz Cream cheese, room temperature
- 3 1/2 cups Powdered sugar, sifted
- 3/4 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache Drip
- 1 cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup Heavy cream
- Mini chocolate chips, for decorating
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray three 8 inch cake pans with non stick baking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.2 cups All-purpose flour, 1 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/4 cup Cornstarch, 2 tsp Baking powder, 1 tsp Baking soda, 1 tsp Salt
- In a saucepan, heat water until hot and steaming.1 cup Hot water
- In a mixing bowl, combine buttermilk, oil, vanilla, eggs, and sugar. Once it is all combined, slowly add in the hot water. Go slowly so you don't cook the eggs.1 cup Oil, 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract, 1 cup Buttermilk, 4 Large eggs, 1 3/4 cups White granulated sugar
- Add in the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Pour the cake batter into three pans evenly. Bake for 23-26 minutes. The cake is done baking when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let the cakes sit in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Allow the cakes to cool completely before decorating.
Whipped Chocolate Ganache
- In a saucepan, heat heavy cream until hot and steaming. Pour hot cream over a bowl of the chocolate chips. Let it sit for 2 minutes1/2 cup Heavy cream, 1 cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Use a rubber spatula to stir chocolate until smooth and glossy. If any chocolate chunks remain, heat in the microwave for 10 seconds and stir.
- Place bowl of chocolate ganache in the fridge for a total of 40-50 minutes. Every 10 minutes, take the bowl out and whisk it to keep it smooth. It should be a pudding like texture.
- Use a mixer, beat cooled chocolate ganache on medium-high for 20 seconds. It should get very light in color and become very fluffy. Only do this right before you are going to use it.
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- Make sure butter and cream cheese are room temperature. If the cream cheese is slightly cold, the frosting can split. Make this frosting right before you need it.
- In a large bowl, sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder together. Set aside.3 1/2 cups Powdered sugar, 3/4 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Using a mixer, beat butter on high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl using a baking rubber spatula. Add in the cream cheese and beat for 1 minute.16 oz Cream cheese, 2 cups Unsalted butter
- Add in half of the powdered sugar/cocoa powder, mix on low until just combined. Add in the rest of the powdered sugar and mix on low. Scrape the bowl.1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
- Add in the vanilla and beat on high speed until creamy.
Chocolate Ganache Drip
- In a saucepan, heat the heavy cream until hot and steaming. Pour hot cream over a bowl of chocolate chips. Let it sit for 2 minutes.3/4 cup Heavy cream, 1 cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Stir the chocolate until it is smooth and glossy. If any chocolate chunks remain, heat in the microwave for 10 seconds and stir.
Assembly
- Place a small amount of frosting the board you are decorating on. This will keep the cake in place. Use a serrated knife to cut off the tops of the cake, so they perfectly flat and even.
- Place the first layer of cake down. Spread a 1/2 cup of frosting over the cake. Pipe a border of chocolate frosting around the edge. Add half of the whipped ganache and spread evenly in the center.
- Repeat step 2 with the second cake layer.
- Place last layer of cake bottom side up. Frost the cake in a light layer of frosting. Freeze for 15 minutes to lock the crumbs in place.
- Frost the rest of the cake until smooth. Freeze for 10 minutes to set the frosting.
- Pour the chocolate ganache over the cake. Use an offset icing spatula to push some of the chocolate over the edge. Spread it smooth on top of the cake. Freeze cake for 10 minutes to set the drip.
- Optional: Pipe any frosting decoration on top of the cake. Decorate with mini chocolate chips.Mini chocolate chips
Notes
For high altitude baking- add an extra 2 TBSP of flour for the cake.
Flour- Make sure flour is spooned and leveled or use a kitchen scale. Compacted flour can dry out the cake.
Pull out the dairy ingredients 2 hours before using.
Calories: 801kcal, Carbohydrates: 83g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 64g, Saturated Fat: 32g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 22g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 114mg, Sodium: 385mg, Potassium: 371mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 33g, Vitamin A: 1399IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 122mg, Iron: 4mg
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below!
Hi, I love the recipe! However I only have one pan. Is it possible to bake it all at once and later cut into three layers?
You can do that. If the cake pan is deep enough. For best results, you might want to just bake one cake layer at a time.
Amazing chocolate cake. I used the recipe to make part of a wedding cake sooo many compliments on such a good cake one of the best chocolate cakes I have had and directions were sooo easy to use. Definitely a keeper
I’m worried about the cream cheese buttercream. Won’t it be too soft for piping the decorations on the top? I’m wondering if I should do regular chocolate buttercream.
This recipe uses a lot of powdered sugar so it is stiff enough to pipe.
Can I use 6-3inch pans for this recipe? I have 4 of them that I was hoping you use instead of buying new pans. Thank you I’m advance!
Correction I meant to say “to” instead of you . So sorry.
Yes you can use those pans!
Due to the cream cheese frosting, does this cake have to stay refrigerated until ready to consume? Or can it stay out at room temp for a few hours?
It can stay out for a few hours. If you make it and serve it in 2 hours, it can stay out. A little trick I use is right before serving, I place the cake in the freezer for 10 minutes to set the frosting and makes it SO much easier to cut.
If are serving longer than 2 hours since you decorated. Place in the fridge. Then. pull the cake out for 1 hour before eating.
This is the first time I baked a cake with frosting and filling so your clear instructions and tips were extremely useful. I didn’t get to do the drip because I was too tired. 🙂 I used about half the frosting only and used dark chocolate chips for the filling. The cake was superbly delicious!!! My boys said it was the most delicious chocolate cake they have ever eaten. Thank you for building my confidence in baking cakes like this. Enjoying my last slice now.
This is so amazing! I am so happy you love this cake!!
Thank you so much this is a huge help! One last question- Will the frosting and ganache proportions be enough to accommodate the larger cake or do those need to be increased as well? I would be able to do those calculations myself, just not sure my Kitchen Aid bowl can accommodate 10 1/2 cups of powdered sugar!!
The ganache will need to be 1.5X. If you are not doing additional piping on top, then the frosting is good as it. If you are, I would 1.5X to have enough to decorate.
Is it possible to make this cake in 9 inch baking pans? I already have three of them but do not have 8 inch
It would be best in two 9 inch cake pans. Using three would make for very thin layers. You could also 1.5X the recipe to use three 9 inch cake pans.
I am making this for 18 people so the larger 9-in 3-layer cake would actually be better, but I’m definitely worried about calculating/measuring for the 1.5x increase
Use this recipe:
3 cups All-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups White granulated sugar
1 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tsp Baking soda
1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
1 1/2 tsp Salt
3/4 cup Oil Canola or Vegetable
2 tsp Pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup Buttermilk
4 Large eggs room temperature
1 1/2 cup Hot water
Loves the whipped buttercream recipe! Can’t wait to make this again…do yourself a favor and use the hersheys special dark cocoa. I really think it makes all the difference!
This recipe sounds delicious and I’m excited to try it! What size cake pans did you use?
I used three 8 inch cake pans!
I made it for my brother’s bday and everyone loved it
Great recipe and easy to follow. It was my first time making a layered cake.
I am about to make your delicious cake recipe! I would like to make the cream cheese frosting and the chocolate filing a day before assembling and consuming the cake. Will this provoke any problems to the texture of the cream?
You can make the frosting a day before. Keep covered and chilled in the fridge. Let it sit out for 1 1/2 hours. Then, re whip with your mixer. The filling needs to be made right before assembling the cake.
When making the whipped gsnache it was hard after the 2nd 10 minutes.. i used a mixer to get it whipped. Is that supposed to happen?
I am so sorry that happened! That means the chocolate got to cold. It could be your fridge is colder than mine. It is supposed to resemble chocolate frosting before whipping.
Looks so good. Can’t wait to try it!
This looks absolutely yummy! Can’t wait to try it!