A handmade chocolate cake filled with cream cheese layers and overlaid with a rich, chocolate frosting. This great-tasting recipe is an improved adaptation of Chocolate Cake from Hershey’s “Perfectly Perfect.” I know many people find Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake recipe to be the gold standard when it comes to chocolate cake making. I’m a big fan of chocolate. I found a chocolate cake recipe with cream cheese filling and a chocolate cream buttercream frosting which made my chocolate cravings crazy.
Once I first made this recipe, I used the eight-inch round baking pans as a three-layered cake. I wanted to stick with chocolate buttercream frosting instead of using a chocolate cream cheese buttercream.
Ingredients:
For Chocolate Cake: Adapted from Hershey’s
2 cups of sugar
1 & 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 & 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
(2) eggs
1 cup milk or heavy cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water
For the Whipped Cream Cheese Buttercream:
1 cup cream cheese
3/4 cup butte
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
For the Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream:
3/4 cup of butter
3/4 cup of cream cheese
1 & 3/4 cups Hersheys cocoa powder
5 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup + 3 tbsp of whole Milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
For Hershey’s Chocolate Cake:
Preheat oven at about 350 degrees F.
Spray 3 round cake saucepan with spray
Lightly brush the pans with flour, and set aside.
Combine the flour, Hershey’s chocolate, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl or kitchen aid mixer.
Add the extract & mix the milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla until well blended. Stir in the boiling water until all is mixed last; mix again and the batter is going to be very thin.
In each of the sprayed/floured cake panes, pour the batter evenly.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until each layer comes out clean with a toothpick inserted in the middle. Remove from the oven once fully baked & allow the 3 cakes to cool for at least 10-15 minutes before removing them.
After removal, move to a wire rack to fully finish cooling.
I still use a cake leveler to ensure that the layers are even, you can also use a tightened knife
Prepare your frostings when they finish cooling.
For the Whipped Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting:
Whip the cream cheese & the butter for about 30 seconds with an electric mixer at high speed. When mixed, add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar at a time, ensuring that each half cup is completely absorbed before adding in another 1/2 cup, add the vanilla extract & whip one more time on high for around 30 seconds and beat one more minute until smooth and fluffy.
For the Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting:
Beat the butter & cream cheese in a wide bowl with an electric mixer and start adding 1/2 cup of powdered sugar at a time
Add the cocoa, coffee, and milk.
Whip all the ingredients until well integrated
Beat for about a minute or until fluffy at high speed.
For Assembling the Cake:
Level the cakes with the cake leveler to ensure the cake layers are correctly stacked
Place the bottom layer on a platter of cake.
Place 3/4 tablespoon of cream cheese buttercream over the bottom cake layer
Top the second straightened layer and repeat the cycle.
Finally, top with 3rd layer.
Frost just the very top with the leftover buttercream whipped cheese and cool for about 15 minutes
Finally, gently remove the top layer with the chocolate cream cheese buttercream & all over the sides of the cake from the fridge & frost.
Refrigerate until serving.
Ingredients
- For Chocolate Cake: Adapted from Hershey’s
- 2 cups of sugar
- 1 & 3/4 cups flour
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 & 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- (2) eggs
- 1 cup milk or heavy cream
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup boiling water
- For the Whipped Cream Cheese Buttercream:
- 1 cup cream cheese
- 3/4 cup butte
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- For the Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream:
- 3/4 cup of butter
- 3/4 cup of cream cheese
- 1 & 3/4 cups Hersheys cocoa powder
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup + 3 tbsp of whole Milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat oven at about 350 degrees F.
Spray 3 round cake saucepan with spray
Lightly brush the pans with flour, and set aside.
Combine the flour, Hershey's chocolate, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl or kitchen aid mixer.
Add the extract & mix the milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla until well blended. Stir in the boiling water until all is mixed last; mix again and the batter is going to be very thin.
In each of the sprayed/floured cake panes, pour the batter evenly.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until each layer comes out clean with a toothpick inserted in the middle. Remove from the oven once fully baked & allow the 3 cakes to cool for at least 10-15 minutes before removing them.
After removal, move to a wire rack to fully finish cooling.
I still use a cake leveler to ensure that the layers are even, you can also use a tightened knife
Prepare your frostings when they finish cooling.
For the Whipped Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting:
Whip the cream cheese & the butter for about 30 seconds with an electric mixer at high speed. When mixed, add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar at a time, ensuring that each half cup is completely absorbed before adding in another 1/2 cup, add the vanilla extract & whip one more time on high for around 30 seconds and beat one more minute until smooth and fluffy.
For the Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting:
Beat the butter & cream cheese in a wide bowl with an electric mixer and start adding 1/2 cup of powdered sugar at a time
Add the cocoa, coffee, and milk.
Whip all the ingredients until well integrated
Beat for about a minute or until fluffy at high speed.
For Assembling the Cake:
Level the cakes with the cake leveler to ensure the cake layers are correctly stacked
Place the bottom layer on a platter of cake.
Place 3/4 tablespoon of cream cheese buttercream over the bottom cake layer
Top the second straightened layer and repeat the cycle.
Finally, top with 3rd layer.
Frost just the very top with the leftover buttercream whipped cheese and cool for about 15 minutes
Finally, gently remove the top layer with the chocolate cream cheese buttercream & all over the sides of the cake from the fridge & frost.
Refrigerate until serving.
