Triple Chocolate Birthday Cake
Because one type of chocolate is never enough to celebrate a birthday with. And guys, this birthday is a big one. Six years ago today, I made the decision to start my own food blog & created passionate baker. I threw myself head first into the unknown world of blogging & gradually began to pick up a few things. It turns out that there is a lot (like, a lot) more to running a food blog than I originally thought, but things seemed to fall into some sort of rhythm. Six years on, the blog has evolved – better photographs, my baking has advanced, and there’s an ever-expanding travel section. I never could have dreamed it would grow as it has. Running passionate baker is what keeps me (relatively) sane, so I made a triple chocolate birthday cake to celebrate!
This post is meant as a thank you, to you. For reading along / subscribing / commenting / taste-testing / listening to my incessant ramblings / just clicking onto the site for a second or two. Thank you for keeping me going all these years. I hope we get to share many more blog birthdays together in the future!
Awkward thank you over, let’s talk cake. This is a good one.
I’ve had this Triple Chocolate Birthday Cake recipe up my sleeve for ages, but selfishly saved it for today. It is, without a doubt, my go-to chocolate cake. I have made it no less than seven times, & every single time it is met with the same reaction. Super impressed family or friends who love and devour it. I’ve dressed it up & down depending on the situation – birthday parties, casual gatherings, date nights, you name it – and it has never once let me down. This is a keeper, I promise you.
Enjoy!
Triple Chocolate Birthday Cake
INGREDIENTS
for the cake:
- 78 g salted butter, cubed
- 190 g granulated sugar
- 160 g plain flour
- 85 g cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 eggs
- 177 ml milk
- 177 ml boiling water
for the chocolate frosting:
- 200 g milk chocolate, roughly chopped
- 300 g salted butter, at room temp
- 3 tbsp strong coffee
- 85 g icing sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
for the chocolate glaze:
- 35 g salted butter, cut into cubes
- 75.5 g dark chocolate, roughly chopped (I used 72%)
- flaky sea salt, for finishing
DIRECTIONS
- Assemble all of the ingredients for the cake & melt the butter; leave it to the side to cool. Preheat the oven to 175C & grease + flour two 7-inch cake tins.
- In a large bowl, sift together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, & bicarbonate of soda. Use a whisk to combine the sifted ingredients.
- Add the cooled butter, eggs, & the milk to the bowl & beat until smooth. Pour the boiling water into the bowl & beat until smooth. (Yes, mixture will be very liquid-ey, but have faith).
- Divide the batter evenly between the two cake tins & bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out with moist crumbs. Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for 5-minutes, then turn them out onto wire racks to cool completely.
- While the cake cools, make the frosting. Place the chocolate into a heatproof bowl in the microwave & melt in 20-second intervals – taking out & stirring with a spatula between every 20-seconds (be very careful not to burn the chocolate, as there is no way to fix this). Once melted, leave to cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, use an electric whisk to beat the butter until light & fluffy. With the mixer on low speed, add in the coffee, icing sugar, and vanilla extract & beat together until creamy. Add the melted chocolate to the mix & beat until lusciously smooth.
- When the cakes have completely cooled, cut each layer in half horizontally – giving you four equal thin layers. Place one of the layers on to your cake stand/plate & cover with a layer of frosting + another cake layer. Continue the layering process until the last layer has been added, then cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting, trying to keep the outer layer ass smooth as possible. (I always apply a thin layer of frosting first, leave it in the fridge for 15-minutes, & when this layer has chilled I do my final layer of frosting.) (If you have any leftover frosting, keep aside for additional decoration.) Place the cake in the fridge while you make the chocolate glaze.
- Place the butter & the chocolate into a heatproof bowl in the microwave. Met together in bursts of 20-seconds, ensuring to remove from the microwave to stir in between every burst. Once melted, leave aside to cool to room temperature.
- Remove the cake from the fridge & evenly pour the chocolate glaze over the surface, using an offset spatula to help push it over the edges. The glaze should drip easily down the sides of the cake. Return the cake to the fridge.
- If you have leftover frosting & you decide to decorate the cake further, pop it into a piping bag & squeeze blobs over the top of the glaze. Sprinkle the flaked salt over the top of the cake, if desired.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to know! Please leave a comment & a rating below, or tag me on Instagram @imvcki. Thank you so much for supporting Passionate Baker!
This cake is simply divine. I made it for my brother’s birthday and it has already been requested by the other brother. Super moist and fiendishly chocolate, the flaky salt is an excellent finishing touch. I didnt have 6 inch tins but 7 inch worked perfectly.Simple to make and impressive to look at, a real crowd pleaser!