Old-Fashioned Chocolate Layer Cake

Name: Old-Fashioned Chocolate Layer Cake
Yield: Serves 10 to 12
Ingredients: 12 tablespoons, unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), very soft, plus extra for greasing pans; 1 3/4 cups, unbleached all-purpose flour (8 3/4 ounces/248 grams), plus extra for dusting pans; 4 ounces (113 grams), unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped; 1/4 cup, Dutch-processed cocoa (3/4 ounce/21 grams); 1/2 cup, hot water; 1 3/4 cups, sugar (12 1/4 ounces/347 grams); 1 1/2 teaspoons, baking soda; 1 teaspoon, table salt; 1 cup, buttermilk; 2 teaspoons, vanilla extract; 4 , large eggs; 2 , large egg yolks; 16 ounces (454 grams), semisweet chocolate, finely chopped; 8 tablespoons, unsalted butter (1 stick); 1/3 cup, sugar; 2 tablespoons, corn syrup; 2 teaspoons, vanilla extract; 1/4 teaspoon, table salt; 1 1/4 cups, heavy cream (cold)

Desserts or Baked Goods
Chocolate
Cakes

Appears in Cook's Illustrated March/April 2006, America's Test Kitchen TV

What ever happened to those towering slices of chocolate cake slathered with billowy frosting? We baked 130 cakes in search of the perfect wedge.

A cookbook recipe exclusively for All-Access members from The Perfect Cake

SERVES 10 to 12

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