A few years ago my brother wanted a tuxedo cake for his birthday and he liked it so much he now asks for it every birthday … and any other occasion that calls for a cake! Now I generally like to try new things, including new cakes. But I have to admit, the tuxedo cake really is an all-time favorite of mine as well. It is simple too. Basically a simple chocolate cake with whipped cream frosting and topped with chocolate ganache. YUM. Here’s the recipe I have come up with after trying different ones and adjusting it to my own taste.
Ingredients
- INGREDIENTS
Chocolate Cake:
- 1 cup butter (I used unsalted)
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup canola oil
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 TBS baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 TBS vanilla
Whipped Frosting:
- 4 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 TBS vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache:
- 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
Chocolate Cake:
- Prepare three 9-inch pans by spraying with oil and covering with parchment paper. ( I order these pre-cut ones to save time)
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Pour the water and canola oil along with the butter in a saucepan and heat gently until the butter melts.
- While that is happening add sugar, flour and cocoa with the baking soda and salt and sift into your bowl (of stand mixer if you have one).
- Pour the melted butter mixture into the dry ingredients and start mixing on low speed. Add the eggs and then the buttercream and vanilla extract.
- Pour into pans and bake around 30-35 minutes. Let cakes cool before frosting.
Whipped Frosting:
- Pour the heavy cream to the bowl of your electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip on medium-high speed and gradually add the sugar. Beat until the sugar grains have fully dissolved and soft peaks form.
- Cover the cake layers with whipped frosting and then cover the entire assembled cake. Place in the fridge.
Chocolate Ganache:
- Place chocolate chips in a heat resistant bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Pour over the chocolate. Let stand for a minute or so then then stir . Add the dark corn syrup and vanilla. If it is hot let it cool a bit. You want the consistency to be pourable but not too runny.
- Bring the frosted cake out of the fridge and pour the ganache over the top, starting from the center and moving in a circular motion moving outwards until the ganache reaches the edges and begins to overflow a little.
- Refrigerate until serving time! You can cover this cake with fruit, use left over frosting to decorate, or anything else you pretty little heart desires. In this picture I covered my cake with Raspberry macarons and cookie sticks.