Triple Chocolate Cake

February is Chocolate Cake Month!!

This girl loves chocolate cake...and I really mean that. Chocolate cake is probably my favorite of all desserts. So I was completely stoked when I found out February was chocolate cake month for the Crazy Cooking challenge. At the end of this post, you will find a linky list that showcases all the recipes that everyone participating has posted. Go visit them!! Share your favorites with family and friends. I love to use StumbleUpon - to stumble, share on Facebook, and tweet about recipes I find. I also love to pin my favorite finds! Next week, Tina will announce the ULTIMATE chocolate cake recipe. {P.S. I'm going to try and stumble, pin, facebook, and tweet as many of these as possible!}

Now, in my recipe arsenal I have plenty of cake recipes. However, I immediately knew what recipe I was going to try when I found out Feb's theme. I recently saw Triple Chocolate Birthday Cake on Hannah in the Kitchen. Hannah posted this recipe and shared it on the Sweet Tooth Friday link up. She made this gorgeous cake for her grandmother's birthday. Why did I choose this one? For one, it's TRIPLE chocolate. You cannot go wrong with that. Two, it's got mousse in it. Three, it uses a from scratch recipe instead of a box mix of chocolate cake. I'm trying really hard to learn how to make a successful cake from scratch.

Hannah doesn't post often, but every recipe she has on her blog is one I want to try. They are all very delicious looking!! This particular recipe was absolutely incredible. It's rich, the cake is so fluffy and moist, and the mousse and frosting combo - *drool*

Triple Chocolate Birthday Cake
Recipe from Hannah in the Kitchen



(Print)
What you need:
Mousse:

• 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 pkg. instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 cup whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks

Cake:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cup 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
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup boiling water

Frosting:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk

Directions:
**The only change I had made was that I used two 9-inch baking pans because I didn't have 3. I cut the cakes in half and made it a four layer cake. I do suggest using three cake pans though because the cake was so moist, it was trying to fall apart on me after I sliced the cakes in half. It made it difficult for assembly. **

Mousse: Start out by beating the condensed milk and melted chocolate together.
Gradually add water and pudding mix. Beat until smooth. Chill for 30 minutes.

Cake: Preheat oven to 350. Prepare three 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper & nonstick spray.
Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Then add eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes.

Add boiling water and stir; mixture will be very runny.

Pour into prepared pans and bake for 22 to 25 minutes.

Cool for 10 minutes in the pans and then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Mousse: Whip your heavy cream. 

Beat pudding mixture until smooth before folding in the whipping cream. Chill for 1 hour.

Frosting: After mousse has chilled for one hour and cake has finished cooling, cream butter. 

Beat in sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla until very smooth.

To assemble: place one cake down, top with 1 1/2 cup mousse. Even out and then top with second cake. Top with 1 1/2 cup mousse. Even out and add third cake. Frost top and sides completely.
Store cake in refrigerator.