Fry's Fudgey Layer Cake

The secret to this cake’s intense chocolate flavor is cooking the cocoa with sugar and water into a thick paste before it ever touches the batter. That step blooms the cocoa, unlocking a deeper, rounder chocolate flavor than just dumping dry powder into the mix.

The batter itself follows the classic creaming method: butter beaten with sugar until light, eggs added one at a time, then dry and wet ingredients alternated in. That alternating technique keeps the batter from curdling and gives the finished cake an even, tender crumb.

The Chocolate Frosting Royale that goes with this is a cooked frosting too, not a simple buttercream. Melted butter, cocoa, and icing sugar blended with milk until smooth and spreadable. It sets up firmer than American buttercream, with a fudgier texture that matches the cake.

Chef Tips

• Let the cocoa paste cool completely before adding it to the creamed butter. Warm chocolate will melt the butter and break the emulsion.
• Line your pans with wax paper AND grease them. This cake is moist enough that it will stick without both precautions.
• Add eggs one at a time and beat well between each. Rushing this step creates a dense, heavy cake instead of a light one.
• The frosting thickens as it cools. If it gets too stiff to spread, warm it gently over low heat and stir in a splash of milk.

Variations

• Add a layer of raspberry jam between the cake layers for a Black Forest-inspired twist.
• Fold mini chocolate chips into the batter for pockets of melted chocolate throughout.
• Use espresso instead of water when cooking the cocoa paste for a mocha layer cake.