Chocolate Layer Cake Recipe

Prepare and preheat

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment; grease parchment and flour lightly or dust with cocoa powder. Bring buttermilk and whole milk to room temperature if refrigerated.

Combine dry ingredients

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk in the granulated sugar until evenly combined.

Mix wet ingredients

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, whole milk and vanilla extract until smooth.

Combine and add coffee

With mixer on low, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Slowly stream in the hot brewed coffee while mixing on low — batter will be thin. Scrape down the bowl and mix briefly to ensure homogenous batter.

Bake

Divide batter evenly among prepared pans (about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups per pan). Bake 22–28 minutes, rotating pans halfway, until a toothpick inserted near center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Allow cakes to cool in pans 10 minutes, then invert to wire racks and cool completely before assembling.

Toast and skin hazelnuts: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast 10–12 minutes until fragrant and browned. Transfer to a clean towel, rub briskly to remove skins; remove any remaining stubborn skins. Let cool.

Make praline caramel: In a heavy skillet or saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons water over medium heat. Without stirring, swirl pan occasionally until sugar melts and turns a deep amber (watch carefully to avoid burning).

Coat nuts and set: Remove pan from heat and quickly stir in toasted hazelnuts and 1/4 tsp sea salt, coating nuts thoroughly. Turn praline onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread in a single layer. Let cool completely until hard, about 20–30 minutes. Chop half for crème anglaise (about 1/2 cup) and reserve the rest for garnish and texture.

Heat cream: Place chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat heavy cream in a small saucepan until it just begins to simmer (bubbles at edges), then remove from heat.

Make ganache: Pour hot cream over chopped chocolate and let sit 2–3 minutes to soften. Add butter and corn syrup (if using). Stir gently from center outward until smooth and glossy. If using ganache as filling, cool to spreadable consistency (room temperature, about 20–30 minutes) or chill briefly and whisk to soften before spreading. Reserve about 1/3 of ganache for glaze; keep covered to prevent skinning.

Infuse milk with praline and vanilla: In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups whole milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into milk (add pod too) or add vanilla extract. Add the 1/2 cup finely chopped hazelnut praline. Warm mixture over medium heat until just below simmer (small bubbles around edge), then remove from heat and let steep 20 minutes to infuse flavor.

Whisk yolks and sugar: While milk steeps, whisk the egg yolks and 3/4 cup sugar in a bowl until pale and slightly thickened.

Temper eggs and cook: Rewarm the milk mixture to a gentle simmer. Slowly strain the milk to remove vanilla pod and larger praline pieces if desired (you can leave fine praline bits). With a steady stream, pour about 1/3 of the hot milk into the yolk mixture while whisking constantly to temper. Pour tempered yolks back into the saucepan with the remaining milk and return to low heat.

Finish custard: Stir constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula, scraping the bottom, until custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon (170–175°F / 77–80°C). Do not boil. Strain the crème anglaise through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any cooked bits and larger praline pieces for smoothness. If you want visible praline bits, reserve a portion before straining and fold back in once off heat. Chill: place plastic wrap directly on surface and refrigerate until cold. This yields a silky hazelnut praline crème anglaise to serve with slices or to drizzle.

Level and layer: If cake layers domed, level each with a serrated knife. Place first layer on cake board or serving plate. Spread a generous layer of ganache (about 1/3 of filling ganache) over the top of the first cake layer, leaving an even edge.

Add middle layer and repeat: Place second cake layer on top and spread another layer of ganache. For extra hazelnut texture, sprinkle 2–3 tablespoons of chopped praline between layers before adding ganache. Add final cake layer and press gently to level.

Crumb coat and chill: Apply a thin crumb coat of softened unsalted butter (or a thin layer of ganache) to seal crumbs. Smooth and refrigerate 20–30 minutes until set.

Final ganache glaze: Warm reserved ganache slightly if too firm (do not overheat). Pour over center of chilled cake, using an offset spatula to coax ganache to edges and let drip naturally. Smooth sides as desired. Return to refrigerator briefly to set glaze, about 10–15 minutes.

Decorate: Press chopped toasted hazelnuts and remaining praline pieces around base or on top as desired. Lightly dust with cocoa powder if using and finish with a few flakes of sea salt for contrast. Serve slices with chilled hazelnut praline crème anglaise on the side or spooned over each slice.

Store: Cake (without crème anglaise) keeps refrigerated, covered, up to 3 days. Ganache will firm in refrigerator; bring to room temperature before serving for softer slices. Crème anglaise keeps 2–3 days refrigerated in an airtight container.