Chocolate Cake with Meringue Cookies & White Chocolate Frosting
Delicious tender chocolate cake with white chocolate frosting paired with chocolate meringue cookies and walnuts.
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp Unsalted Butter (112g) room temperature
- ½ cup Canola or Vegetable Oil (120ml)
- 2 cups Granulated Sugar (440g)
- 4 Eggs room temperature
- 5 Egg Yolks room temperature
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour (240g) sifted
- ¾ cup Cacao Powder (70g) sifted
- 1½ tsp Baking Powder
- ¼ tsp Baking Soda
- ¾ tsp Salt
- ½ cup Whole Milk (120ml) room temperature
- ½ cup Sour Cream (130g) room temperature
Chocolate Meringue-Walnut Frosting Interior Layers
- ½ cup Walnuts finely chopped
- Chocolate Meringue Cookies
- 1 cup White Chocolate Frosting recipe below
- 1 tsp Cacao Powder sifted
White Chocolate Frosting
- 6 oz Melting White Chocolate Chips (170g)
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter (220g) room temperature
- 2 ½ cup Confectioners Sugar (355g) sifted
- ¼ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- ¼ tsp Salt
Instructions
For Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 175°C. Generously grease two 8-inch / 20cm cake pans, then line them with greased parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high speed until creamy and smooth, about 1 minute.
- Turn the mixer speed to medium, add the oil and sugar to the butter, and beat for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is light in color and about double in volume.
- Turn the speed to medium-low and add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, mixing each until incorporated before adding the next. Scrape the bow after each addition.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
- In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the milk and sour cream.
- Add one-third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl and add half of the milk mixture, mixing until combined.
- Repeat with another one-third flour, the remaining milk mixture, and then finish with the remainder. Scrape the bowl after each addition. Give the batter a final stir by hand.
- Divide the batter into the two pans and spread evenly using an offset spatula. Gently tap the pans on the counter several times to release excess air bubbles.
- Bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Remove the parchment paper.
For Frosting:
- Place white chocolate chips in a dry heatproof bowl. Set them over a double broiler. Don't let the top bowl containing chocolate pieces touch the water. Let sit until chocolate starts to melt. Occasionally stir. Optional: you can skip the double broiler and use microwave to melt the chocolate. I don't own one (I know, crazy!).Let the chocolate cool to room temperature.
- With your stand mixer, beat unsalted butter using paddle until all lumps are gone and butter looks light.
- Mix in cooled chocolate, salt, and vanilla extract.
- Gradually add confectioners sugar and heavy whipping cream. Scraping down the bowl as needed with silicone spatula. Give frosting a stir by hand.
- Set aside 1 cup of frosting in a medium bowl. Mix in 1 teaspoon cacao powder. This will create a light brown/beige frosting. You may add another teaspoon if you want darker coloring.
For Assembly:
- Once cakes are completely cooled, with a serrated knife carefully level and cut cake in half to create two layers per rounds.
- For first layer on serving platter. Using a metal decorating spatula, spread layer of the cacao frosting over the cake, making sure it goes all the way to the edge. Sprinkle with walnuts and gently crushed meringue cookies. Place the next layer over the frosting and top with another layer of frosting. Repeat.
- Spread a very fine crumb-coat using the plain white chocolate frosting. Do not stick this spatula back into the main frosting bowl. Get a small bowl to put crumb frosting in, otherwise your main frosting bowl will have crumbs. Refrigerate cake 20 minutes.
- Using a metal spatula, frost the cake with the remaining white chocolate frosting. Use long sweeping motions across the top. Feel free to use any sprinkles or decorative accents on your cake.
- Serve the cake immediately or store at room temperature, covered, for up to 48 hours.
Video
Notes
If you like heavy frosting between layers and on outside, double recipe. This is a very conservative amount of frosting for those wishing for SIMPLE exterior and light frosting between layers.
I recommend weighing ingredients listed versus using cups. The cup measurements are close, but not accurate to what was used.
Chocolate Cake Component of Recipe Inspired by: Zoë Bakes Cakes by Zoë François
Nutrition
Serving: 1Piece | Calories: 795kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 212mg | Sodium: 321mg | Potassium: 236mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 67g | Vitamin A: 1048IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 123mg | Iron: 2mg