Triple Chocolate Cake!
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Triple chocolate cake with dark, milk and white layers and a chocolate drip!
Triple chocolate cake!
Welcome triple chocolate cake! It’s not midway through the year, and I thought it was about time to post a showstopper. I’ve made a few ‘insane’ bakes this year so far such as my millionaires cookie bars and my Lindt chocolate cheesecake, but nothing as unapologetically chocolattey as this.
This is a beauty I’ve made at home a few times before. However, as I was posting similar layer cakes quite close together, I wanted to hold off and give this one its moment. When I finally revisited it and tweaked the design slightly, it turned into something genuinely glorious.
And honestly… just LOOK at it. If you love chocolate, this is absolute heaven in cake form. Triple chocolate sponges, triple chocolate buttercream, and a glossy chocolate drip running down the sides, it’s intense, dramatic, and completely irresistible.
Combination of recipes
The look came from various other cakes I have done in my time, all combined together. My drip cakes so far have been one tone in frosting (such as my Oreo drip cake), but when I mashed the idea with my neapolitan cake, I knew I had a winner.
Decorating it is slightly faffy to explain, but in reality it’s much easier than it sounds. The key is starting with a simple crumb coat of plain buttercream before adding the flavoured layers. Trying to go straight onto sponge with three different flavours can get messy very quickly.
Once you have that base layer chilled and smooth, the rest is just piping and scraping. It’s one of those cakes where patience pays off. Take your time and it all comes together beautifully.
Chocolate
Some people can say ‘ you can’t taste the difference between the milk and dark layers’, but that tends to be because you’re using the incorrect chocolate. I use my favourite chocolate in the recipe as I love baking with it and its tastes deeeeelicious!
Dark chocolate wise, I prefer to stick to 80%+, but 70% will do. Milk chocolate tends to come in at about 35% usually, so there is quite a difference. White chocolate isn’t even really chocolate!
I decided to use slightly less cake mix in comparison to my other cakes, with only 350g of everything in comparison to 400g, because the chocolate gives extra weight to the mix.
It also makes the cakes slightly heavier, which is why I used the baking powder in this beauty. This is optional, but cake with chocolate in always turns a bit more madeira like (particularly the dark chocolate sponge)!
Bake
Baking wise, it’s hard to get definitive layers because the outsides of the cake brown somewhat, which is why I went for surrounding the cake in frosting, so that it’s obvious that there are three flavours! When you cut into the cake however, you get the definition!
One of the main ‘issues’ with this bake, is the pure amount of bowls that are required. It’s slightly mad, but having to melt chocolate basically SIX times is a bit much. However, a bit of washing up never hurt anyone, and having a dishwasher is even better. I personally think a bake like this is completely and utterly worth all the washing up, as its one of the most satisfying bakes to look at, and eat.
Decadent drip
The drip is what takes this cake from impressive to dramatic. A mix of dark and milk chocolate with double cream creates a silky ganache that flows beautifully down the sides. It shouldn’t be too hot or too thick, you want controlled drips, not chocolate waterfalls.
Pipe carefully around the edge first to create the drips, then fill in the top and spread evenly. Let it set slightly before piping any leftover buttercream on top. The contrast between matte buttercream and glossy ganache is so satisfying. Finish with chocolate curls for the ultimate triple chocolate statement. At this point, there is absolutely no confusion about what flavour this cake is.
Tips & tricks
- I use supermarket own chocolate for all three layers, I wouldn’t recommend stuff like Galaxy or Dairy Milk for the milk layers – just go with the cheap!
- This cake lasts for 3-4 days at room temperature!
- For this Cake I used:
- These piping bags for the buttercream
- These piping bags for the drip
- This cake turntable to make decoration easier
- This Scraper for the buttercream
- This dark chocolate
- This milk chocolate
- And this white chocolate
- You can just slather the buttercream on in any which way, but I have tried to describe it as best as possible. You basically want the buttercream of each flavour, to match each sponge, and then wipe round so its all smooth!
Triple Chocolate Cake!
Ingredients
Cake
- 350 g unsalted butter
- 350 g caster sugar
- 7 medium eggs
- 350 g self raising flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 125 ml whole milk
- 100 g dark chocolate
- 100 g milk chocolate
- 100 g white chocolate
Buttercream
- 350 g unsalted butter (room temp)
- 750 g icing sugar
- 85 g dark chocolate
- 85 g milk chocolate
- 85 g white chocolate
Drip Ganache
- 75 g milk chocolate
- 75 g dark chocolate
- 150 ml double cream
Decoration
- Chocolate curls
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat your oven to 180ºc/160ºc Fan, and line three 8"/20cm cake tins with baking parchment.
- Melt your dark, milk and white chocolates carefully, and leave to cool whilst doing the cake mix!
- In a stand mixer, or a large bowl, beat together your butter and sugar until light and fluffy and lovely!
- Add in your eggs, baking powder, and flour, and milk and beat again until combined well.
- Split the mixture between three bowls, and to each bowl add one of the melted chocolates - mix until smooth.
- Add your dark chocolate mix to one tin, your milk chocolate to another tin, and the white chocolate to the last tin.
- Bake the cakes in the oven for 35 minutes, or until baked through - check with a skewer to make sure they're done!
- Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, and then take out and leave to cool fully on a wire rack!
For the Buttercream
- Melt your dark, milk and white chocolates carefully, and leave to cool whilst doing the buttercream!
- Beat your butter on its own for minute or two, to soften it and loosen it.
- Add in your icing sugar 1/3 at a time, and beat fully after each addition - you shouldn't need to add any liquid in!
- Take out about 150g of buttercream and leave separate. (This is for a crumb coat)
- Split the rest of the mixture evenly between three bowls, and just like the cake mix, add each chocolate to its own batch of buttercream.
- Mix fully, until delicious.
Assemble
- I started with my dark chocolate sponge on the bottom, and spread about 2tbsp of buttercream onto the cake.
- My milk chocolate cake went second, and the white on top!
- Use the spare buttercream to make a crumb coat around the cake and to make it smooth!
- Add each flavour of buttercream to a large piping bag, and pipe rings around the cake - I did two layers of buttercream for each layer of cake (this is so hard to describe)
- Once the three flavours are on the cake, scrape around the cake just like you would other drip cakes, and smooth it all over! Be careful when you are doing it as you'll be able to save the rest of the buttercream for piping!
Ganache
- Add your chocolates and cream to a microwave proof jug/bowl, and heat for 30 seconds. Stir well, and microwave on 10 second bursts till the ganache is smooth, stiring each time.
- Add your ganache to a piping bag and snip a small amount off the end of the piping bag
- Pipe drips down the side of the cake, and then fill in the top and spread it over.
Decoration
- Leave this to set for a minute, and then pipe the rest of the buttercream on top as decoration!
- I finally sprinkled on some triple chocolate curls!
Notes
- I use supermarket own chocolate for all three layers, I wouldn't recommend stuff like Galaxy or Dairy Milk for the milk layers - just go with the cheap!
- This cake lasts for 3-4 days at room temperature!
- For this Cake I used:
- These piping bags for the buttercream
- These piping bags for the drip
- This cake turntable to make decoration easier
- This Scraper for the buttercream
- This dark chocolate
- This milk chocolate
- And this white chocolate
- You can just slather the buttercream on in any which way, but I have tried to describe it as best as possible. You basically want the buttercream of each flavour, to match each sponge, and then wipe round so its all smooth!
Hi Jane,
I’d love to make this but as a 3 layer, 6 inch cake if possible!
Going by your responses on other posts for similar recipes, I should go for a 250g for flour, butter, sugar, butter along with 5 eggs. Is this correct? Should I reduce the whole milk and baking powder too or leave as is?
I was thinking 70g of each chocolate too.
Your help would be so appreciated!
Thank you so much.
Nicole
Hi Nicole, I was looking to do the same and just wondered if you did this and how did it turn out?
Hi Jane,
This recipe is absolutely delicious, thank you! When I add in the melted chocolate to the cake mix I get little white/yellow lumps form, it still bakes ok but I cannot work out what this is? I cannot get it to mix smooth once the chocolate is added.
Thank you 🙂
Hey! it sounds like the chocolate is seizing and/or splitting the mixture and it depends which it is doing as to how i can help you xx
Hi Jane, this happened to me tonight and to both dark and milk chocolate layers. I am wondering if this is why I have some holes in the cakes. It still tastes lovely!
Can I ask-if I freeze the cake, how long do I need to defrost it? Would I get it out of the freezer the day before the party?
Hi Jane!! 🙂
My cakes are in the oven, however the mixture split slightly before I’d added the chocolate, I’m not sure why? I’ve put them in anyway and they look okay now, I was just wondering if you knew why this might be?
Love all your recipes! Thanks! X
How did you mix the mixture? x
I did it in my stand mixer, creamed the butter and sugar together, then added everything else in and it split… I tried adding in an extra tablespoon of flour to bring it back together but it didn’t help 🙁 it actually came out okay in the end though, cutting it this evening! X
I’m sorry if this has already been asked but how deep do the 8″ tins need to be?
Hey! All of my tins are at least 2.75 inches deep!xx
I have a question regarding the self flour and the additional baking powder that need to add in the recipe. Since self flour already has baking powder.should we add more baking powder ? Thanks and this cake looks amazing, I will make this for my Sister’ s birthday, she loves chocolate!!!
Could you help with quantities for 6in cake tins?
Thank you
usually its about 2/3 of an 8″ recipe x
Great cake and does what it says on the tin!
Hi Jane!
Just wondering if I could use the buttercream recipe from your best chocolate fudge cake ever – the one with evaporated milk, for this cake instead? X xx
You can do – but that frosting is a lot softer so doesn’t hold up as well x
This is such an easy cake to make and the finished product looks and tastes amazing. Love Jane’s recipes, she makes it so effortless and the finished cakes look professional- thank you and can’t wait for the book 👍
Really tasty! I forgot to add the milk in the cakes but they turned out fine. I found myself needing to add milk to the buttercream as it was too thick, it helped a lot
I made this cake for my daughters birthday and it was beautiful, worth the extra effort and washing up!!
Hi Jane,
Sorry to be a pain but I’ve just learned that my cousins favourite chocolate is Kinder Bueno. I’m wandering if its possible to add the foodie hazelnut chocolate flavouring to the dark chocolate to make the sponge taste like Bueno. Also I would like flavour the buttercream the same way. I don’t want to lose the look of the cake by just using Kinder chocolate instead of dark.
What would you suggest?
Yes that would work well! As it’s the drops and a small amount I would follow the guide on the bottle if they still have it on there so as to not add too much! X
Hi Jane,
This cake looks awesome. I’m going to attempt to make it for my cousin’s 30th.
The problem is that my cakes always rise uneven in my fan assisted oven so I bought special cake tins to try and help but I only have two of them. I was thinking of making the cake batter in 3 separate batches and baking them individually to try and get a more even rise.
What would you recommend?
As this recipe uses melted chocolate you would have to make the batter for the third sponge separately otherwise it won’t work very well xx
Hi Jane,
Baking this epic cake for my mums birthday.
Can you please let me know if you used the different flavoured chocolate buttercream between the layers or some of the spare buttercream that you set aside for the crumb coat?
Thank you!
Hiya – as mentioned in the method you remove 150g of the basic buttercream for the crumb coat. Then, you use the three flavours to do the sides and layers (As you can see in the photos)
Thank you Jane, I thought so! Just wanted to double check.
I made the cakes last night (decorating today) and the dark chocolate seemed to seize when I mixed it with the cake mix. It went really thick and clumpy.
The other two were fine, and I put it in the oven anyway to see how it came out – it didn’t rise as much as the others and definitely feels heavier. I wonder if the chocolate had cooled too much before I mixed it in with the cake mixture.
Have you come across this before?
It could be that it was too cool yes – one way to maybe fix this in the future is to mix in some whole milk and that should sort it out! x
Hi there, i only have semi-skimmed milk will the recipe still work with it ?
It should be okay, just be careful if the mixture splits x