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!
Looks fabulous – going to make it for my son’s graduation on Friday. Should go beautifully with the black and gold graduation decorations! Do you think it would work to use chocolate ganache between the cakes instead of buttercream? Have a few people who find buttercream a bit sweet so thinking of only having buttercream on the outside
Yes absolutely! Hope he loves it! x
Hi, I need to make my sponges ahead of time. Will these freeze okay, like other sponge recipes?
Thanks
Yes absolutely, for up to 3 months! Enjoy! x
Hey Jane, I made this over the weekend and it turned out great but I was wondering if it’s possible to increase the amount of milk and white chocolate added to the cake batter? From 100g to maybe 150-200g or would that effect it from cooking properly? I just found the dark chocolate layer overpowered the other two slightly. Thank you 🙂 x
Hiya! The risk in adding more chocolate, is that the sponges won’t bake properly! Hope this helps! x
Yes of course, thank you!
I was also wondering, if you increase the butter, sugar and flour to 500g and eggs to 10 to make 4 layers, does the milk and baking powder rations increase also or stay the same?
Thank you 😊
Maybe you could use half dark and half milk for the dark choc layer?
Hi! Just wondering if you know an approximate height of the cake? Going to make it for a birthday so need to get a box tall enough:) Thanks x
Hiya! I always buy 6-7″ boxes for my cakes. Hope this helps! x
Hi, just a quick question on which piping nozzles (size) you’d recommend using for this cake?
Thanks!
Hiya! I used a 2d Closed Star – which you can find on my amazon shop! Hope this helps! x
Hi Jane I’m looking to make this cake for my husband birthday this week but o want the icing to be blue and white marble effect would I be able to do this as the icing would be dark with from the chocolate?
Hiya! To achieve this you would have to use only white chocolate buttercream rather than triple chocolate. Hope this helps! x
Hi I only have 2 cake tins what can I do will the mixture be ok if I wait for 2 cakes to come out to use the tin for the last cake? I have any cake tin size 9” thanks
Hi Jane! I’m a huge fan love all of your recipes I’ve made. One question, I made this last year and looking back at the pics think I used the flavoured icing inside the cake. Was this wrong ? Should I have used the 150g of Buttercream that was for the crumb coat? And then used the flavoured on the outside only? Thanks Anna
You use dark chocolate on top of the first layer, milk chocolate on top of the second layer. You then use the 150g of crumb coat to go around the edges of the cake, and then decorate with the rest of the buttercream! x
Hi Jane,
I’ve made this cake before and loved it, I’m planning on making it for my brothers 30th party and to feed about 40 people I want to do 4 layers of 8 inch cake in white and milk chocolate then stack a 4 layer 6 inch cake using 2 Deep tins the same again white and milk chocolate, I know this is a long shot but would you have any ideas of the quantities i’d need for this?
Thank you so much!
Hi Jane! Loooove your recipes! I will be making this at the weekend for my sister’s birthday and I was wondering if the sponge recipe would also work for a piñata cake? I’m wanting to fill the cake with even more chocolate (as if there wasn’t enough already haha!) and wondered if it’d be sturdy enough to do so as a hybrid. Thank you!!
Yes this sponge would work well!! xx
Hi, can I make the buttercreams the day before I decorate the cake and keep them in the fridge or will they go hard and make it difficult to use them?
Many thanks 🙂
Yeah personally I find that more awkward as you have to bring them back to room temp, and then remix them anyway so I personally would make them fresh! x
Hi Jane,
I love the taste! The only problem I have is the frosting. I made the cakes a day in advance, and when I tried to decorate the cakes, they fell apart! I used a metal spatula and then switched to a silicone one hoping that it would be easier on the cakes… no joy! Do you know why this may have happened?
Hiya! They are just soft cakes so you may have needed to chill them to make it easier to decorate – but this can happen x
Hello Jane.
Would these cakes be okay to freeze.
Then defrost and decorate,
Thankyou – loving all your recipes and tips.
Yes they would! And thank you!
Hi Jane,
I made this for my daughters birthday – all went well and it looks great, except for the chocolate drip. For some reason when it hardened it speckled. Do you have any idea why? This has happened to me before, so it must be something I’m doing wrong 🤷♀️
That can sometimes be the chocolate blooming if the temperature goes a little weird – its worth trying the drip from my mini egg drip cake instead next time!
Hi Jane.
I was just wondering are the different types of piping bags essential? Couldn’t you just use the same type for both the drips and the buttercream?
Thanks Louise
The sizes of the bags are quite different so I find the larger ones much better for the buttercream, and the smaller ones much better for the ganache personally! x