Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F (163 degrees C). Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans by coating them with vegetable shortening or butter. Line the bottoms with parchment paper, press it in, and coat the paper with shortening or butter. Flour the inside of the pans, shake out the excess, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir to mix.
- Add the eggs, egg yolk, vegetable oil, yogurt, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Beat on low speed with an electric mixer until just blended. Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Reduce mixer speed to low. While the mixer is running, slowly pour in the hot coffee until blended. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides, and stir to ensure the batter is well combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans.
- Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until the cake tops are set and pulling away from the sides. Insert a toothpick into the center; it should come out with moist crumbs, not raw batter. Remove cakes from the oven and place on wire cooling racks.
- Let the cakes cool in their pans for 5 minutes. Invert the pans onto wire cooling racks to remove the cakes. Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting.
- Place one cake layer right side up on a cake board. Spread a generous amount of milk chocolate buttercream over the top. Place the second cake layer upside down on top of the buttercream. Cover the entire cake with buttercream, spreading it over the top and sides. Smooth the top layer of buttercream.
- Press ground nuts around the bottom edge of the cake.
- Refrigerate the cake for 1 hour to allow the buttercream to firm up. While the cake chills, prepare the ganache and truffles if needed.
- Ensure the ganache has a pourable consistency, similar to pancake batter. If too thick, warm it slightly. If too thin, chill it briefly.
- Pour the ganache over the top of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.
- Decorate the top of the cake with chocolate truffles.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
To prepare ground nuts for decoration, process about 3/4 cup of nuts in a food processor until ground. Be careful not to over-process into nut butter. Roasted and salted nuts are recommended, but raw nuts will also work.
Homemade chocolate truffles can be made by preparing chocolate ganache, chilling it until firm, rolling into balls, and coating as desired. Alternatively, use store-bought truffles.
Cake layers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours or frozen for up to 3 months. Chocolate buttercream and ganache can also be stored and reheated as needed.