Tuxedo Cake
Tender and moist chocolate cake layers with white chocolate mousse filling and a silky, smooth chocolate buttercream.
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cups (88.5 g) dark cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (5.6 g) salt
- 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1 cup (236.6 g) hot water
- 1/2 cup (109 g) vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
- 1/3 cup (77 g) heavy whipping cream
- 10 oz. dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
- 5 cups (625 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
- 1 tablespoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.
For the White Chocolate Mousse
- 7 ounces good quality white chocolate chips
- 1 cup (240 g) heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla extract
Instructions
FOR THE CAKE
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
- Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined.
- In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, water, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Divide the batter between the three pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumsb on it.
- Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze until ready to use.
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
- In a microwave safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips and the cream for about one minute. Stir until mixture is smooth. Allow to cool slightly.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for about 2 minutes on medium-high speed.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the ganache. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and then mix on medium-high speed for about a minute, until the mixture is smooth.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, followed by the vanilla and salt.
- Buttercream can be store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a week.
- When you're ready to frost the cake, bring the frosting back to room temperature and mix by hand with a wooden spoon to push out all of the air pockets.
FOR THE WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
- In a microwave safe bowl, or in a saucepan over medium heat, heat 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream to the start of a simmer. Do not boil.
- In a medium size bowl, pour the warm heavy whipping cream over the white chocolate chips and stir to melt the white chocolate chips. The mixture should be smooth like a ganache. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- In a stainless steel bowl, whip the remaining heavy whipping cream and vanilla until medium-stiff peaks form.
- Once the white chocolate has cooled to room temperature, gently fold in the heavy whipping cream.
- Mousse can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
ASSEMBLY
- Place the first cake layer, top side up, in the center of a cake board or cake stand.
- Evenly spread 1 cup of the white chocolate mousse over the cake layer.
- Place second cake layer, on top of the mousse, and spread another cup of the mousse over the cake. Place the final cake layer, top side down, on the mousse filling.
- Cover the entire cake with a thin layer of buttercream. Freeze the cake for 10 to 15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
- Once the crumb coat is set, finish frosting the cake with the remaining buttercream.