Chocolate Chip Fudge Cake

Instructions

Chocolate Chip Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Grease, line with parchment paper, grease again and flour 2 6in round cake pans.
2. In a bowl, measure whisk together the eggs, vanilla and buttermilk. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of your mixer, combine the flour, granulated and brown sugars, baking powder, and salt on low speed for 1 minute.
4. Add the cubed, room temperature butter and mix on medium speed until it resembles a coarse meal.
5. In two parts, add the wet mixture and mix together about 10 seconds.
6. Remove the bowl from the mixer and add the chocolate chips coated in flour.
7. With a rubber spatula, scrape the sides of the bowl and fold in the chocolate chips.
8. Pour half of the batter into each pan.
9. Bake for 40-45 minutes on the center rack of your oven or until the cakes are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
10. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing the cakes from the pans. Once the cakes have been removed, cool them completely on the wire rack.

Fudge Sauce

1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, add half the chocolate chips, heavy cream, corn syrup, sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Stir until all the chocolate has melted.
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the butter and vanilla and stir until melted.
4. Add the remaining chocolate chips and stir gently until they have melted.
5. Pour into a glass bowl to cool completely.

Whipped Vanilla Bean Buttercream

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream the butter until smooth.
2. Add half the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Mix in the vanilla seeds, extract and salt.
3. Add the rest of the powdered sugar and beat again until smooth.
4. A tablespoon at a time, add the heavy whipping cream until you reach your desired consistency. Add more or less depending on how thick or thin you want your frosting.
5. Whip frosting on high for 2-3 minutes.

Assembly

1. Place first layer of cake onto a piece of wax paper on top of a spinning cake decorating stand.
2. Pipe around the edge of cake creating a dam for fudge.
3. Spread a 2 tablespoon - ¼ cup of fudge sauce over the top of the cake on the inside of the frosting dam.
4. Place second layer of cake and repeat with frosting damn and fudge.
5. Then place third layer of cake on top and frosting and fill.
6. Finally, place the top layer on the cake.
7. Add a thin layer of frosting to the outside of the cake - this is the crumb coat. Place cake in the freezer for about 20 minutes to set.
8. Spread an even layer of buttercream on the outside of the cake.
9. Reheat the chocolate fudge until it's thin. Dip a spoon into the fudge sauce and splatter it across the top of the cake.
10. Garnish with a pile chocolate chips in the center.