Old-Fashioned Chocolate Layer Cake

Name: Old-Fashioned Chocolate Layer Cake
Yield: Serves 10 to 12
Ingredients: 12 tablespoons, unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), very soft, plus extra for greasing pans; 1 3/4 cups, unbleached all-purpose flour (8 3/4 ounces/248 grams), plus extra for dusting pans; 4 ounces (113 grams), unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped; 1/4 cup, Dutch-processed cocoa (3/4 ounce/21 grams); 1/2 cup, hot water; 1 3/4 cups, sugar (12 1/4 ounces/347 grams); 1 1/2 teaspoons, baking soda; 1 teaspoon, table salt; 1 cup, buttermilk; 2 teaspoons, vanilla extract; 4 , large eggs; 2 , large egg yolks; 16 ounces (454 grams), semisweet chocolate, finely chopped; 8 tablespoons, unsalted butter (1 stick); 1/3 cup, sugar; 2 tablespoons, corn syrup; 2 teaspoons, vanilla extract; 1/4 teaspoon, table salt; 1 1/4 cups, heavy cream (cold)

Desserts or Baked Goods
Chocolate
Cakes

Appears in Cook's Illustrated March/April 2006, America's Test Kitchen TV

What ever happened to those towering slices of chocolate cake slathered with billowy frosting? We baked 130 cakes in search of the perfect wedge.

SERVES 10 to 12

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