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French Silk Pie Cake Recipe

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4.4 from 136 reviews

A decadent French Silk Pie Cake featuring a rich, moist chocolate cake layered with a silky smooth chocolate frosting. This recipe combines a classic chocolate cake base with a luscious French silk frosting made from melted unsweetened chocolate, butter, sugar, and whole eggs, resulting in an indulgent dessert perfect for special occasions.

Ingredients

Scale

Chocolate Cake

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder (sifted)
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup buttermilk (room temperature)
  • 1 cup hot water
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

French Silk Frosting

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter (softened, but still cool)
  • 1 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar; granulated acceptable, not powdered)
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 oz unsweetened Baker’s chocolate (melted and cooled completely)
  • 3 large whole eggs (pasteurized, cold)
  • Chocolate flakes (or sprinkles) for garnish

Instructions

  1. Prepare Chocolate Cake Batter: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch round baking pans and dust them with cocoa powder, then line the bottoms with parchment paper to ensure easy removal. Place all dry ingredients – flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt – into a stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment and stir to combine.
  2. Mix Wet Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract, and hot water, adding the hot water slowly to prevent cooking the eggs.
  3. Combine Batter: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in the mixer and beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until the batter is smooth but quite thin.
  4. Bake the Cake Layers: Evenly pour the batter into the prepared cake pans, using a kitchen scale if possible for equal distribution. Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
  5. Cool Cake: Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning them out onto wire racks to cool completely.
  6. Make French Silk Frosting: Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and preferably a chilled bowl, beat the softened butter and caster sugar together until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the melted, cooled dark chocolate and vanilla extract, and beat until combined. Switch to the whisk attachment and add pasteurized eggs one at a time, whipping for 5 minutes after each addition to create a smooth, airy frosting. Scrape down the bowl after each addition as needed.
  7. Chill Frosting: The frosting will be runny at this stage. Place the entire bowl with the whisk attachment into the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes, removing to whip it every 10 minutes to maintain texture.
  8. Assemble the Cake: Place one layer of cake on a cake board or serving plate. Using a French star piping tip, pipe dollops of frosting on the top surface of the layer, then sprinkle chocolate flakes over the frosting. Repeat with the second layer.
  9. Final Chill or Serve: You can serve the two layers as individual cakes or place both layers in the refrigerator for 1 hour to chill. After chilling, carefully remove one cake from its base and stack it atop the other layer for a classic layered French Silk Pie Cake presentation.

Notes

  • Use pasteurized eggs to ensure safe consumption when used raw in the frosting.
  • Using a chilled bowl for the frosting helps achieve a light and fluffy texture.
  • If caster sugar is unavailable, superfine granulated sugar works as a substitute, but avoid powdered sugar.
  • Ensure melted chocolate is cooled completely before adding to the frosting to prevent scrambling the eggs.
  • For even cake layers, use a kitchen scale to divide batter evenly.
  • Chocolate flakes or sprinkles provide a decorative touch and extra texture to the finished cake.
  • Refrigerating the assembled cake layers helps set the frosting and improves sliceability.

Keywords: French Silk Pie Cake, chocolate cake, French silk frosting, chocolate dessert, layered cake, homemade chocolate cake

Find it online: https://dailysimplerecipe.com/french-silk-pie-cake-recipe/