I made this cake for my sister’s birthday. She has always been a cookies and cream fan, as have I. I recently acquired this chocolate cake recipe from my mom’s bakery. It’s called Perfect Chocolate Cake, and my goodness, it really is perfect. This cake recipe dates back to the 70s when my mom first worked in bakeries, and it has been kept under tight watch since. Pairing it with this crushed cookie frosting and ganache makes one ultimately dreamy cake. 

 This cake serves 8-10 people

 Ingredients:

2 2/3 Cup (346g) All Purpose Flour

1 Cup (100g) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 Tbs (14g) Baking Soda

½ Tsp (3g) Salt

1/8 Tsp (a pinch) Ground Cinnamon

2 Sticks (1 Cup, 16 Tbs, 226g) Unsalted Butter at Room Temperature 

3 Cups (660g) Light Brown Sugar, Packed

4 Large Room Temperature Eggs

1 Tbs (13g) Vanilla Extract

1 1/3 Cups (320g) Room Temperature Sour Cream

1 1/3 Cups (319g, 315mL) Hot Water

   For the Frosting:

4 Sticks (32 Tbs, 2 Cups, 452g) Unsalted Butter at Room Temperature 

1 Tbs (13g) Vanilla Extract

1 ½ Cups (about 250g) Crushed Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, around 22 cookies

3 Cups (345g) Confectioner’s Sugar

   For the Ganache

5 oz (140g) Dark or Semisweet Chocolate, Cut into Chunks

¼ Cup (60g, 59mL) Heavy Cream

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F (175 C) and grease 3 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray, then line with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper. 

2.     In a bowl, sift the flour and cocoa powder, then add the baking soda, salt and cinnamon and combine. Set Aside. 

3.     In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar for 3 minutes, then add the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each egg before adding the next. Add the vanilla. 

4.     Add the sour cream, combine, then in 3 parts, alternately add the flour mixture with the hot water, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Stop mixing once the last bit of flour is barely incorporated. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula, being sure to get the bottom of the bowl making sure everything is evenly combined. 

5.     Evenly distribute the batter between the prepared cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, or the top springs back when lightly touched. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn onto cooling racks, peel off the parchment, and allow to cool completely. 

6.     For the frosting, cream the butter on high speed in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer until very light. 

7.     Add the vanilla and crushed cookies and mix for another minute. 

8.     Add the confectioner’s sugar ½ cup at a time, fully mixing in each addition before adding more. 

9.     For the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a bowl, and heat the cream until simmering. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow to sit for one minute, then gently stir with a whisk until the ganache comes together. 

10.  To assemble the cake, place the first layer of cake on the plate you’re serving it on, then spread a generous layer of the frosting, then repeat this two times until all three layers of cake are stacked with the frosting. Spread the frosting all over the top and sides of the cake, being sure to smooth out the top and sides. 

11.  If you want to make a drip effect on the sides of the cake with the ganache, put the ganache in a piping bag with a small round tip, and apply slight pressure around the top of the cake over the sides, applying slightly different pressure for each drip so they all look different. Once the drips are done, pipe a generous amount of the ganache on top of the cake and spread it evenly so it meets the edges and connects with the drips. If you don’t have a piping bag, you can do all of this with spoons. 

12.  Place a ring of crushed cookies around the top of the cake and enjoy!

-Store tightly covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. 

-This cake freezes really nicely, just make sure it’s cut into slices and wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or in airtight containers.