As a chocolate lover I have a lot of chocolate recipes on my blog, but this is the first time I’m posting a dark chocolate layered cake with a chocolate frosting, all chocolate, inside and out. This Chocolate Rose Cake is by far a dessert for chocolate lovers only, rich, moist and chocolaty, it’s like getting to chocolate heaven indeed.
For this recipe is essential to use good quality cocoa powder and good quality chocolate, as their combined flavors will make the cake either heavenly or totally disappointing. The cocoa based cake is really moist and soft, doesn’t need any additional syrup to get it moist and melt in your mouth.
For the frosting I did not use the regular buttercream frosting that most of the recipes are using. I kind of stay away from buttercreams, for my taste, buttercream use just too much sugar.. In no way I am going to use like 7 or 8 cups of powdered sugar just to make a frosting able to be piped nicely. I’ve used a chocolate mousse frosting instead, made with only chocolate, whipping cream, cocoa powder for extra flavor and some gelatin to make it hold it’s shape better. No extra sugar in this frosting and it’s amazing.
The recipe is easy, decorate the chocolate rose cake any way you like best and enjoy the most amazing chocolate dessert ever.
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Recipe slightly adapted after Foodess
Chocolate Rose Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups (220g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (90g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp (12g) baking soda
- 1 tsp (5g) salt
- 2 cups (400g) sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup (110g) vegetable oil
- 1 cup (240g) buttermilk
- 2 tsp (10g) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240ml) hot coffee
Chocolate Mousse Frosting
- 16 oz (460g) semisweet chocolate
- 1 ¼ cup (300g) whipping cream
- 2 tbsp (16g) cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp (10g) gelatin powder
- 4 tbsp (60g) cold water
- 2 cups (500g) whipping cream , 35% fat
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Grease with butter and dust with flour two 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pans.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
- In another bowl mix sugar with eggs and oil until combined. Mix in buttermilk and vanilla extract. Incorporate flour mixture until well combined. Add hot coffee and mix to combine. The batter will have a runny consistency.
- Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans.
- Bake for about 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with few crumbs attached.
- Let pans cool on a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the cakes from the pan and let them cool completely.
- Prepare the Chocolate Mousse Frosting. Place the chocolate and 1 ¼ cup cream into a small sauce pan. Place over very low heat until chocolate is melted. Stir in cocoa powder then remove from heat. Meanwhile dissolve gelatin in water and let it swell for about 5 to 10 minutes. Place the gelatin over low heat just until the gelatin dissolves and pour it over the melted chocolate mixture. Let cool completely.
- Whip the chilled 2 cups of whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream.
- Assemble the cake. Place 1 cake layer on your serving plate. Spread evenly with chocolate frosting,about 1- 1/2 cup of frosting. Add the second layer of cake. Gradually spread a thin layer of frosting on top and sides of the cake.
- Place the rest of the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a star tip.
- Start with the side of the cake. To make the rose, start in the center, then move your tip in a circle around the center point, once or twice depending on how big you want the rose to be. When the side of the cake is filled with roses continue with the top. Fill any remaining gaps with some frosting.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Video
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @homecookingadventure on Instagram and hashtag it #homecookingadventure.
I absolutely love the style of this cake! I just have one question if I may, the gelatin powder mentioned above, is that unsweetened or sweetened gelatin powder? I’ve never come across this type of powder before. Thank you very much.
*swoon* this is my idea of the perfect chocolate cake!! pinning!
Hey, Can u please tell me the substitution for eggs…
What can i use instead of buttermilk?
Hey! So I tried this for my bf’s birthday and the cake was the best chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten! But the frosting was a complete disaster. I followed the instructions as they are written, I was careful to use chilled whipping cream when necessary, waited for the chocolate mixture to cool completely, bought whipping cream 35% fat (which is not so easy in Brazil), and folded gently the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream, and the result was a completely liquid chocolate sauce (delicious, but useless for frosting). I have no idea what could have gone wrong ):
I hate the amount of sugar that goes in buttercream, but it’s much easier to make.
I’m going to try this again someday.
Debora
It's weird that the frosting turned liquid to you.. when the chocolate and gelatine mixture cools completely it is a bit hard and dense.. not liquid at all.. and once folded into the whipped cream should have had the texture of a mousse like. Is it possible you used more cream to melt the chocolate? was the chocolate mixture almost liquid when you folded into the whipped cream? Let me know, maybe we can figure it out together.
I think maybe the problem was with the chocolate and gelatine mixture, I don’t remember it being hard and dense. No, I was careful to measure the cream. I’m going to try this again maybe this weekend and I’ll let you know. Thanks for the help
Hello:) I Was wondering what can I add to the frosting to make it instead of chocolate flavored… a strawberry or maybe even red velvet flavored frosting!
I would love to try making this delicious cake as a surprise for my husband’s b day:) but he is not the biggest chocolate lover per say. I would like to change up the frosting so that he can try it and love it and not tell me that is way too much chocolate for him:) thank you in advance for any response ^_^
is it ok if i don’t add the coffee?
In my country buttermilk is hard to find, can i use normal milk instead
Hi Deborah, Where you could buy the cream 35% in Brazil? I would like to make revenue and also’m Brazilian! hahah You’re from what city?
Oi Débora, Aonde você conseguiu comprar o creme de leite 35% aqui no Brasil? Gostaria de fazer a receita e também sou brasileira! hahah Você é de qual cidade?
Hi, I want to try making this cake but I would like to omit the coffee because I don’t like the taste of coffee, is there any way to modify the recipe to avoid coffee? Also is there any way that I can make the chocolate mousse without the gelatin?
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Just made and tasted wonderful! I substituted whipping cream by heavy cream when mixing to melted chocolate, and then mixed the (completely cooled) result to whipped egg whites. Worked just fine 🙂 Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I am glad you enjoyed the cake Isabela
You can make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to 1 cup of milk and letting it sit for 15 minutes. This cake was amazing! Best chocolate cake recipe I’ve found . For those not wanted to add coffee because you don’t like the taste, I didn’t taste the coffee at all! I also had the problem of the frosting being way to runny also.
If it happens to be too runny.. refrigerate the frosting to let it set a bit before frosting the cake, it helps a lot.
Is the cocoa powder in the frosting still unsweetened and just doesn’t say?
I’ve done many chocolate cakes, but this one is now my favourite! I love it and I love your channel. The frosting was great! I’ve made this cake for my six year old niece and she loved it. 🙂 Thanks for the recipe.
Hey, baking soda always gives my cakes a weird taste. So can I replace it with baking powder? Please reply soon I want to make this tomorrow! xoxo
WOW this is such a beautiful cake! Can’t wait to try it 🙂
I love this recipe it was fantastic and tasted wonderful.
AMAZING! I loved this recipe, it was so simple and such a crowd pleaser.
Didn’t try the icing but the cake turned out great. 10/10 recommend
Hi. I’d like to ask. Is it possible to reduce the amount of sugar in this recipe? I’m planning on making this for my mom but she can’t eat much sugary foods. She likes to eat some cake though and I figured this would be the perfect one to give to her. If I reduce the sugar, should I reduce the amount for other ingredients as well? Thank you.
Hi Liana.
You can reduce a little bit the amount of sugar; it is not necessary to reduce the amount for other ingredients.
Can I use non-dairy whipping cream?
Also what about 30% fat dairy whipping cream?
Hello Dc
You can use a whipping crem with less fat.
Is it possible to use only one pan and cut the cake in half? Or would it crumble apart?
Hi Elifnur.
Yes, you can do that.
Hello!
I have a question…. If I don’t want to make roses on top of the cake, do I need to reduce amount of chocolate mousse frosting? Maybe I could do 2 cakes but with one portion of frosting (just to put between layers, but not to decorate)?
I just wanted to say that this cake turned out awesome for me!!
it’s soooo delicious and tastes marvellous if you make cake pops from it.
Some people were wondering how to change this frosting recipe to be strawberry or something other than chocolate.
You can do that by simply combining 3 cups whipping cream with the amount of icing sugar you want, (your ideal sweetness), and add 1 tbsp strawberry jam or whichever jam you choose. Whip this till stiff and frost the cake.
Also for those who are wondering about buttermilk, it is important for a moist cake. you could simply make this by combining 1 cup of room temp milk with 1/2 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar and let it curdle for 5 minutes.
Hope this helps!
Dear Ella,
First of all I would like to tell you how much I admire you and you give me lots of inspiration 🙂
I made this cake for a friend of mine and it was a blast.
I would like to try making it with different kind of chocolate.
Do I need to change some of the proportions for the chocolate mousse frosting when working with milk and white chocolate?
Hi Home Cooking Adventure Team,
I love your chocolate cake recipe, I make it all the time. But this recipe is too much for two people. How can I make same recipe for 2 to 5 people.
Looking forward to hear from you.
Br,
Jyoti Tomar
Hello…can u plz indicate how many minutes approx you mix egg sugar and oil please?
No need for more than 2 minutes.. just until wel combined.
I’ve made this cake every year for like 4 years now! Usually for my birthday but sometimes other celebrations. It’s a wonderful recipe, I and everyone that has tried it loves it.
I am so happy Kat to hear that you tried this cake and enjoyed it:) Best wishes, Ella.
forgot to leave a rating!
Can I replace half the amount of sugar with the same amount of chocolate pieces?
No.. it’s not the same thing. Hope you tried the recipe though, it is delicious.
Would the frosting still work without the gelatine? I made your frosting recipe many times but would like to skip the gelatine this time? I am using it just to decorate cupcakes.
Yes, it should be just fine. As it sets the chocolate hardens and I am sure it works beautifully.