Make-Ahead Options
One of the great things about this easy chocolate cake recipe is that you can just use a boxed cake mix. I figure that there’s so much going on here that you don’t need to bother with a from-scratch chocolate cake, you know? And if you make the ganache ahead of time and just heat it up, and make the cake ahead of time, by a few hours or a day or even a few days (just wrap the layers in plastic wrap and freeze them), the rest comes together in no time.
You can bake the cake layers ahead of time if you like and store them in the freezer until ready to use. Our favorite cake pans to use are the kind with straight sides like these ones. The filling for this cake is a rich chocolate mousse that’s incredibly easy to make. It actually makes more mousse than you probably need, so feel free to fill it as thick or as thin as you like and snack on the rest- because you made the cake so you get the extra mousse!
Fill and Top the Cake
This chocolate cake is topped with…you guessed it- more chocolate. To get nice drips down the sides, avoid trying to actually spoon ganache down the side of your cake. Spread a nice even layer right on top. Then use a spoon to gently start spreading toward the edges. You just need to nudge a little and you’ll see the chocolate wave start moving toward the side and down the edge. Let gravity do the work! That way you get nice pretty drips without overdoing it. You can sprinkle some toffee bits on top and you are ready to serve!
OR, if you like, I sometimes like to top it with a fluffy cloud of sweetened whipped cream as well.
Helpful Tools for this Recipe
Straight-Sided 8″ Cake Pans
