Ingredients

Makes one 9-inch layer cake

　　Vegetable oil cooking spray

　　3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

　　1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder

　　2 teaspoons salt

　　4 sticks (1 pound) unsalted butter, softened

　　2 3/4 cups sugar

　　1 cup crème fraîche (8 ounces)

　　1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

　　9 large eggs

　　1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate (preferably 70 percent cacao), melted and cooled

　　Tangy Chocolate Frosting (recipe follows)

　　

Tangy Chocolate Frosting

4 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

　　1/2 cup good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder

　　1/4 teaspoon salt

　　12 ounces cream cheese (1 1/2 packages), room temperature

　　1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

　　18 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 70 percent cacao), melted and cooled

　　1 1/2 cups crème fraîche (12 ounces)

　　(makes 10 cups)

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Cut 3 9-inch rounds of parchment paper to line the bottoms of 3 9 × 2-inch round cake pans. Coat the pans with cooking spray. Line with parchment rounds; coat the parchment with cooking spray. Flour the pans, tapping out excess; set aside.

　　

Step 2

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a bowl; set aside.

　　

Step 3

Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in the crème fraîche and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and eggs in alternating additions; mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until the batter is smooth.

　　

Step 4

Reduce speed to low. Pour in the melted chocolate in a slow, steady stream; mix until combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer; scrape down the sides (batter will be thick). Stir until combined.

　　

Step 5

Divide the batter among the pans, smoothing the tops with an offset spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out with moist crumbs, 35 to 40 minutes.

　　

Step 6

Let the cakes cool in the pans on wire racks 30 minutes. Unmold the cakes; peel off the parchment. Let the cakes cool completely.

　　

Step 7

Trim the tops of the cakes with a long serrated knife to make the surfaces level. Using a ruler to measure halfway up the sides of 1 cake, insert toothpicks around the cake’s middle at 3-inch intervals to mark 2 equal layers. Rest the serrated knife on the toothpicks; halve the cake horizontally using a sawing motion. Carefully slide the top cake half onto a cardboard cake round or a plate. Repeat with the remaining 2 cakes.

　　

Step 8

Put 1 bottom cake half on a cake plate. Using a small offset spatula, spread 3/4 cup frosting on top. Carefully set the top cake half back in place. Spread 3/4 cup frosting on top. Repeat, stacking the remaining 4 cake halves on top and spreading 3/4 cup frosting between each. (Do not frost the top of the last layer.)

　　

Step 9

Spread the top and sides of the cake with 2 cups frosting in a thin smooth layer. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides; apply with the offset spatula using an S motion to create a textured appearance. The cake can be refrigerated, under a cake dome, up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before serving.

　　

Tangy Chocolate Frosting

Step 10

Sift the sugar, cocoa, and salt together into a bowl; set aside. Put the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until smooth.

　　

Step 11

Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in the sugar mixture. Pour in the melted chocolate in a slow, steady stream. Gradually mix in the crème fraîche. The frosting can be refrigerated, in an airtight container, up to 3 days. Just before using, bring to room temperature; beat until smooth.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics by Martha Stewart Living Magazine, copyright © 2007. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of The Crown Publishing Group.Buy the full book from Amazon.