I love chocolate.

I mean – I really, really love chocolate. Do you know how much chocolate is in this cake? 36 ounces. That’s over 2 pounds.

Does this frighten you? Not me. This is the kind of thing that excites me. Buying 9 Ghirardelli chocolate bars at once will do that for a real chocolate lover. And if you don’t love chocolate, you should probably get out of here. Seriously. Nothing good can come of this for all you crazy non-chocolate lovers out there.

Is it weird that I think people who don’t like chocolate are crazy? It’s nothing personal.

You can imagine, that – even as indecisive as I tend to be – when it was my turn to pick the recipe for Project Pastry Queen, I didn’t have much of a problem choosing. As delicious as all of the recipes may be, I knew I had to stay true to myself. Those who know me best would have been truly disappointed had I chosen anything except for this cake.

Because I really, really love chocolate.

And as for the cake? Well, I could go on and on telling you about how sinful it is. How rich, how decadent, how over-the-top heavenly. I could tell you about how the cake layers are so moist and so light, with only the most delicate hint of chocolate – creating the perfect balance between the cake and the layers of truffle filling.

No, I won’t tell you all of this. I’ll just tell you to go ahead and make it. Take yourself to the store, load up your shopping cart with an obscene amount of chocolate, and bake this cake. I’ll warn you – you may begin to secretly feel like you have super powers. If you’re smart, you may even pop open a bottle of champagne. And you should. Because this - this is something worth celebrating.

Seventh Heaven Chocolate Truffle Cake

Cake:

• 2 1/3 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 1/3 cups firmly packed golden brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup boiling water

Ganache Frosting:

• 24 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao – I used Ghirardelli which was 60%), finely chopped
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup

Truffle Filling:

• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped into small pieces
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 6 large egg yolks
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier (optional)

To make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12 by 17-inch rimmed baking pans with silicone mats or parchment paper and coat with nonstick cooking spray. Make sure the parchment is wrinkle-free or the cakes will be uneven when baked. Place one baking rack one-third from the bottom of the over and the second two-thirds from the bottom. (If you only have one pan, you can bake the cakes separately on the middle rack of the oven, washing the pan in between).

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Coarsely chop the chocolate and melt it in a small metal bowl set over a saucepan with 2 inches of simmering water, or in the microwave. Stir the melted chocolate until smooth and remove it from the heat.

Using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl on medium-high speed about 2 minutes, until light and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed for 30 seconds after each addition. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla to the batter and beat until incorporated. Add one-third of the flour mixture and beat on medium speed for 20 seconds. Add 1/2 cup of the sour cream and beat for another 20 seconds. Continue alternating additions until all of the dry ingredients and sour cream have been added. Add the boiling water and mix thoroughly on medium speed for 30 seconds.

{My note: I’ve never used boiling water in a cake batter before. Has anyone else? It made me feel super-old school}

Pour the batter into a large measuring cup. Pour half of the batter into each of the prepared pans. Bake for 7 to 12 minutes, until the cake springs back when lightly touched or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Monitor the layers carefully for doneness; they may be done at different times. Remove the cake from the oven and cool for at least 30 minutes.

To make the ganache:

Place the chocolate and butter in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it is very hot and just begins to steam. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and butter and stir until the mixture is smooth. Add the vanilla and the corn syrup; stir until the ganache is smooth and glossy. The ganache will be too soft to frost the cake immediately; it must sit at room temperature about 2 hours to firm up. The ganache can be made the night before the cake is assembled and left, covered, at room temperature. (Do not refrigerate it, or it will become too hard to handle.)

To make the truffle filling:

Melt both chocolates, the butter, and the cream in a large bowl set over a saucepan with 2 inches of simmering water. Remove from the heat to cool. Using a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the yolks in another large bowl on high speed about 5 minutes, until thick and light in color. Add the melted chocolate mixture and beat on medium-high speed for 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and Grand Marnier and mix on medium speed until incorporated.

{My note: Make sure to wait until the truffle filling cools completely until you try to assemble the cake. I didn’t, and it was much thinner and harder to work with. Once it cools, it becomes much thicker and won’t slide off the edges of the cake}

To assemble the cake:

Invert the cooled cake onto a flat surface lined with waxed paper. Cut each cake into 3 equal rectangles (see Tip). You will have 6 rectangles of cake total. Put 1 cake layer on a cake plate, spread the top with a thick layer of truffle filling (about 1/5 of the filling), and cover the filling with another layer of cake. Continue with a layer of filling and a layer of cake until all of the cake layers are used, but do not spread filling over the top layer. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate about 2 to 3 hours, until firm.

Remove the cake from the refrigerator and frost it with the cooled ganache. Cut the cake with a long serrated knife, dipping it in a tall glass of hot water between each slice. Well wrapped, the cake will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 weeks.

Tip: A ruler and dental floss can ease the job of cutting this cake into equal parts before frosting. Use the ruler to measure out 3 equal portions of each cake, measuring from one side of the cake’s short end to the other. Stretch unflavored floss from one end of the cake to the other and push down lightly to mark a straight line. Follow the line with your knife to cut the cake into squares.