Classic Chocolate Cake with Custard Filling—a combination of three recipes.

Classic Chocolate Cake with Custard Filling—a combination of three recipes.

Have you ever had a favorite high school teacher who you think of fondly when you look back on your teenage years? Mine was Mrs. Rodrigo. She taught home economics during sophomore year and was the moderator of the Young Home Makers Club (YHMC), essentially the home economics/cooking/crafts club. And—wait for it—I happened to become president of this club during senior year. But that’s not the subject of this post. 😉

Mrs. Rodrigo was incredibly kind and nurturing, and I believe her love of good food radiated through her personality—she was always smiling, upbeat, and light-hearted. For cooking class, we had this manual that appeared to be her personal collection of recipes. I distinctly remember the Lasagna with Bechamel Sauce recipe; it was the first time I’d even heard of the word, “bechamel”!

Mrs. Rodrigo’s daughter, Mimi, was a year ahead of me. Also a member of the YHMC, she and I easily became friends. A food-lover and baker like her mom, Mimi recently posted a photo of a chocolate cupcake on Instagram. I immediately recognized the gooey custard filling.

Backstory: In 2009, I searched high and low for this classic filling that was fairly common in chocolate cakes I’d had as a child. Along the way, I found Andrew Shott’s Fudgy Chocolate Layer Cake recipe with ganache frosting…but still no custard.

Over messages on Facebook, Mimi shared her cake and frosting recipe AND Mrs. Rodrigo’s classic chocolate cake, the latter including the sweet custard filling made with condensed evaporated milk and a dash of coffee. Yes!

The Trifecta Chocolate Cake is a combination of the three aforementioned recipes: Mimi’s chocolate cake base, Mrs. Rodrigo’s custard filling, and Andrew Shotts’s ganache frosting (halved from the original recipe). It’s a classic chocolate cake to brighten and delight; sweet and bittersweet in the right places; and all in all delicious!
(Full recipe after the jump)

INGREDIENTS
Yield: One double-layer cake

For the cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
¾ cup cocoa
2 tsps baking powder
1½ tsps baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp espresso powder (or 1 shot of espresso)
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tsps vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

For the custard filling:
1 can evaporated milk (12 fl.oz./354 ml)
⅓ cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp coffee
3 tbsp flour
1½ tsps vanilla

For the ganache frosting:
10 oz./283 g semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup heavy cream
1 tbsps light corn syrup
2½ tbsp unsalted butter, softened

DIRECTIONS

For the custard:
You can make this the night before and refrigerate to set. Place plastic wrap right on the surface to prevent film from forming.

  • Combine all ingredients and cook at low heat until thick and spreading consistency.

For the cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring.
  • Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk through to combine or, using your paddle attachment, stir through flour mixture until combined well.
  • Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter. Beat on high speed for about 1 minute to add air to the batter.
  • Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely.
  • Spread the custard filling on one cake, then top with the other, creating one large custard “sandwich.” Frost the whole cake with chocolate ganache frosting.

For the chocolate ganache frosting:
You can do this while the cakes are baking in the oven.

  • Put the chocolate in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream and corn syrup to a boil. Immediately pour over the chocolate and let stand in a warm place for 5 minutes. Gently whisk the ganache until smooth. Whisk in the butter until incorporated. Refrigerate, stirring frequently, until the ganache is thick enough to spread, about 30 minutes.