Chocolate Ombre Cake

ingredients

for the cake:
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup strongly brewed coffee
for the frosting:
• 1 1/4 cups butter (2 1/2 sticks), room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 tbsp milk
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder
• 2 - 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

instructions

cake:
1. Make a pot of strong coffee. Line three 8" cake pans with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Carefully whisk together.
3. In another medium bowl, combine the wet ingredients: sugar, eggs, milk, oil, vanilla, and peanut butter. Mix on medium speed until incorporated and smooth.
4. Measure out one cup of coffee. Add half of the coffee and half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until combined.
5. Repeat with the second half of the coffee and dry ingredients, and mix until combined.
6. Pour the batter into the can pans and bake for 25 minutes, or until you can insert a toothpick into the center of each cake and it comes out clean.
frosting:
7. In a medium sized bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter on medium-high speed until smoothy and creamy.
8. Add vanilla and two tablespoons of milk. Mix well.
9. Add two powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low speed until just combined, and then on medium-high speed until smooth. Scrape sides of bowl as needed.
10. If the frosting is too thick, add milk 1-2 tablespoons of milk. If the frosting is too thin, add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and mix well.
11. Next, divide the frosting into three bowls with less frosting in one bowl than the other two. (You'll need three shades of chocolate - a light shade for the top and the upper edges, a medium shade to go around the middle of the outside, and a dark shade to spread between the layers and around the bottom of the outside. So you'll need more of the light and dark shades, and less of the middle shade.)
12. To make the lightest shade, add two tablespoons of cocoa powder to one of the bowls with more frosting, and mix well.
13. To make the middle shade, add 1/4 cup cocoa powder to the bowl with the least amount of frosting, and mix well.
14. To make the darkest shade, add 1/4 cup Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder to the last bowl (one of the bowls with more frosting), and mix well.
15. If the darker shade and the middle shade look too similar, you may need to add more cocoa powder to one of them. This also applies if the two lighter colors are too similar. Add one tablespoon of cocoa powder (or Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder if you're working with the darkest shade) one tablespoon at a time until the colors are distinguishable. You don't want them to be too different, though.
16. When cake layers are cool, transfer the bottom layer to a cake stand or plate. Spread some of the darkest shade of frosting onto the cake layer. Place the second layer on top of the first and repeat. Place the third layer on the top, but don't frost it yet. Spread more of the dark shade around the bottom, outside edges. This ring of frosting should be around 1 1/2 inches tall.
17. Next, spread the middle shade above the dark shade, also about 1 1/2 inches tall. It's okay if the two shades of frosting are slightly mixed where the two colors meet.
18. Spread the lightest color around the top edges and over the top of the cake. Top with sprinkles if you wish!
19. Now eat some cake; you deserve it!

https://bethcakes.com/chocolate-ombre-cake/

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