BEST!
making this again for sure, totally worth the effort
recipe from joyofbaking.com
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Grease, or spray with a non-stick vegetable spray, a set of three 9 by 1 inch (23 x 2.54 cm) checkerboard cake pans, line with parchment paper, and then grease and flour again. Set aside.
ingredients
3 ounces (85 grams) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped(vegan chocolate chips was used)
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups (320 ml) milk, divided
1 tablespoon (12 grams) pure vanilla extract
4 cups (400 grams) sifted cake flour
2 cups (400 grams) granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons (30 grams) baking powder
1 teaspoon (5 grams) salt
1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces(vegan margarine was used)
Melt the chocolate in a stainless steel bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Set aside.
In a separate bowl whisk
together the 4 large eggs, 1/3 cup (80 ml) of milk, and 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract. Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and beat to combine. Add the butter and remaining 1 cup (240 ml) milk and beat on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat for about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides. Gradually add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat to incorporate the ingredients.
Divide the batter in half, placing each in a separate bowl (in one of the bowls have a little more than half the batter). Stir the melted chocolate into the smaller amount of batter until it is thoroughly combined. Fill two large pastry bags, fitted with large round tips (about 3/4 inches (2 cm) in diameter, one with the chocolate batter and the other with the white batter.
Place the divider rings in one of the prepared pans and pipe batter into each section, alternating batter colors (for example – outer and inner ring yellow, middle ring chocolate). The batter should fill the pan about half full. Using the back of a spoon, smooth the batter. Now carefully lift out the divider. Wash the divider before placing in the next pan. When piping batter for the second layer, alternate the colors, i.e. if you started with yellow for the outside ring, start with the chocolate. Pipe batter into the third pan exactly like the first pan. (Note: You will end up with two pans having the same color pattern and one the opposite.)
bake for 20 min or until stick comes out clean
i didn’t do a ganache like the recipe calls for. i made up a strawberry whip cream topping
ingredients
500ml container of whipping cream( or do a marshmallow topping mixed with the strawberry syrup)
3tablespoons of strawberry syrup
sugar to taste(you don’t need it at all), i used about 1/2 cup
whip on med/high in electric mixer until it is firm
use whip to stick together the layers of the cake
and blob the rest on the top and then spread it down the sides, nice and fluffy.