I like my chocolate cake like I like my horse races: elegant and rich. My Triple Threat Chocolate Cake is a perfectly moist chocolate butter cake topped with a tangy, dark chocolate crème fraîche ganache and then glazed with a glossy, bittersweet chocolate cream.

It is decadence in every bite, which is why I’m making it as a way to celebrate the richest horse race in the world, the $16 million Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 27.

To get the most amazing chocolate cake (no matter what recipe you use) follow these three winning tips:

Chef Monti Carlo (Courtesy BestLAHeadshots)

1. Use the highest quality ingredients you can get your hands on. That means butter that has at least 82 percent butterfat. Reach for the more expensive, tangy European butters like Plugra, Kerrygold, President, or even Land O Lakes European Style butter. The chocolate you use for ganache and glazes should be unsweetened, dark, and have at least 70 percent cocoa solids.  Try brands like Scharffen Berger, Guittard, or Callebaut. Also, make sure to use high-quality cocoa powder for your cake. I crush hard on Valrhona cocoa powder.

2. Bake your cake in a shiny pan, not a dark one. Shiny pans reflect heat to prevent a crispy overcooked outside. Bonus points if you dust your pan with cocoa powder instead of flour to give you an even bigger chocolate punch.

3. Don’t cool your cake on the counter and let all that steam escape! As soon as your fingers can handle it, take your cake out of the pan and wrap it tightly in a couple of layers of plastic wrap. Cool it in the freezer and not only will you be able to cover it in ganache faster, all the steam you’ve trapped inside will give you the moistest cake ever.

Recipe for Triple Threat Chocolate Cake

Tools

• Double boiler set up (a small pan and bowl big enough to sit on the pan but not IN the pan)
• Oven thermometer
• Sifter
• Whisk
• Rubber spatula
• 9-inch shiny, round cake pan
• Parchment paper
• Toothpick or metal tester
• KitchenAid stand mixer, a hand mixer, or lots and lots of elbow grease
• 9-inch cardboard cake round
• Plastic wrap
• Icing spatula
• Sieve
• Sheet pan with rack

Ingredients for Dark Chocolate Crème Fraîche Ganache

• 8 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 8 oz crème fraîche, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup

Directions for Dark Chocolate Crème Fraîche Ganache

1. Add 2 inches of water to a small pan and bring that water to a gentle simmer.

2. Place the chopped dark chocolate in a bowl and place it on the pan. Make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl.

3. Stir the dark chocolate until just melted. Do this gently with a spatula, not a whisk, as you don’t want to create air bubbles.

4. Take off the heat and mix in the crème fraîche and corn syrup. Do this gently with a spatula, not a whisk, as you don’t want to create air bubbles.

5. Let the ganache cool at room temperature.

Ingredients for Chocolate Butter Cake

• 2 oz cocoa powder, more for dusting the cake pan
• 6 oz water, boiling
• 4 egg yolks, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla paste
• 6 oz sifted cake flour
• 7 oz baker’s sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 0.5 teaspoons salt
• 6 oz butter, room temperature, more for greasing pan

Directions for cake

1. Preheat your oven to 350. Most home ovens are not calibrated. Use an oven thermometer to verify that your oven is at the correct temperature and adjust accordingly.

2. In a medium bowl whisk cocoa powder and boiling water together and cool in the freezer for about 10 minutes, until it has reached room temperature.

3. Prepare a 9-inch shiny, round cake pan by greasing the bottom and sides with butter. Cover the inside bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper with butter as well. Dust the inside of the pan (bottom and sides) with cocoa powder.

4. In a large bowl mix together the egg yolks, vanilla paste, and 1/4 cup of the cooled cocoa mixture. Do not use a hot cocoa mixture as it will cook your eggs yolks.

5. In the bowl of your KitchenAid stand mixer, mix together the sifted cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Use a low speed and mix for 20 seconds.

6. Add the room temperature butter and what is left of the cooled plain cocoa mixture. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients have been hydrated.

7. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat the mixture on medium speed for a minute to add air to it and lighten it.

8. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again and add one-third of the egg mixture. Mix on low just until incorporated, about 10 to 20 seconds. Repeat this step two more times until all the egg mixture has been incorporated into the batter.

9. Add the batter to the prepared cake pan. Make sure your oven is at 350 degrees and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not open your oven to check on your cake until at least 25 minutes have gone by, as the fluctuation in temperature will cause your cake to fall.

10. At 20 minutes take a look at your cake, without opening your oven. If the cake is starting to pull away from the pan edges, it is overcooked. Remove it immediately. Otherwise, at 25 minutes check to see if the middle of the cake looks cooked through. If it looks cooked through, open your oven and touch the middle of your cake gently to see if it springs back. If it springs back, insert a toothpick or metal tester in the middle of your cake. If it comes out clean, your cake is ready.

11. Cool cake for a few minutes, just until it doesn’t burn your hands to take it out of the pan. Place your 9-inch cardboard cake round on top of your cake and turn the pan over to invert the cake onto the round. Gently wrap your cake in two layers of plastic wrap and cool in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until room temperature.

12. Once the cake has cooled use your icing spatula to frost it with one layer of ganache. Place in freezer for five minutes. Add a second layer of ganache. Place in freezer for an additional five minutes. Your cake is ready for its final coat of bittersweet chocolate glaze!

Ingredients for Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze

• 8 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 7 oz heavy cream

Directions for Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze

1. Place chopped chocolate in a bowl.

2. Warm the cream in a small pan until little bubbles form around the edge of the pan and the cream starts to steam.

3. Add the cream to the chopped chocolate and do not stir. Tilt the bowl to make sure the cream is covering all of the chocolate.

4. Let the chocolate mixture sit for five minutes and then mix gently until smooth.

5. Pass the mixture through a sieve to remove any chocolate solids.

6. Set your cake on a rack set over a sheet pan. Drizzle the chocolate glaze over your cooled cake.

You can enjoy your cake as is or decorate it with berries and edible flowers like I did. My Triple Threat Chocolate Cake has never lasted a whole day at my house, but your home might be filled with people who have self-control. In that case, the cake can stay at room temperature, covered, for two days. You can, of course, store it in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 2 weeks.

Please share your photos on Instagram and make sure to tag me on your posts: @themonticarlo. I can’t wait to share another of my winning recipes with you next month! 'Til then, happy cooking my sweets!

Courtesy BestLAHeadshots