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The layers of chocolate in this Twice Chocolate Torte make every bite moist and creamy. This is a recipe that comes from my husband’s side of the family. His mother made this cake for him every year for his birthday when he was growing up.
Table of Contents
Twice Chocolate Torte is a true family favorite! The recipe has been in the Blickenstaff family for years. When I was engaged, my future mother-in-law gave me the best gift ever – a recipe book with all of her tried and true recipes written in beautiful handwriting on 3 x 5 cards. She was a talented cook and I have loved those recipes! This Twice Chocolate Torte was the first recipe I tried because I knew my husband loved it so much.
What is a Torte?
Some people think that cake and torte are interchangeable but there are a few differences! The name comes from the German word “torte”, which means cake. Tortes usually have thinly sliced layers of cake sandwiching layers of filling like buttercream, mousse, or fruit. Tortes are almost always round and they always have toppings, like the shaved chocolate you see in the picture. They can also be topped with glazes, nuts, and fruits!
Ingredients in Twice Chocolate Torte
- Milk Chocolate Cake Mix – prepare the batter according to package directions. This typically entails adding oil or melted butter, large eggs, and water. The cake mix itself contains the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Cool Whip
- Hershey’s Hot Fudge Topping
- Optional Toppings – fresh berries, milk or dark chocolate chips, chocolate shavings, sprinkles
Make Your Own Whipped Cream
If you don’t want to use Cool Whip, or don’t have it on hand, you can make your own whipped cream. Add a cup heavy whipping cream to the bowl of a stand mixer or electric mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat on medium high until stiff peaks form. Then add 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and stir to combine.
Chocolate Fudge Topping
For my husband’s birthday my daughter offered to make him any cake he wanted. He chose this Twice Chocolate Torte. The original recipe called for “Hershey’s Syrup Chocolate Fudge Topping.” Unfortunately, Hershey’s stopped making this particular sauce! So, I stopped making this torte for a while. However, we decided to try the regular Hershey’s Hot Fudge Topping as a substitute, and it worked great! My husband was thrilled to have his old favorite back. The torte brought back some really sweet memories. Food has a way of doing that for us.
Tips for Making Twice Chocolate Torte
Don’t skip the step of freezing the two round layers! It’s a bit of a trick to slice it evenly if you don’t. Be sure to use the longest serrated knife you have. Luckily, the cake is very forgiving. You can see from my photo that my layers are ~not perfect – and that’s ok. Trust me, this chocolate torte is so good no one is bringing a ruler to make sure the layers are all the same size. The only tool they are looking for is a fork. However, if you are a perfectionist or know a baker who is a perfectionist this Stainless Steel Cake Slicer would be the best tool for this torte. I don’t have one, but it’s on my list!
Frequently Asked Questions
Some people think that cake and torte are interchangeable but there are a few differences! The name comes from the German word “torte”, which does mean cake. However, tortes usually have thinly sliced layers of cake sandwiching layers of filling like buttercream, mousse, or fruit. Tortes are almost always round and they always have toppings, like the shaved chocolate you see in the picture. They can also be topped with glazes, nuts, and fruits!
Yes, you can keep the cake layers in the freezer for up to three months. Frost before thawing when ready to serve.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Read Next: 33+ Easy Dessert Ideas (with Pictures + Simple Recipes)
Other Cakes You’ll Love
Looking for more chocolate cake ideas? Check out these family favorites!
- Chocolate Malt Cake with Chocolate Malt Icing
- Easy Chocolate Cake with Cherry Topping
- Ridiculously Delicious Chocolate Cake
- Double Chocolate Oreo Bundt Cake
How to Make Twice Chocolate Torte
Twice Chocolate Torte
Equipment
- 2 9 inch round cake pan
Ingredients
- 1 milk chocolate cake mix
- 8 ounces cool whip
- 12.8 ounces Hershey's Hot Fudge Topping (1 jar) or Mrs Richardson's Hot Fudge Topping
Instructions
- Grease two 9-inch round pans or line them with parchment paper. Prepare milk chocolate cake mix according to package directions. Pour batter equally into each prepared pan and bake according to package directions.
- Allow cakes to cool for 10 minutes after removing from oven. Remove cakes from pans and allow to finish cooling on a wire rack.
- Wrap cooled cakes in plastic wrap and freeze for 1 hour. This will make them easier to slice in half for layering.
- Remove cakes from freezer and carefully slice each cake in half using a long serrated knife (bread knife) creating 4 thin layers of cake.
- Fold hot fudge topping into the cool whip. Make sure the cool whip has been thawed in the refrigerator and the hot fudge topping is at room temperature. If you’ve kept the hot fudge topping in the fridge, do not heat it in the microwave. It’s best to use the unopened jar straight from the shelf.
- Place one layer of cake on a cake platter or serving plate. Spread about 1/6th of the cool whip/hot fudge topping over the cake. Place another cake layer on top and repeat. Use the remaining topping to spread around the outside of the cake.
- If you prefer, you can spread ¼ of the topping between each layer and let the extra drip down the sides leaving the cake edge uncovered.
Notes
- Don’t skip the step of freezing the two round layers! It’s a bit of a trick to slice it evenly if you don’t.
- Be sure to use the longest serrated knife you have. Luckily, the cake is very forgiving. You can see from my photo that my layers are ~not perfect – and that’s ok. Trust me, this chocolate torte is so good no one is bringing a ruler to make sure the layers are all the same size.
- However, if you are a perfectionist or know a baker who is a perfectionist this Stainless Steel Cake Slicer would be the best tool for this torte. I don’t have one, but it’s on my list!
A chocolate lover’s dream! So decadent and delicious
Oh this looks epic. A real show stopper dessert.
Love this easy and delicious dessert. Best for a party dessert too.
Fantastic layers that won’t leave anyone guessing if it a new chocolate torte favorite or not. Delicious!
I made your recipe for a gathering the other day and everyone kept asking for the recipe. It was totally a hit!
My mother always made torte cakes. Using 4 cake pans divide batter evenly between the pans and bake for 12-14 minutes. Never have to worry about slicing them and always have even layers!
I love tried and true recipes! And maybe this is dumb, but I am geeking out over the cake slicer. Brilliant!!! I can’t cut in a straight line to save my life (even though I’m a total perfectionist. Worst combination ever). I am so excited about this cake. Frosting is never right for me and it always ruins the cake (for me)! This is a frosting I can get behind. 🙂
This looks delicious-I can’t wait to try it! Have you ever tried using dental floss to slice a layer cake? I used to have a horizontal cake slicer, but ended up tossing it when I learned that floss worked even better. Thanks for sharing all these great recipes!
I haven’t tried dental floss – but, now I’m curious. I don’t know if it would work when the cake is frozen, but maybe that eliminates the need to freeze it. Do you use it when the cake is warm or after it cools?
I do it after the cake cools. And you’re right-I don’t think it’d work so well frozen! I just take a large piece of floss and wrap it around the outside of the cake where I want it cut. When I’m satisfied it’s even, I just pull on the ends until it slices all the way through. Hopefully that makes sense.
It makes perfect sense! Thank you so much for the tip. I will definitely be trying this. It’s a great time saver!