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.
Twice Chocolate Torte is a true family favorite! The recipe has been in the Blickenstaff family for years. When I was engaged to be married, my future mother-in-law gave me the best gift ever. It was a recipe book with all of her tried and true recipes written in beautiful handwriting on 3 x 5 cards. She was a very 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.
The original recipe called for “Hershey’s Syrup Chocolate Fudge Topping.” It came in a can with a light brown label. It was perfect for the frosting layer on this cake. Unfortunately, Hershey’s stopped making their fudge topping and you can’t buy it anymore. I stopped making the cake for a while because I couldn’t find this ingredient.
It was my husband’s birthday a few days ago and my daughter offered to make him any cake he wanted. He chose this one. I haven’t made it for so long because of the Hershey’s syrup we can’t get anymore. We decided to try the Hershey’s Hot Fudge Topping that comes in a jar as a substitute, and it worked great (I’ve also been told by family members that the Mrs. Richardson’s Hot Fudge Topping works well). It was a hit. My husband was thrilled to have his old favorite back. It was a great day! The cake brought back some really sweet memories. Food has a way of doing that for us.
Some recommendations when making this cake… don’t skip the step of freezing the two round cakes. This makes it so much easier to slice the layers. It’s a bit of a trick to slice it evenly. Be sure to use the longest serrated knife you have. The cake is forgiving and you can fudge a little with the frosting if it’s uneven. You can see from my photo that my layers are far from perfect – and that’s ok. Trust me, this cake is so good no one is bringing out 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 ever for this cake. I don’t have one, but it’s on my Christmas list!
Ingredients
- 1 milk chocolate cake mix
- 8 oz cool whip
- 12.8 oz Hershey's Hot Fudge Topping (1 jar) or Mrs Richardson's Hot Fudge Topping
Instructions
- Prepare milk chocolate cake mix according to package directions. Bake in 2 9" round baking pans.
- Allow cakes to cool for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and allow to finish cooling on a baking 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. 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 1/4 of the topping between each layer and let the extra drip down the sides leaving the cake edge uncovered.
Equipment
- 9 inch round baking pans
K says
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!
Echo says
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?
K says
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.
Echo says
It makes perfect sense! Thank you so much for the tip. I will definitely be trying this. It’s a great time saver!
Grace says
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. 🙂
Kimber says
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!