Black & White Cake Slices

Moist chocolate cake with smooth ganache, creamy pastry cream, and silky sweet vanilla buttercream!

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These beautiful black and white cake slices are perfect for any dinner party or special occasion. The moist layers of chocolate cake are filled with chocolate ganache and pastry cream, and the buttercream is to die for! It’s a German-type buttercream made with pastry cream and tastes just like French buttercream without the raw egg. Most of the parts for this cake can be made ahead and put together on the day of your party in no time. You’re going to impress everyone with these decadent cake slices!

Why you’ll make these for every occasion

• Moist chocolate cake
• Sweet chocolaty ganache
• Creamy vanilla pastry cream
• Silky vanilla buttercream
• You’ll impress everyone with these beautiful, moist, creamy, chocolatey cake slices!

Everything you’ll need

For the Cake:

• All-purpose flour
• Unsweetened cocoa powder –sweetened will make your cake too sweet
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Semi-sweet chocolate –dark would be good too
• Prepared hot coffee –or leftover coffee from your morning
• Light olive oil –light flavored vegetable oil
• Granulated sugar
• Eggs
• Plain yogurt –regular or Greek yogurt if that’s what you have
• Milk
• Pure vanilla extract
• Baking soda –this is what makes the cake really soft

Pastry Cream:

• Whole milk –I don’t recommend using low-fat milk
• Cornstarch
• Granulated sugar
• Salt
• Egg yolks
• Heavy cream –this s what helps make it so creamy
• Pure vanilla extract –good quality for the best flavor

Ganache:

• Semi-sweet chocolate –or dark chocolate
• Heavy whipping cream
• Pure vanilla extract

Coffee Syrup:

• Granulated sugar
• Water
• Instant coffee
• Pure vanilla extract

Vanilla Buttercream:

• Unsalted butter -softened
• Confectioner’s sugar
• Pure vanilla extract -good quality for the best flavor
• Pastry cream

How to make black and white cake slices

Start with the chocolate cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C.
• Whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.
• Combine the chocolate with the hot coffee in a bowl or pitcher, whisk together until the chocolate melts, and then set aside.
• Whisk together the eggs, sugar, and oil in a large mixing bowl.
• Add the yogurt, baking soda, vanilla, milk, and coffee mixture, and then whisk together until smooth.
• Add the flour mixture in a few batches until incorporated.
• Next, grease two half-sheet (17.88 x 12.88 x 1.06 inches) baking pans and line them with parchment paper.
• Divide the cake batter equally between the two pans and bake for 22-25 minutes. The cakes are ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.
• Cool the cakes, remove the parchment paper and wrap them with plastic wrap.

Make the Pastry Cream:

• Add the milk, salt, and 1 cup of sugar to a pot and heat until steaming hot.
• Combine the yolks, remaining sugar, cream, and cornstarch in a bowl and whisk together until smooth.
• Add a small amount of the hot milk to the egg mixture to temper and whisk together.
• Then, pour the egg mixture into the pot with milk while whisking together until it thickens and comes to a boil.
• Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract.
• Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.
• Allow the cream to cool and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

The Coffee Syrup:

• In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, coffee, and water and bring to a boil.
• Once the sugar has dissolved, remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
• Allow the syrup to cool completely.

Make the Ganache:

• Place the chocolate in a bowl.
• Heat the cream until scalding hot, and then pour the hot cream over the chocolate.
• Whisk in the vanilla extract and continue whisking until smooth and glossy.
• Set aside to cool.

The Vanilla Buttercream:

• Add the butter, confectioner’s sugar, and vanilla extract to the bowl of a tabletop mixer that has been fitted with the whisk attachment.
• Beat on low speed until smooth, then increase the speed to high and beat for another minute until fluffy.
• Allow the pastry cream to come to room temperature and add it in a few batches to the butter while the machine runs on medium speed.
• Beat until smooth and fluffy.
• Make sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
• Transfer some of the buttercream into a pastry bag that has been fitted with a large open star tip.

Assemble the Cake:

• Bakers tip! It is best to work with the cake while it is frozen.
• Cut the cake into two equal portions.
• Place one portion onto a board or the back of a baking pan covered with parchment paper.
• Brush the cake with a generous amount of coffee syrup.
• Pipe a vanilla buttercream border with the icing.
• Then, spread a thin layer of ganache in the center and top with pastry cream.
• Spread the pastry cream over the ganache and top with the other half of the cake.
• Brush the cake with coffee syrup.
• Then, frost the cake with the vanilla buttercream and drizzle ganache on top to create a decorative pattern.
• Chill the cake in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Make ahead

As I said, several parts of the finished cake can be made ahead. The cakes can be stored in the freezer for up to two months, and it’s actually easier to assemble the cake with them frozen. The syrup will stay fresh in the refrigerator for a week, and I recommend you make the pastry cream up to 3 days ahead if you can. Your finished cake will come together in no time!

Freezing the cake slices

Shocking, right? Yes, you can freeze the individual assembled cake slices for up to 2 months. All you have to do is place them on a baking tray or in a freezer-safe storage container. Once they have been frozen solid, wrap each slice in a few layers of plastic wrap and keep frozen for up to 2 months. Then, thaw the slices overnight in the refrigerator or for about 30 minutes at room temperature.

Serve

I cut the fully assembled cake into serving portions and decorate each slice with a swirl of buttercream and a strawberry slice. The cake slices are beautiful, but the extra decoration turns them into impressive bakery-worthy cake slices. Don’t be surprised if you start getting orders for decadent black and white cake slices! Kali Orexi!

More Cake Recipes:

• Lemon Layer Cake
• Carrot Cake
• Moist Chocolate Layer Cake
• Greek Lemonopita
• Hazelnut Coffee Cake