Ingredients

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment and grease the sides.
2. Whisk cake flour, all-purpose flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt together until evenly combined.
3. Beat butter with both sugars for 2–3 minutes, scraping the bowl. Mix in the neutral oil.
4. Add the 3 whole eggs and 2 yolks gradually, mixing until incorporated; stir in the vanilla.
5. Dissolve espresso powder in 15 g hot water. Combine with the buttermilk and red gel coloring.
6. On low speed, add the dry mixture alternately with the buttermilk mixture, mixing just until combined. Scrape the bowl and avoid overmixing.
7. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans (approximately 680 g per pan). Smooth the tops.
8. Bake at 350°F, beginning to check at about 30 minutes. The centers should spring back and a tester should show moist crumbs rather than wet batter.
9. Cool in pans briefly, then turn out and cool completely before splitting each round horizontally into two layers.
10. Fill, stack and frost the four layers with PapaDlish Signature Cream Cheese Frosting. Prepare a double batch of the separate frosting recipe if also making cake pops, based on Papa D’s test-kitchen yield.

Papa D’s Test Kitchen Notes

• Finalized crumb: The tested recipe produces a tighter, velvety crumb with excellent chocolate flavor rather than an airy cake.
• Creaming: Beat butter and sugars for only 2–3 minutes.
• Frosting is separate: Follow the PapaDlish Signature Cream Cheese Frosting recipe; its ingredients are not included in this cake formula.
• Four-layer cake plus cake pops: Use one full two-brick Signature Cream Cheese Frosting batch (about 900 g) for the cake and an equal full batch (about 900 g) for the cake pops—two batches (about 1,800 g) total.
• Cupcakes: The same batter can be portioned into cupcakes; begin checking around 17 minutes at 350°F and bake until the centers spring back and a tester has moist crumbs.