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Baking recipe · from the recipe book

Chocolate Snack Cake with Vanilla Cream Filling

A deep, tender cocoa crumb split and layered with a silky vanilla pastry-cream filling for a moist, chocolatey snack cake.

Chocolate Snack Cake with Vanilla Cream Filling

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups190 gAll-purpose flour
  • ½ cup50 gUnsweetened cocoa powdersifted
  • 1⅓ cups260 gGranulated sugardivided: 200 g for the cake, 60 g for the filling
  • 1⅛ tsp5 gBaking soda
  • ¾ tsp4 gBaking powder
  • ½ tsp3 gSalt
  • 3 large150 gEggs3 large: 2 for the cake, 1 for the filling, at room temperature
  • 1 cup (240 ml)240 gButtermilk, low-fatat room temperature
  • ⅓ cup90 gCanola oil
  • ½ cup (120 ml)120 gBrewed coffeehot
  • 1 tbsp12 gVanilla extractdivided: 6 g for the cake, 6 g for the filling
  • 1¼ cups (300 ml)300 gWhole milk
  • 3 tbsp25 gCornstarch
  • 1½ tbsp20 gUnsalted butterdivided: 17 g cut into pieces for the filling, 3 g for greasing the pan

Steps

  1. Make the filling first so it can chill: in a saucepan, whisk the 60 g filling portion of the sugar with the cornstarch, then whisk in the whole milk and the 1 filling egg until smooth.
  2. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it bubbles and thickens and reaches 160°F (71°C), about 5–7 minutes; keep whisking and boil 1 minute more.
  3. Off the heat, whisk in the 17 g of butter pieces and the 6 g filling portion of the vanilla. Press plastic wrap onto the surface and chill at least 2 hours, until set.
  4. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x13-inch pan with the remaining 3 g of butter and line the bottom with parchment.
  5. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, the sifted unsweetened cocoa powder, the 200 g cake portion of the sugar, the baking soda, the baking powder and the salt until evenly brown.
  6. In another bowl, whisk the 2 cake eggs, the buttermilk, the canola oil and the 6 g cake portion of the vanilla.
  7. Stir the egg mixture into the flour-and-cocoa mixture, then slowly whisk in the hot coffee until the thin batter is smooth.
  8. Pour the batter into the pan and bake 30–35 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
  9. Cool the cake in the pan 15 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack and cool completely, about 1 hour.
  10. Slice the cooled cake horizontally into two thin layers with a long serrated knife. Whisk the chilled vanilla filling smooth, spread it over the bottom layer, and set the top layer on it.
  11. Chill 20 minutes to firm the filling, then cut into 12 slices. Keep leftovers in the fridge.

Food safety: Don't taste raw dough or batter: raw flour and raw eggs can carry germs.

Contains: Milk, Egg, Gluten.

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Saved in the Every Helping recipe book on October 24, 2026.

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