KIT KAT CAKE RECIPE RECIPES

Steps:

• Place a rack in center of oven; preheat to 325°. Using your fingertips, grease bottom and sides of a 9" round cake pan with vegetable oil. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper, smoothing to eliminate air bubbles. (It may sound fancy, but making a parchment circle is easy! Place pan on a piece of parchment, trace circumference with a pencil, then cut it out.)
• Whisk 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour, 1¼ cups granulated sugar, 1¾ tsp. baking powder, ¼ tsp. baking soda, and 1¼ tsp. kosher salt in a large bowl. Sift ½ cup cocoa powder into bowl, then whisk to combine. (You can stop here and package these dry ingredients in an airtight container to create a sort of DIY cake mix if you want!)
• Whisk 2 large eggs, ¾ cup vegetable oil, and 1 tsp. vanilla extract in a medium bowl until well combined and creamy, about 30 seconds. Using a spatula, mix egg mixture into dry ingredients until fully incorporated. It will be thick and pasty, that’s okay!
• Warm 1 cup milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until it comes to just a bare simmer—make sure it doesn’t come to a boil. Whisk warmed milk into batter until lump-free and just combined; do not overmix.
• Immediately transfer batter to prepared pan. Tap pan a few times on work surface to encourage some of the bubbles to escape.
• Bake cake, turning pan halfway through, until a cake tester (or toothpick!) inserted into the center of cake comes out clean, 40–50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan.
• Meanwhile, make the frosting: Fill a medium pot with 1" water and bring to a bare simmer over medium heat. Combine 4 oz. chocolate chips and ½ cup heavy cream in a heatproof medium bowl, place over saucepan, and reduce heat to low (make sure bottom of bowl is not touching water). Stir occasionally with a spatula until chocolate is melted and mixture is homogeneous and thick. Chill ganache until cool to the touch, about 25 minutes (you can mix with a spatula to encourage cooling). Alternately, mix chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 10-second bursts until melted.
• Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whisk 4 oz. (room temperature!) cream cheese, ¼ cup powdered sugar, and remaining ¾ tsp. vanilla extract and ¼ tsp. kosher salt in a large bowl until very smooth and no lumps remain. Beat in cooled chocolate ganache on medium speed, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, until frosting just holds its peak and is well combined and a little thicker, about 1 minute. You don’t want to overbeat because the frosting can become too stiff.
• Run a butter knife around edges of pan. Invert cooled cake onto a plate and peel off parchment. Invert again onto a platter.
• Top cake with frosting, spreading evenly across the surface. Make some decorative swooshes with a spoon, if desired. Slice and serve.

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 325°. Using your fingertips, generously butter bottom and sides of a 9" round cake pan (make sure pan is at least 2" deep). Line bottom of pan with parchment paper, smoothing to eliminate air bubbles. (It may sound fancy, but making a parchment circle is easy! Place pan on a piece of parchment, trace circumference with a pencil, then cut it out.)
• Coarsely chop 12 oz. good-quality bittersweet chocolate into ½" pieces. Transfer to a medium saucepan.
• Add ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter to saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally with a heatproof spatula, until butter and chocolate are melted, about 8 minutes. (Alternatively, microwave chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl in short bursts, stirring in between, until melted and homogenous.)
• Remove pan from heat and let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes. (You can encourage chocolate mixture to cool faster by occasionally stirring it.)
• Meanwhile, using an electric mixer on high speed, beat 6 large eggs, 1¼ cups granulated sugar, 1 tsp. kosher salt, and 1 tsp. vanilla in a large bowl until pale yellow and fluffy, 8–11 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when the egg mixture has almost tripled in volume, the beaters start to create a ribboning effect, and when you lift the beaters, the mixture should leave a trail as it falls back on itself.
• Pour in chocolate mixture. Gently fold two mixtures together with a rubber spatula by scooping underneath, then cutting through the middle with the side of the spatula. Continue to work in this motion juuuuust until batter is well combined and homogenous—take care not to overmix!
• Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until a thin, dry crust has formed on the surface, and cake has risen and is firmed up but still wobbles ever-so-slightly in the center underneath the crust, 30–40 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan about 10 minutes.
• While cake cools, roast ½ cup raw hazelnuts on a small rimmed baking sheet until lightly browned, 10–12 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board. Let cool, then coarsely chop.
• Place a flat cutting board or large plate over pan. Using a towel to protect your hands, swiftly invert plate and pan; cake should release on its own. Lift pan off, then peel off parchment.
• Gently place a flat platter or cake stand onto cake and invert again. Be careful because this cake is very delicate! It’s okay if there are some cracks along the top; the beauty is in the imperfection. Let cake cool to room temperature.
• Vigorously whisk 1 cup cold heavy cream in a medium bowl until medium peaks form.
• Sift powdered sugar over cooled cake.
• Serve cake with whipped cream and hazelnuts alongside.
• Do Ahead: Cake (without powdered sugar) can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic and store at room temperature.