Chocolate cake "Herman"

Ingredients:

Cakes

• 1 cup vegetable oil + a little for greasing the pans
• 2.5 cups flour, level, plus a little extra for dusting the pans
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 0.5 tsp fine salt
• 120 g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup of milk

Filling

• 1.5 cups pecans
• 1 cup of milk
• 3 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 4 tbsp (60 g) butter
• 1/4 cup corn syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1.5 cups sweet coconut flakes

Cream

• 240 g dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 tbsp. + 2 tbsp. heavy cream
• Special equipment: Pastry bag with a star tip.

Preparation:

1. Cakes: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease two 9-inch cake pans with vegetable oil and dust them with flour. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
2. Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat it on full power for 45 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir. Then return it to the microwave and heat in 30-second intervals, stirring each time, until the chocolate is completely melted.
3. In a large bowl, beat the sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Stir in the melted chocolate. Add the flour mixture and milk in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until smooth. Do not overmix the batter. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
4. Bake for 30–35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out with moist crumbs. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes. Run a thin spatula between each cake and the sides of the pan, and turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely. (The cakes will be covered in a sugary crust. This is due to the melted chocolate; this is normal. The crust will soften when you assemble the cake, or if you assemble it the next day.)
5. Filling: While the cake layers are cooling, place the nuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven, stirring once, for 8 to 10 minutes. Then finely chop them. In a medium saucepan, whisk the milk and egg yolks until smooth. Add the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, vanilla, and salt and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, 5 to 6 minutes. (The mixture should be the consistency of eggnog.) Pour it into a large bowl. (Don't worry if the mixture seems runny. The coconut and nuts will thicken it.) Stir in the coconut and pecans. Let the filling cool.
6. Cream: Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, heat 1 cup of heavy cream over medium heat until very hot, but do not boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let it sit for a few minutes, then whisk until smooth. Let it sit at room temperature (or refrigerate it if your kitchen is hot) until the ganache thickens but does not set, 20 minutes to 1 hour. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of heavy cream to the chocolate mixture and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute (do not overbeat or the cream will become hard and grainy). The cream should hold medium peaks and continue to set slightly as it sits. Transfer 1 cup of heavy cream to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip.
7. Assembly: Place one cake layer face-up on a serving plate and cover with half the filling. Place the second cake layer on top and cover with the remaining filling, leaving a 1 cm border. Frost the sides of the cake and decorate the edges of the top layer using a pastry bag.
8. Cover the cake loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest overnight at room temperature. Then remove the wrap and serve.
   
   

   Note

   
   A cake that has been left to rest overnight will become more moist, more delicious, and easier to cut.