# The 7-Layer Chocolate Cake Taking Over NYC — Most-Ordered Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0u3-wQypTw Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/z0u3-wQypTw Generated: 2026-02-12T15:34:12.299+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Chef Joshua Pinsky of Claud in the East Village reveals the recipe for his extremely popular, seven-layer Devil's Food Cake, detailing the preparation of the frosting, cake batter, ginger-infused soak, and the final assembly, including a black cocoa mirror glaze and dusting with grated dark chocolate. **Key Points:** - Chef Joshua Pinsky of Claud in the East Village demonstrates how to create his most-ordered item, the seven-layer Devil's Food Cake. - The frosting is made by combining three different types of chocolate, butter, and cream, then blending with an immersion blender and chilling overnight to achieve a pliable consistency. - The cake batter incorporates buttermilk, oil, eggs, and a small amount of gelatin in the soak to ensure the final cake is not too dense. - The cake layers are soaked with a mixture containing grated ginger, sugar, vermouth, and Carnation evaporated milk for flavor and texture enhancement. - The cake is assembled using five layers, with the largest cake layer placed on the bottom and inverted for structural support against gravity. - The final step involves coating the entire cake in a dark glaze made from cream, water, gelatin, sugar, and carbon black cocoa powder for a striking, intensely black finish. - The cake is finished by dusting the entire exterior with grated dark chocolate, which the chef notes adds aesthetic appeal and texture. ![Screenshot at 00:04: A close-up shot reveals the cross-section of the massive, multi-layered chocolate cake, showing seven distinct cake layers separated by thin layers of chocolate frosting, highlighting the cake's imposing height and structure before final decoration.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/z0u3-wQypTw/00-00-04.jpg) **Context:** Chef Joshua Pinsky, the Chef-Owner of Claud in the East Village, walks viewers through the meticulous, multi-step process of creating his highly popular, seven-layer Devil's Food Cake. Pinsky emphasizes that while the cake is complex, the final product is worth the effort, noting that the cake is so rich that two people rarely finish a slice, implying it is an intensely decadent dessert. ## Detailed Analysis Chef Joshua Pinsky details the seven steps required to create the Devil's Food Cake from Claud. Step one involves making the frosting, which uses three different chocolates, butter, and cream, blended and set overnight for pliability. Step two covers the cake batter, where ingredients like buttermilk, oil, eggs, and bloomed gelatin are mixed slowly to avoid overworking the batter, resulting in a texture similar to a brownie. Step three focuses on the soak, a crucial element for flavor, made from grated ginger, sugar, vermouth, and evaporated milk, which is applied liberally to the cake layers, particularly around the edges. Step four is the cake assembly: five layers are stacked, using the largest layer as the base and inverting it to help support the weight, with frosting applied between each layer. Step five involves crumb-coating the tall cake using the chocolate frosting and chilling it to set the crumbs. Step six is applying the black mirror glaze, made from cream, water, gelatin, sugar, and carbon black cocoa powder, heated to 180-190°F to ensure a thin, shiny coating that sets properly. Finally, step seven is dusting the glazed cake with grated dark chocolate for aesthetic appeal and texture, achieving a rich, dark brown, heavily textured exterior. ### Step One - Make Frosting: Chocolate mixture is made using three types of chocolate, butter, and cream, blended with an immersion blender, and chilled overnight until pliable. ### Step Two - Cake Batter: Dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, salt) are sifted together, then wet ingredients (buttermilk, oil, eggs) are blended into a batter resembling a brownie; slow folding is emphasized to avoid overworking. ### Step Three - The Soak: A flavor-enhancing soak is prepared using grated ginger, sugar, vermouth, and evaporated milk; this is generously applied to the cake layers, especially the edges, to prevent dryness. ### Step Four - Build The Cake: Five cake layers are stacked on a turntable, using the largest layer as the base and inverting it for stability; frosting is piped between each layer. ### Step Five - Crumb-Coating: The assembled cake is coated with the chocolate frosting and smoothed using a bench scraper while rotating on the turntable; the cake is then chilled for 30-45 minutes to set the coating. ### Step Six - The Glaze: A dark glaze is made by heating cream and water, mixing in sugar, gelatin, and carbon black cocoa powder to reach 180-190°F to ensure it is thin and sets without melting the underlying frosting. ### Step Seven - Dust The Cake: The finished, glazed cake is dusted heavily on all sides with grated dark chocolate, which provides texture and aesthetic appeal. ![Screenshot at 00:02: A chef uses a large knife to slice a section from a tall, dark, crumb-coated cake.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/z0u3-wQypTw/00-00-02.jpg) ![Screenshot at 00:13: The chef pours a thick, dark chocolate glaze over the frosted cake, creating dramatic drips down the side.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/z0u3-wQypTw/00-00-13.jpg) ![Screenshot at 00:45: Step one is displayed as the chef strains the chocolate frosting mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal pan.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/z0u3-wQypTw/00-00-45.jpg) ![Screenshot at 03:20: The chef carefully greases multiple 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray and lines the bottoms with parchment paper before filling.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/z0u3-wQypTw/00-03-20.jpg) ![Screenshot at 06:47: The five cake layers are stacked high, separated by chocolate frosting, and encased in a clear acetate collar to maintain structural integrity during assembly.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/z0u3-wQypTw/00-06-47.jpg)