Churro Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray and placing a wax paper circle in the bottom of each pan.

Whisk together sifted cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

Cream butter on med-high for one minute. Add sugar and beat on med-high for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy, scraping down bowl and paddle as needed.

Turn the mixer down to low and add the eggs one by one, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add vanilla and sour cream and mix for one minute on high, scraping down the bowl and paddle once more.

Add all of the dry ingredients at once with the mixer on low speed until just combined, then add the milk all at once with the mixer still on low. Scrape down the bowl and paddle and mix on low until it all just comes together, about 30 seconds. You might need to hand whisk at the end to get rid of some lumps, but be careful not to overmix.

Fill prepared cake pans no more than ⅔ full and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Place chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl and set aside.

Whisk together heavy whipping cream, cinnamon, and cayenne in a saucepan over medium-high heat until small bubbles start to form (aka right before it starts boiling).

Pour over chocolate chips and let sit for 30 seconds before whisking together until the ganache is uniform in consistency. You’ll need to let this cool on the counter to room temp before filling or dripping the cake.

In a large bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

Cream butter on med-high until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes), scraping down bowl and paddle a few times in between.

Add powdered sugar/cinnamon mixture a few cups at a time, scraping down bowl and paddle between intervals. Mix on medium until fully incorporated.

Turn mixer to low and add vanilla and milk. Mix on medium for two minutes. Scrape down bowl and paddle and add salt. Mix for another minute on medium until incorporated.

Torte each cake layer to desired height. Pipe a circle of buttercream around the top edge of the first layer (to make a buttercream dam) and fill with half Cinnamon Vanilla Buttercream, half (room temperature) Mexican Chocolate Ganache.

Place the next cake layer on top and repeat step one, then add the final cake layer on top.

Crumb coat the cake with Cinnamon Vanilla Buttercream, then ice with a final layer of buttercream.

Place the cake in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to chill the buttercream before dripping with room temperature Mexican Chocolate Ganache.

Top with your favorite local churros or topper of your choice. In this design I’ve also piped a few open stars with buttercream using Wilton tip 4B.