I rarely watch the Food Network. Although I love the shows, I start to get anxious and twitch with inspiration and idea overload!
I scribble down ideas of my own… many of which I never get to, others I make right away like this Matterhorn Cake from Sweet Surrender.
The Matterhorn Cake from Sweet Surrender is a chocolate layer cake using almond and vanilla with a rich cream cheese buttercream frosting.
Matterhorn Cake
While watching Best Thing I Ever Ate Giada swooned over a chocolate layer cake with buttercream icing from Sweet Surrender Bakery in Bakersfield, California.
Because the prospect of traveling to Bakersfield to try a slice of cake is not on my immediate agenda I tried to find a replica recipe to taste the extreme delight Giada had described.
To my surprise there was very little; except a Google thread stating the same question I had “where do I find the recipe for Sweet Surrenders Matterhorn Cake?” One individual posted the recipe claiming to be the “real deal”.
Since I have never had the original Matterhorn Cake I can not tell you if it is similar. What I can tell you is that makes a monster of a cake! Three moist layers of light chocolate cake separated by melt-in-your mouth buttercream frosting.
Adding both vanilla and almond flavor gives this cake unique and robust flavor that is hard to put your finger on. It is hard to imagine the real Matterhorn Cake tasting any better than what I created in my kitchen.
The Real Deal
And then an employee of Sweet Surrender emailed me with the REAL Matterhorn Cake recipe! Can you beleive my excitement?
Turns out the real recipe doesn’t use almond extract or cake flour, but you know what what? I liked those two elements, so I kept them on as my own.
I have also updated the frosting since originally posting to a cream cheese buttercream. I still use a clear vanilla extract. We also love it with a mascarpone cake filling instead.
Clear vanilla is used for the purpose of color alone and is actually vanilla flavored, not pure vanilla. If keeping the frosting a snowy white is not a priority for you, then by all means use regular vanilla.
Cake flour has a higher starch content and is finer than all-purpose flour, resulting in tender, fluffier layers. Softasilk is the primary brand found in chain grocery stores. You can use all-purpose if you’d like.
I do recommend using 3 cake pans and cooking all the cakes together. It just saves time. You can also use a kitchen scale to make sure they are all equally full.
A spring form pan will work, but a basic cake pan lined on the bottom with parchment and butter will also do just fine. They are cheaper and easier to clean.
One more thing I hear a lot of is people who are struggling to get flat topped cakes. Read my friend Liv’s post on getting flat tops every time! You can also trim the top with a serrated knife should you need to. Flat, symmetrical cakes are always easier to stack.
If you liked our Chocolate Layer Cake, check out these other decadent cake ideas!
- Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Buttercream
- Blackberry Bundt Cake
- Ricotta Cheesecake with Fresh Berries
- Almond Pound Cake
- Browned Butter Caramel Cake
- 3-Ingredient Banana Cupcakes
- Banana Pudding Layer Cake
Small Batch Vanilla Cupcakes
Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes
Matterhorn Cake – Chocolate Layer Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup butter , softened
- 2 large eggs , room temperature
- 1 teaspoon clear vanilla
- 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 1/2 cups cake flour
- 1 cup unsweetened coca powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/4 cups buttermilk
Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 2 teaspoons clear vanilla
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 8-9 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 7 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 3 8-inch circular cake pans with butter. You can use cooking spray, but butter works and tastes better.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer, add cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes. Add the eggs and extracts, mixing to combine.
- In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients with the buttermilk until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Equally divide cake batter between 3 cake pans. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until cake passes toothpick test.
- Remove and allow to cool before inverting to a cooling rack. Cool complete before frosting.
- When cake is cool, beat cream cheese with butter until fluffy and fully combined, approximately 5 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, clear vanilla, cream and salt. If frosting is too thick to spread, add 1 tablespoon milk. If too runny (if your butter is too soft) add additional powdered sugar.
- Place one layer of cake on serving tray, top with frosting, top with next layer and so on. Frost the sides with a crumb layer and allow to set.
- Frost cake with remaining frosting and decorate as desired.
- If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or ratings.
Hi Jessica , The Episode for this cake was on today and this time i video taped it and then made it. The cake is fudgy and dense so thats the kind of cake i made. You also take it out of the oven before its fully baked so its fudgy and gooey. As to the frosting.the frosting is made with butter and whipping cream including the cream cheesE. I used much less powered sugar. The frosting was light and airy and spread like butter but adhered to the cake beautifully. It was not overly sweet and tasted fantastic. I used high END-CHOCOLATEwith 60 percent coco for the shavings. Its so good and i now have this recipe down. Delish and not fulling either.
Thanks for those notes! I’ll go back and revisit this recipe on the next rainy day. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made this CopYcat cake after i saw the show “the best thing i ever ate”because it looked so good. I missed some of the ingredients on the show so i followed this. This cake was good but The ingedients compared to the show were not all the same Starting with thE frosting. This cake for me was too sweet. I cant find the video and there is no recipe in line but yours for this cake. I will have to wait till the episode comes on again.
Hi there, Dee. Thanks for letting us know! If you read our little blurb up top, we have never had the recipe either, but decided to try something similar after seeing the show. It is a very sweet cake. We did our best with what we had to work with!
So I am confused. Is this the actual recipe or a copy-cat version???
Hi Kate- it started as a copy cat recipe and then we had a former employee chime in and provide me with what she claims in the real recipe. I’ve never been in there, but she seemed like she knew what she was talking about. So the short story is… I’m not sure and it has evolved! LOL. But the cake it good!
Does the frosting have buttermilk or 2%milk? I’m confused because the directions say one thing but the ingredients say another.
Hi Tara,
Thanks for catching that, updated!
Can I make it without the cocoa powder, just have a plain white cake
Sure! Just sub in the same amount of flour so it isn’t too wet.
I just saw this cake on Best Thing I Ever Ate. It’s suppose to have cream cheese in the frosting according to Giada.
It also said whipping cream but no almond extract on the show. Has anyone tried it with the cream cheese, whipping cream instead of the milk and without the almond extract? If so, which is closest to the original?
Hi Janet!
I’ve never actually had the cake and did the same thing you presumably just did (Google it) to find this recipe that I adapted for the home baker. I’m sure you can make a cream cheese frosting instead of a buttercream. I looked it up days after watching the program, so I don’t recall the exact ingredients they discuss. What I can say, is that this is one decadent and delicious cake, Sweet Surrender or not. LOL. Have you had the real deal? It is on my bucket list for the next visit to California!
Jessica
I’m from Bakersfield and love Sweet Surrender and seriously miss it now that I live in Utah. I can’t wait to try your recipe. The Matterhorn is pretty fantastic but if you make a trip for cake be sure to try their Pink Champagne. Oh. My. Goodness. Actually, everything they make is amazing.
Hi Leanna! Did you ever make the cake? I’m curious how close it comes to the original from Sweet Surrender! Im dying to have the Matterhorn cake again!
Looks amazing! Giada said she doesn’t normally like buttercream frosting, but the Matterhorn’s had cream cheese in it.
OMG…I’ll be trying this recipe tomorrow. I’m so excited!
oh my oh MY!!! Now i am seriously craving this! What a perfect recipe for a day like this =0)
Your cake looks so delicious!