A stately chocolate cake with a rich history.

And, that sweet, soft icing makes all the difference in this Little Layer Chocolate Cake.

Prepare 9 8-inch disposable aluminum pans with cooking spray and rounds of parchment paper.

Little Layer Chocolate Cake - Southern Living

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Add in 2 teaspoons vanilla.

Sift flour and baking powder:

Sift together flour and baking powder in a medium bowl.

Add remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt to sifted flour mixture.

Little Layer Chocolate Cake

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Scrape down sides of mixer bowl with a rubber spatula and mix to incorporate fully, about 1 minute.

Stir to melt butter, about 2 minutes.

Maintain a very low simmer until first round of cake layers are out of oven.

aluminum pans with cooking spray and parchment paper

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Add batter to aluminum pans:

Using a kitchen scale, add 4 oz.

batter to each prepared pan.

Using an offset spatula, spread batter as evenly as possible on bottom of pans.

making frosting for Little Layer Chocolate Cake

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Bake cake layers:

Bake 4 layers at a time for 5 minutes in preheated oven.

Remove from pan by placing a wire rack on top of pan and inverting pan to release cake layer.

Remove parchment from cake layer, and place first layer on cake stand.

creaming butter and sugar

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Remove icing from heat.

Repeat with remaining 7 layers.

batter for each pan, and spread layers as before.

Two eggs beside butter and sugar mixture

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(Icing will be thicker at this point, and you will have some leftover).

sifted flour

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cake batter

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butter in chocolate frosting

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Adding cake batter to aluminum pans

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baked cake layers

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cake layer on cake stand with chocolate frosting

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chocolate frosting on cake layer

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building little layer chocolate cake

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building Little Layer Chocolate Cake

Credit:Greg DuPree; Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

pouring chocolate frosting over cake layers

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adding chocolate frosting to little layer cake

Credit:Greg DuPree; Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

frosted little layer cake

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