Prinzregententorte (Bavarian Chocolate Layer Cake)

Nov 3, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Cakes cupcakes Vanilla: Extract Medium

Prinzregententorte (Bavarian Chocolate Layer Cake)

Eight very thin butter sponge layers are stacked with a chocolate custard buttercream and finished in a shiny dark chocolate glaze. It is a patient bake rather than a hard one. Makes 12 slices in about 5 hr 10 min.

Prep 60 min

Cook 70 min

Cooling 3 hr

Total 5 hr 10 min

Yield 12 slices

Ingredients

Adjust yield

slices

1 cup (250 g)unsalted butter, soft, for the sponge
1 ¼ cups (250 g)granulated sugar, for the sponge
4 (200 g)eggs, room temperature
1 tsp (5 ml)vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups (200 g)cake flour
½ cup (60 g)cornstarch, for the sponge
1 ¼ tsp (5 g)baking powder
1 pinch (1 g)salt
1 ¼ cups (300 ml)whole milk
⅓ cup (60 g)granulated sugar, for the buttercream
3 ½ tbsp (30 g)cornstarch, for the buttercream
3 (54 g)egg yolks
4 oz (120 g)dark chocolate, chopped, for the buttercream
1 cup (250 g)unsalted butter, soft, for the buttercream
7 oz (200 g)dark chocolate, chopped, for the glaze
3 tbsp (40 g)unsalted butter, for the glaze

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Instructions

Heat the oven to 400 F (200 C). Line the base of a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan with parchment and grease the sides lightly.
Beat the butter and sugar until pale, 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Stir together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt and fold in just until combined.
Spread about 1/2 cup (roughly 1/8 of the batter) very thinly and evenly over the base. Bake 6 to 8 minutes until pale gold. Loosen, slide the layer onto a rack, and repeat to make 8 layers, re-lining the pan base as needed.
For the buttercream, whisk the sugar, cornstarch and yolks with a little cold milk to a paste. Heat the remaining milk until steaming, whisk into the paste, return to the pan and cook, whisking, until thick and bubbling, about 2 minutes.
Off the heat, stir in the chocolate until melted. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and cool completely to room temperature.
Beat the soft butter until fluffy, then beat in the cooled chocolate custard a spoonful at a time until smooth and spreadable.
Stack the sponge layers with a thin layer of buttercream between each, keeping the top layer bare. Use the remaining buttercream to coat the top and sides smoothly, then chill 30 minutes.
Melt the glaze chocolate and butter gently, cool slightly until thick but spreadable, and cover the cake. Chill 2 hours before slicing with a hot, dry knife.

Tips

Trim the layers to match before stacking so the sides stay straight.
Custard and butter should be the same temperature before combining, or the buttercream breaks.
Bring the cake out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving for the best texture.
The chocolate custard filling is cooked until thick and bubbling so the egg yolks reach a safe temperature; keep the finished cake refrigerated.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make prinzregententorte (bavarian chocolate layer cake)?

Plan on 60 minutes of prep and 1 hour 10 minutes of cooking, plus 3 hours to chill. The recipe makes 12 slices.

How should I store prinzregententorte (bavarian chocolate layer cake)?

Refrigerate, covered, up to 5 days; slice cold and serve at cool room temperature.

Can I make prinzregententorte (bavarian chocolate layer cake) ahead?

Yes. It needs time to chill and set, so it is a good one to make the day before you serve it.

Can I use a different form of vanilla?

Yes. This recipe uses 1 tsp vanilla extract (5 ml). Each teaspoon of pure vanilla extract can be swapped for 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste, the seeds of half a vanilla bean, or 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla powder. Paste and seeds add the classic dark specks.

Serve it with strong coffee.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 12 servings this recipe makes.

605 Calories / serving

48.7g Fat

39.3g Carbs

4.8g Protein

31.0g Sugar

Whole recipe (12 servings): ~7260 cal · 584g fat · 472g carbs · 58g protein · 372g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.