Chocolate Cake Ingredients
Cocoa Powder: This is what will give our cake its delicious chocolate flavor. It is the cocoa bean that has had all its fat removed and then is ground into a powder. You want to look for unsweetened cocoa powder. Do not get Dutch-process cocoa. It has been alkalized, which reduces the acidity and prevents it from activating the baking soda and making the cake rise. Boiling Water: An essential ingredient in this cake, it is what helps bring out the chocolate flavor in the cocoa powder. All Purpose Flour: This will be the back bone of our cake. Make sure to read below on measuring flour for baked goods. Salt: In every recipe, a little salt can bring out the flavor of the other ingredients without making a recipe overly salty. Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Both are absolutely essential for this cake to rise. The baking powder is activated by the water and the baking soda is activated by the acidity in the cocoa powder. Science is so cool. Unsalted Butter: Because the amount of salt varies so much in salted butter, I always encourage my readers to use unsalted butter so we can control the amount of salt in the recipe. If you only have salted butter, you will want to eliminate the extra salt in this recipe. Note that you will need butter for both the cake itself and the frosting. Granulated Sugar Eggs Vanilla Extract Powdered Sugar Heavy Cream
Frosting For Chocolate Cake
This becomes the best chocolate cake recipe with melt-in-your-mouth chocolate buttercream frosting. We essentially make a double batch so we have enough frosting to not only frost the cake, but to separate each of the layers. This recipe comes from a 1970’s McCall’s cookbook. It is the cake my mom always made for my eldest brother on his birthday. Just thinking about it all these years, I could practically taste it. She made some tweaks to it, and it is just the greatest chocolate cake. When I found the cookbook earlier this year, I literally started yelling for my whole family to come running. I couldn’t be happier to share this chocolate cake recipe with you.
Combine cocoa powder and water. Whisk the boiling water into the cocoa powder until smooth. Set the mixture aside to cool. See a photo above of what the mixture will look like. Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Combine the wet ingredients. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. See a photo above of what it should look like at this point. Add in the eggs one at a time followed by the vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl between each ingredient. (See a photo below of what it will look like at this stage.) Finally, beat in the cocoa mixture. Add the flour mixture. Start the mixer on low then turn the mixture up to full speed just until the flour mixture is incorporated. Divide the batter and bake. Pour the cake batter into your three prepared cake pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out with just a few crumbs. Allow the cakes to cool. Make the frosting. Start by beating the butter, then add in the cocoa powder and vanilla extract. Slowly add in the powdered sugar one cup at a time followed by the heavy cream. Finally, add a pinch of salt. Assemble and frost the cake. Place one cooled cake layer on a cake stand. Top with approximately one cup of chocolate frosting. Add another cake layer and another cup of frosting. Finally, top with the last cake. Frost the sides and then the top of the cake. See my tips for assembling the cake below.
Step 2: Add The Other Layers
Place the second cake layer on top of the frosted layer. Apply another layer of frosting on top and smooth it out evenly. Finally, top with the last cake.
Step one: Frost the first layer
You will put about one cup of frosting on top of the first layer. Using an offset spatula, smooth it out evenly, making sure to reach the edges.
Step 3: Frost the Sides and Top of the Cake
Using an off-set spatula, frost the sides and then the top of the cake.
Chocolate Cake Tips and Tricks
Make sure your ingredients are fresh. This cake is made with both baking soda and baking powder. Just like in a science experiment, both ingredients need to be active to work in baking and should be replaced every six months or so. To test their freshness, mix a little baking soda with vinegar and a little baking powder with water. Both should bubble up right away. Make sure your butter is room temperature. Both the cake and the frosting will need room temperature butter so it can whip with the sugar. You want it to be soft enough to dent with your finger, but not too soft to push all the way through. It will still feel cold to the touch. To speed this up, cut your butter into one-inch pieces and leave them sit on the counter for 30 minutes to an hour. Measure your flour correctly. This step is crucial, so it gets its own section below. Freeze the layers for easy frosting. This is described in detail above and makes the whole process much smoother. Refrigerate the cake before slicing. Cutting the cake is easier if you refrigerate it for two hours before slicing. Make the cake the day before. For best results and presentation, there are decent freezing and cooling times. This isn’t a cake you want to whip up right before a party or gathering, take your time when making it.
Other Great Dessert Recipes
Chocolatey desserts are some of my favorite recipes to share. Here are a few to try:
Whisk the flour in its container. Use a spoon to scoop the flour into a dry measuring cup. Use the flat edge of a spatula or knife to level off the flour so it is even with the rim of the measuring cup. Repeat as needed for each cup of flour.
Caramel Brownies Birthday Cheesecake Easy Fudge Recipe
If you try this moist chocolate cake recipe or any of my other recipes, I’d love to hear what you think by leaving a comment below.
