Perfect Chocolate Cake
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 35 min
Total: 1 hr 30 min
Yield: 12 slices
This is the chocolate cake recipe you keep coming back to. It is deeply chocolatey, impossibly moist, and topped with a rich buttercream that balances sweet and cocoa-bitter just right. The secret ingredient is hot coffee in the batter — it amplifies the chocolate flavor without any coffee taste.
Ingredients
- Cake: 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup hot coffee (or hot water)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Frosting: 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment rounds, and grease the parchment.
- Whisk together flour, sugar, 3/4 cup cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
- Add eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. The batter will be thick.
- Stir in the hot coffee. The batter will become very thin — this is correct. The coffee deepens the chocolate flavor without making it taste like coffee.
- Divide batter evenly between the two pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
- Make the frosting: Beat butter until creamy (3 minutes). Add powdered sugar and 2/3 cup cocoa, mixing on low until combined. Add cream, vanilla, and salt. Beat on medium-high for 2-3 minutes until fluffy.
- Place one cake layer on a plate or stand. Spread about 3/4 cup frosting on top. Place the second layer on top. Frost the top and sides with the remaining frosting.
Pro Tips
- Don't be alarmed by the thin batter — the high liquid content is what makes this cake so moist. Trust the process.
- If you don't have buttermilk, stir 1 tablespoon white vinegar into 1 cup milk and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Let the cake layers cool completely before frosting. Warm cake melts the frosting and you'll get a messy, sliding situation.
- For a smoother frosting, sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder before adding to the butter.
Variations
- Chocolate-raspberry: Spread raspberry jam between the layers before frosting.
- German chocolate: Use coconut-pecan frosting — toast 1 cup coconut with 1 cup pecans, fold into a caramel made from evaporated milk, sugar, and egg yolks.
- Death by chocolate: Add 1 cup chocolate chips to the batter and use ganache (equal parts cream and chocolate) instead of buttercream.
- Sheet cake: Pour all the batter into a greased 9x13-inch pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
Per slice (1 of 12, with frosting)
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