While it’s one of my favorite desserts, if I’m honest, most chocolate cakes lack in the chocolate department. My main goal in developing this chocolate cake recipe was to make sure the chocolate was the star, so I tested it over 10 times (and the frosting 5 times!) to guarantee it. Read on for all my tips and tricks to get the most fudgy, rich chocolate cake imaginable, then bookmark this recipe—your birthdays, dinner parties, and holiday celebrations will never be the same.
How to make the best chocolate cake:
— Bloom your cocoa powder. Pouring hot coffee over your cocoa powder and letting it sit for at least 10 minutes (known as blooming) activates the cocoa and brings out the chocolatey-ness of it even more. The coffee complements the chocolate and adds more flavor to the cake without making it taste like coffee.
— Use vegetable oil and butter. Vegetable oil makes cakes much more moist than just using butter, but butter brings a nice richness of flavor. To get the benefits of each, use both! The sour cream here also contributes to the moistness, and helps give the cake its fudgy texture.
How to make the best chocolate frosting:
— Use cocoa powder and melted chocolate chips. This chocolate frosting is similar to a standard buttercream, except that it uses both cocoa powder and melted chocolate chips to achieve an extra rich and creamy texture.
— Have all your ingredients at the same temperature. Let your chocolate chips cool back down to room temperature so it doesn’t melt your frosting, and make sure your butter is also completely at room temperature so that it doesn’t seize the chocolate when you add it in. Having all of your ingredients at the same temperature for the frosting is key for success.
How to store chocolate cake:
The cake layers, unfrosted, can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you plan to frost the cake, keep them tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for 1 month. After frosting, store the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Made this? Let us know how it went (and what you were celebrating!) in the comments below.
While it’s one of my favorite desserts, if I’m honest, most chocolate cakes lack in the chocolate department. My main goal in developing this chocolate cake recipe was to make sure the chocolate was the star, so I tested it over 10 times (and the frosting 5 times!) to guarantee it. Read on for all my tips and tricks to get the most fudgy, rich chocolate cake imaginable, then bookmark this recipe—your birthdays, dinner parties, and holiday celebrations will never be the same.
How to make the best chocolate cake:
— Bloom your cocoa powder. Pouring hot coffee over your cocoa powder and letting it sit for at least 10 minutes (known as blooming) activates the cocoa and brings out the chocolatey-ness of it even more. The coffee complements the chocolate and adds more flavor to the cake without making it taste like coffee.
— Use vegetable oil and butter. Vegetable oil makes cakes much more moist than just using butter, but butter brings a nice richness of flavor. To get the benefits of each, use both! The sour cream here also contributes to the moistness, and helps give the cake its fudgy texture.
How to make the best chocolate frosting:
— Use cocoa powder and melted chocolate chips. This chocolate frosting is similar to a standard buttercream, except that it uses both cocoa powder and melted chocolate chips to achieve an extra rich and creamy texture.
— Have all your ingredients at the same temperature. Let your chocolate chips cool back down to room temperature so it doesn’t melt your frosting, and make sure your butter is also completely at room temperature so that it doesn’t seize the chocolate when you add it in. Having all of your ingredients at the same temperature for the frosting is key for success.
How to store chocolate cake:
The cake layers, unfrosted, can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you plan to frost the cake, keep them tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for 1 month. After frosting, store the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Made this? Let us know how it went (and what you were celebrating!) in the comments below.
- Yields:
-
10 – 12
serving(s)
- Prep Time:
- 15 mins
- Total Time:
- 2 hrs
- Cal/Serv:
- 850
Directions
-
Cake
- Step 1
Preheat oven to 350° and grease 2 (8″) round cake pans with cooking spray. Line with parchment. In a medium bowl, whisk coffee and cocoa powder. Let sit 10 minutes.
- Step 2In a large bowl, whisk eggs, granulated sugar, oil, butter, and vanilla until combined. Stir in coffee mixture.
- Step 3In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined. Add to coffee mixture and mix until just combined. Add sour cream and stir until just combined. Divide batter between prepared pans.
- Step 4Bake cakes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and let cool completely.
- Step 1
-
Frosting
- Step 1In a small heatproof bowl, microwave chips in 30-second increments, stirring between each, until melted. Let cool to room temperature.
- Step 2In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat confectioners’ sugar, butter, cocoa powder, and salt on medium-high speed until smooth. Add melted chocolate and beat until combined.
- Step 3Place one cake layer on a platter. Level top, if needed. Frost top of cake. Top with second layer of cake and frost top and sides as desired.
