I was skeptical. The source for this recipe labels it the best chocolate cake. “The Best Chocolate Cake.” That’s what it’s called.
I usually am not a fan of calling something “The Best”. If you want me to click to the next blog, just call everything you make the best you’ve ever had.
But I’m eating my words for this. This is “It.” This chocolate cake. Tastes like heaven. If heaven was a cake.
It has notes of molasses, caramel, vanilla, almond, and coffee. It isn’t too dense. It isn’t too delicate, or sweet. If Goldilocks had to choose a chocolate cake, she’d pick this one.
This is what I think of when I think of what a perfect chocolate cake should be. I will still probably make other chocolate cakes, but I’m keeping this recipe tucked away in the favorites file.
That’s all. This is my 90th post!! Have a great week!
The Best Chocolate Cake (from My Baking Addiction)
ingredients
2 cups sugar (I used 1.5 cups granulated sugar, and .5 cups packed brown sugar)
1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons dark cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt (I used coarse sea salt)
2 eggs, room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, well-shaken
1 cup strong coffee, fresh brewed and cool slightly, but still hot
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla (I used 1 Tablespoon)
method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans, or one 13 by 9 by 2 inch rectangular pan, (or three 5 by 2 inch round cake pans, which is what I did.) Set aside.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powders, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and stir with a whisk to blend thoroughly. Set aside.
in a medium to large bowl, cream the sugars with the oil with a hand-held mixer. Add the eggs, one at a time, blending thoroughly after each egg. Add the vanilla.
Alternating with the flour mixture and buttermilk, add about a third of the flour mixture, blend, then about half of the buttermilk, scraping down sides as needed, then repeat, then finish adding the last of the flour mixture.
Slowly add the coffee, stopping to blend thoroughly until it is incorporated before adding the rest of it. Blend thoroughly. batter will be quite thin
Divide evenly among pans, if using more than one pan, and bake for about 30-35 minutes. Mine was ready at about 33 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean after been stuck in the middle of cake. Remove from oven and let rest in pans for 10 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting. For this cake, I only used two out of three 5 by 2 round cakes, saving the third cake for something else. (Sampling.) I could’ve made it a small, but tall cake, but when I was trimming the dome of the third one, I was a little sloppy and cut it a little uneven and lopsided, so that’s why it became a sampling cake. It tasted good, even without the frosting.
For frosting, I followed suggestion to use this recipe, but I only had 1 1/2 cup of powdered sugar instead of the 3 and 1/2, so I added about 1/2 cup sour cream to make up for it. I almost think that it was better with that amount of powdered sugar.
DAVE BAKES
18 responses to “THE chocolate cake”
Congratulations on your 90th post and holy smokes look at that gorgeous cake. Buttermilk and coffee must of really made a difference in the recipe. You have a perfect layer of frosting in between…btw. 🙂
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Aww, thanks for the compliments.
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Dave I say “arguably the best cake, soup, bread etc I’ve tasted this year all the time” (LOL). Perhaps you never read my posts, he he he…the cakes looks very very delicious and fluffy. If there was a way I could taste it, I wouldn’t hesitate. Maybe I’ll try and bake it but what is dark cocoa powder vs unsweetened cocoa powder? please educate me!
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Liz,
I’m probably guilty of saying the very things I’m complaining about, LOL. No, I do read your posts, and I don’t get that impression (that you are saying “The Best!” I think it’s mainly when people put that in the title of every post. Anyways…
About the dark versus regular, both are unsweetened. There are certain brands that say “Dark” or “Black”; it’s just a richer color of unsweetened cocoa that gives your baked good a richer product. Hershey’s has one, called Special Dark, and King Arthur Flour Company ‘s is called Black Cocoa, which is the one recommended at the link from My Baking Addiction. Happy Baking!
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From the photo itself, I agree that this is the best chocolate cake. Gosh! I will eat more than one slice of this enticing cake. ❤ Thank you for sharing.
Btw, I hope you join us on Fiesta Fridays. 🙂
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Thanks so much!! I still hesitate to label something the best, but it did taste so good. I think the recipes that have coffee and also buttermilk, and oil for the fat, are all better chocolate cakes for it, imo.
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Oh, and I’d be honored to join Fiesta Fridays!
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We will see you next Friday, Dave! 🙂
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This looks so good!
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Thanks!
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it looks delicious!
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Dave, I’m drooling over you creation. Love so so much your Chocolate cake. Amazing photos! Just want to leak the icing from the screen. 🙂
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Glad you liked it! Thanks!
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Yum, Dave! This looks delicious! In fact, congrats on all the beautiful posts – keep it up! Hey, what would happen if I leave the dark chocolate powder out of the recipe? I want to make this cake but have everything but that dark chocolate powder (wah!).
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Hi Sis!! I miss you guys!
I don’t think it’s crucial. to have the dark cocoa. I actually usually have the dark cocoa and use a little with the regular cocoa, but when I just use regular cocoa, it still turns out fine.
Let’s go out for chicken waffles some time, ok?
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Yes, please. Chicken and Waffles sound great. I’ll figure out a saturday that works for all of us and get it on the calendar. Flynn’s getting over a bad ear infection. Love you!
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Love a good chocolate cake, thanks for sharing your recipe!
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You’re welcome! Credit goes to mybakingaddiction for posting the recipe. I’m just re-creating what they already did. Have a great weekend!
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