Go-to Chocolate Cake
This one is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Think boxed cake mix or McCain’s frozen treat. An all-round great chocolate cake. It’s my go-to cake when I want to bring something but can’t invest a lot of time.
This chocolate cake is super easy. It’s super fluffy and moist. The batter is very forgiving if you tend to overbake your cakes (I got you). I’m convinced this one can convert the un-converted, it’s not overly sweet and very versatile, while still being a solid chocolate cake. You can easily mix and match your frosting and filling to make something that’s completely your own.
Don’t panic when you notice your final batter is super liquidy - yeah, that’s a word. This batter is meant to be thin, the extra liquid helps make this cake extra fluffy.
If you plan on frosting this beauty - who am I kidding, of course you are - silly me. Flip your top cake upside down on the cooling rack as soon as you get it out of the pan. You’ll get a nice, crisp corner to act as a foundation for your icing without the messy crumbs from trimming your cake level.
It goes without saying, let the cake cool. Don’t be tempted. Just don’t. When you ice your warm cake, you’re gonna have a bad time. Butter + heat = popcorn topping, not cake topping. It’s worth the wait, and you can easily avoid regret. Stick them in the fridge or freezer if you’re feeling a little impatient.
If you’re next level and really want even cake layers without the trimming, pick up a set of cake strips. Cakes tend to dome because the middle has more time to rise before it cooks. Cake strips help insulate your cake and produce a more even bake. Of course, these aren’t necessary if you’re okay with a little mess (and, like me, enjoy reducing waste by eating the scraps as you go…)
I’ve included a basic American chocolate buttercream with this recipe, but you can easily try something different. Some find American buttercream very sweet - and it is. Why not play around with the frosting? It’s very forgiving. Often, you can offset sweetness by adding a little more salt and just reducing the amount of sugar. Although, the less sugar, the thinner your frosting, so it all depends on how you plan to decorate. You’ll notice, because the cake is less sweet, it can handle a frosting that’s a little sweeter.
Go-to Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans.
- Mix your dry ingredients until combined: flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, espresso powder and salt.
- Add your wet ingredients excluding your hot water: eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Mix until just combined, stopping every now and then to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Once combined, add your hot water to the batter and mix on low until combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pans - making sure to divide evenly between the two for nice even layers.
- Bake at 350°F for 25 - 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cakes cool in pans for about 10 minutes and turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, whip the butter for about 5 minutes.
- Sift your powdered sugar and cocoa powder (optional, but helps avoid lumps).
- Add cocoa powder, vanilla and salt to butter and mix until combined.
- Add powdered sugar one cup at a time.
- Once you're done adding the sugar, add the heavy cream until you've reached the desired consistency for your buttercream.
Notes:
Oven temperatures can vary. Some ovens fluctuate in temperature and may not reach the set temp. An easy fix for this is to pick up an in-oven thermometer to make sure your oven's reached temp. It's always a good idea to keep an eye on your bake when trying out a new recipe. I like to set my timer for 10 minutes before the set time just to check.
DIY Buttermilk (because I don't buy it either..) Add 1 tbsp. white vinegar to a 1 cup measuring cup and fill the rest with milk. Stir and let sit for at least 5 minutes. The milk will slightly curdle, that's okay. This works best with fuller-fat milks, but you can use fat-free if that's all you have. Of course, this isn't exactly the same as buttermilk, but it works!
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