The Best Chocolate Cake

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This homemade chocolate cake is the perfect balance of rich chocolate flavor, moist cake crumb and creamy chocolate buttercream frosting. This chocolate cake is so simple to make and will surely impress your guests. Trust me, it’s truly the best chocolate cake.  

WHY IS THIS CHOCOLATE CAKE THE BEST?

• Good Chocolate Flavor – The added espresso in the batter enhances the chocolate flavor. It doesn’t take much but just a bit really brings out the chocolate flavor. Plus using a high-quality Dutch processed cocoa powder really makes a difference in the chocolate flavor.
• Incredibly Moist – The cake is incredibly moist and also has a light texture in the crumb. It can sit out on the counter for a day or two and it is still really moist.
• Luscious Chocolate Buttercream – This cake is covered in creamy chocolate buttercream frosting which compliments the cake.

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CAKE

1. Prepare – Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper and add cake strips around the sides of the pans (if you have cake strips). It just helps the cakes bake more evenly.
   Tip: If you don’t have buttermilk, you can add 1/2 tablespoon to the 1/2 cup of milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes while you get on with the recipe.
2. Combine Your Dry Ingredients – In a large bowl or mixer, add the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix or whisk together the ingredients.
3. Warm up the Wet Ingredients – In a medium saucepan, add the cocoa powder, espresso powder, butter, water and oil. Heat over medium heat and whisk together. Once you see bubbles the sides of the pan, remove from the heat. You want to heat the ingredients just enough to “bloom” the chocolate.
4. Combine the Wet and Dry Ingredients – Slowly add the hot chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix on low (1) for about 2-3 minutes. Feel the sides of the bowl, if they are slightly warm then you can continue. If the sides are really hot to the touch, stop mixing and let it sit for a 1-2 minutes. Now add the vanilla and eggs to the buttermilk and add the liquid mixture slowly to the rest of the cake batter.
5. Mix the Batter – Mix the batter on low (1-2) for about 2 minutes to make sure it is combined. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. The batter will be runny.
6. Bake the Cakes– Distribute the batter evenly among the two 8″ tins and bake for 25-30 minutes or until it a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake.
7. Cool the Cakes– Once they have baked, remove the cakes onto a cooling rack and let them completely cool to the touch (about 30-40 minutes). Then remove the cakes carefully from the pans and leave them on the cooling rack.
8. Make the Buttercream – In a large bowl, sift the powdered sugar. Then add the cocoa powder and set it aside. Beat the room-temperature butter on medium-high (4-6) for about 6-7 minutes or until the butter is lighter in color and the consistency of mayonnaise. Scrape down the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula. Next, lower the mixer speed to low (1) add the sifted powdered sugar a bit at a time. When you have about half of the powdered sugar, add half of the milk. Then add the remaining powdered sugar and the rest of the milk. Add the vanilla. Turn the mixer to medium speed (4-6) and beat for at least two minutes. The frosting will appear light, but it will darken as it sits.
9. Frost the Cake – Add frosting to the bottom layer of the cake. Then add the second layer and add frosting to the top and sides of the cake. To get the swirl effect, simply use the back of a spoon to make the swooshes in the frosting.

Espresso in Cakes

Espresso Powder 

The espresso powder brings out the flavor in the chocolate. Some recipes use hot coffee liquid, but by using espresso powder or instant espresso it allows it to give it the coffee punch that it needs without adding a bunch of liquid. Typically espresso powder is used mostly by bakers. It’s not really used to make coffee. If you can’t find it at your grocery store, check online. The espresso powder is ground beans that are brewed and then dried so it dissolves into your batter. You can also make your own espresso powder. Check out Add a Pinch’s recipe.

Substitutes for Espresso Powder 

Can’t find espresso powder? You can use instant espresso coffee instead. Use equal parts of the instant espresso coffee. You can also use brewed espresso but I don’t recommend it because it could add too much liquid into the cake. You can always omit the espresso powder, but I really think it makes a difference in the achieving the rich chocolate flavor.

WHAT DOES BLOOMING COCOA POWDER MEAN?

When we are heating up the cocoa powder with some of the wet ingredients, we are essentially “blooming” the cocoa powder. This just means that when the cocoa powder is mixed with hot liquids, it releases the flavor within the cocoa powder. Blooming is a technique that helps bring out the best chocolate flavor in the cocoa powder. You can read more about why (and when) it’s important to bloom cocoa powder here.

WHICH COCOA POWDER DO I USE?

Use a high quality dutch-processed cocoa powder. Natural cocoa powder is lighter and almost a sandy color. The Dutch processing makes the powder darker in color and makes the flavor deeper. I was trying to find Dutch processed cocoa powder in the stores here in the Netherlands, and then realized that almost all of the cocoa powder here is Dutch-processed, duh!

In the U.S., check out brands like Guittard, Valrhona, Droste and Ghirardelli.

This is a great article on which cocoa powder to buy and explains the dutch-processing technique. Read it here.

WHICH FROSTING DO I USE?