Description
This rich and moist chocolate cake is the best chocolate cake ever, featuring a deeply chocolatey flavor enhanced with espresso powder and topped with a smooth, creamy chocolate buttercream frosting. Perfect for celebrations or any time you desire a decadent dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
Chocolate Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder (homemade or store-bought)
- 1 cup milk (or buttermilk, almond, or coconut milk)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or canola oil, or melted coconut oil)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
- Ingredients as per your preferred chocolate buttercream recipe (not specified in original article)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350º F and prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray, buttering and lightly flouring, or brushing them with homemade chocolate pan release to prevent sticking.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder until well combined.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until the batter is smooth and well combined.
- Incorporate Boiling Water: Reduce mixer speed and carefully pour in the boiling water, mixing until fully blended. The batter will be thin, which is normal and contributes to a moist cake.
- Divide Batter and Bake: Evenly distribute the batter between the two prepared cake pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool the Cakes: Remove cakes from oven, allow to cool in pans for about 10 minutes, then remove the cakes from pans and let them cool completely on wire racks before frosting.
- Frost the Cake: Once completely cool, frost the cakes with your favorite chocolate buttercream frosting, applying an even layer between the layers and on top.
Notes
- Use espresso powder to enhance the chocolate flavor without adding a coffee taste.
- Boiling water in the batter helps create a moist and tender crumb.
- Make sure cakes are completely cooled before frosting to prevent the frosting from melting.
- You can substitute milk with buttermilk, almond milk, or coconut milk to suit dietary preferences.
- Vegetable oil can be substituted with canola oil or melted coconut oil.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30-35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: chocolate cake, moist chocolate cake, best chocolate cake, chocolate buttercream frosting, espresso powder chocolate cake
