Chocolate Cake
A melt-in-your-mouth cake with rich chocolate flavor, delicate cocoa aroma and velvety texture — a true work of art that will win the hearts of even the most sophisticated gourmets.
Ingredients
- 200 gall-purpose flour
- 300 gsugar
- 75 gunsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tspbaking soda
- 1 tspsalt
- 2 large eggs
- 240 mlbuttermilk
- 120 mlvegetable oil
- 1 tspvanilla extract
- 240 mlhot coffee or water
- 350 gsemi-sweet or dark chocolate
- 300 mlheavy cream
- 60 gunsalted butter
Method
- Preheat the oven to 175°C. Grease and flour two 20-cm round baking pans.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl whisk eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Combine wet and dry, then pour in hot coffee and whisk until smooth.
- Divide batter between the two pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack.
- For the frosting: heat the cream until simmering and pour over chopped chocolate. Let sit 5 minutes, then whisk from the center until smooth. Add butter and whisk until glossy. Cool at room temperature for about 1 hour.
- Place one cake layer on a platter and spread a third of the frosting over the top. Add the second layer and cover the top and sides with remaining frosting.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before slicing to allow the frosting to set.
FAQ
Too little leavening, overmixing after adding flour, or an oven that wasn't fully preheated. Stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears — overmixing develops gluten and makes the cake tough.
Add hot water or hot coffee to the batter — it blooms the cocoa and adds moisture without making the cake heavy. Don't overbake: check with a toothpick and remove when a few moist crumbs remain.
Apply ganache at the right temperature: around 35–38°C. Too hot and it runs off; too cold and it won't spread smoothly. Let it cool at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until it coats a spoon.
Yes — cooled layers keep wrapped in plastic at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for 5 days. A fully assembled and frosted cake keeps refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Add 1 tbsp of white vinegar or lemon juice to 240 ml of regular milk and let it sit for 5 minutes until slightly curdled. The acid activates the baking soda and tenderizes the crumb, just like real buttermilk.
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Comments (1)
I use chocolate with at least 60% cocoa for chocolate cake. Lower percentages have more sugar and less actual chocolate flavor. You can always add sweetness, but you can't add depth after the fact.