Classic Chocolate Cake
User Reviews
5
183 reviews
Excellent
Classic Chocolate Cake
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This Classic Chocolate Cake features a tender crumb made with all-purpose flour, dutch processed cocoa powder, and buttermilk for moisture. The batter includes baking powder and soda for leavening, and optional instant coffee enhances the chocolate flavor subtly. The cake is layered and frosted with a rich buttercream made from butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and cream for a smooth coating.
Description
The cake consists of a chocolate batter combining flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, buttermilk, vanilla, oil, sugar, and eggs. Mixing is done carefully, alternating dry and wet ingredients to ensure a smooth batter. The cake is baked in three 8-inch pans at 350°F until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or nearly clean. The resulting layers have a moist but firm texture suitable for stacking and frosting.
The frosting is a buttercream made with softened butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla, and heavy cream. It is whipped to a smooth consistency to generously coat and fill the cake layers. This cake is suitable for serving as a classic dessert for gatherings or celebrations.
The original notes suggest adjusting the frosting quantities when making fewer layers, providing specific ingredient scale-downs for two layers instead of three. This allows manageable portions and avoids excess frosting.
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Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cake:
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee such as Folgers (optional
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil or canola oil
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 egg
- 1 egg white
For the Chocolate Frosting:
- 1 1/2 cups butter softened
- 1 1/2 pounds powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/3 cup heavy cream or more, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three 8-inch round baking pan with parchment paper and/or spray well with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. (See notes)
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt together to combine. Set aside. In a liquid measuring cup, stir buttermilk, vanilla and instant coffee granules (if using) together. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, mix oil and sugar together until combined. Mix in eggs and egg white, one at a time, until mixture becomes lighter in color, about 90 seconds.
- Alternate adding in flour mixture with milk mixture, being sure to start and end with flour. Scrape the sides and mix again to ensure a smooth batter.
- Divide evenly between baking pans and smooth the top. Bake 22-30 minutes in the lower 2/3rds of the oven. If you're using two cake pans instead of three, you will need to bake this cake 28-35 minutes. Cake will be done when a toothpick comes out clean or mostly clean with a few moist crumbs. Cool 15-20 minutes in cake pans before trying to invert on cooling racks. Once you can handle the warm pans with your bare hands, you can flip them out. Cool completely before frosting and decorating.
For the Chocolate Frosting:
- See recipe notes for how much frosting you will need to make. In a large bowl, measure and add butter, powdered sugar, cocoa, salt and vanilla. Stir with beaters on low (or paddle attachment on stand mixer) to mix and break up the butter. It will still be very powdery and dry. Slowly add in the heavy cream. Once you notice the frosting start to come together stop adding the cream. You may need to add more than the amount listed. This is also normal. Increase mixer speed to medium to get rid of any lumps and create a smooth frosting. Scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl and mix again to ensure a completely smooth frosting. Chocolate frosting will be done when it can hold its shape, but you can easily move a butter knife through it. If its too thick, add more cream and mix. If you've added too much cream and the frosting is too soft, add more powdered sugar. If you notice there are a lot of air bubbles in your frosting, use a large wooden spoon to beat a lot of the air out of the frosting by hand.
Notes
- The frosting quantity is designed to cover three layers; reduce the ingredients proportionally if making two layers for balanced coverage.
- Use the updated frosting measurements for two layers: 1 cup butter, 1 pound sugar, 1/2 cup cocoa, 1/3 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/4 cup cream.
- Combine and whip the frosting as directed regardless of adjusted quantities to achieve a smooth and spreadable texture.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
613kcal
(31%)
Carbohydrates
84g
(28%)
Protein
5g
(10%)
Fat
32g
(49%)
Saturated Fat
22g
(110%)
Trans Fat
1g
(50%)
Cholesterol
75mg
(25%)
Sodium
406mg
(17%)
Potassium
230mg
(5%)
Fiber
3g
(12%)
Sugar
68g
(136%)
Vitamin A
672IU
(13%)
Vitamin C
1mg
(1%)
Calcium
67mg
(7%)
Iron
2mg
(11%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 16servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 613 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 613kcal | 31% |
| Carbohydrates | 84g | 28% |
| Protein | 5g | 10% |
| Fat | 32g | 49% |
| Saturated Fat | 22g | 110% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 75mg | 25% |
| Sodium | 406mg | 17% |
| Potassium | 230mg | 5% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 68g | 136% |
| Vitamin A | 672IU | 13% |
| Vitamin C | 1mg | 1% |
| Calcium | 67mg | 7% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
183 reviews
Excellent
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