The Best Triple Chocolate Cake
User Reviews
4.5
The Best Triple Chocolate Cake
Description
This triple chocolate cake recipe blends all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, natural cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt, sifted together to create a balanced dry base. The wet ingredients—shaken buttermilk, oil, eggs at room temperature, vanilla extract—are mixed thoroughly before slowly incorporating the dry mixture. Warm, freshly brewed coffee is added last to enhance the cocoa's depth without imparting a coffee flavor. The thin batter bakes in two greased and floured 9-inch pans for about 35 to 40 minutes, until a tester comes out with moist crumbs but no raw batter, yielding tender, moist cake layers.
The frosting combines softened unsalted butter and cream cheese with sifted cocoa powder, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, and salt, beaten until smooth and spreadable. Cream or half-and-half adjusts consistency as needed. The cake layers are assembled and frosted, with optional mini semi-sweet chocolate chips sprinkled over the top and optional melted chocolate drizzled for decoration.
This cake suits chocolate lovers seeking a deep cocoa flavor with creamy frosting and texture contrast from chips. Coffee can be substituted with water if preferred, though it lessens flavor intensity.
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cups unsweetened cocoa powder natural
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup buttermilk shaken
- ½ cup canola oil or vegetable oil
- 2 egg at room temperature, large
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup coffee warm but not too hot so you don’t scramble the egg, freshly brewed
Frosting
- 1 cup butter softened, unsalted
- 6 ounces cream cheese softened (I used lite, brick-style
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder sifted, natural
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- 5 cups confectioners’ sugar
- cream half-and-half may be substituted, or as needed for consistency, about 4 to 5 tablespoons
- semi-sweet chocolate chips for sprinkling, mini size, about 1 cup
- semi-sweet chocolate chips optional for drizzling, about 1/2 cup, melted
Instructions
Make the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F and spray two 9-inch x 2-inch cake pans very well with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pans; set aside.
- Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl or the bowl; set aside.
- To a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the buttermilk, oil, eggs, vanilla, and beat with a handheld electric mixer on high power or with the paddle attachment of a stand mixer on high power, about 90 seconds.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until combined, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the coffee and mix to just to combine; the batter will be very thin.
- Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no batter. Start checking cakes at 25 minutes because all ovens vary.
- Cool cakes in the pans for about 30 minutes before turning them out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the Frosting
- To a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese with a handheld electric mixer on high power or with the paddle attachment of a stand mixer on high power until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the cocoa powder, vanilla, salt, and beat until combined.
- With mixer on low speed, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, one cup at a time. The frosting will be incredibly thick, almost too thick to mix; this is ok.
- Add the cream as necessary to create a spreadable consistency (I used about 4 1/2 tablespoons). The frosting should be quite thick and it also will thicken more after the cake has been refrigerated.
Frost the Cake
- To frost the cake, place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting.
- Place the second layer on top, flat side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.
- Evenly sprinkle the top of the cake with mini chocolate chips.
- Refrigerate the cake for 1 to 2 hours before serving.
- Optionally, before serving, drizzle with melted chocolate chips. Cake will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Coffee intensifies chocolate flavor but does not taste like coffee; water may be used instead with a slight loss in chocolate depth.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 19-inch two layer cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 843 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1serving | |
| Calories | 843kcal | 42% |
| Carbohydrates | 116g | 39% |
| Protein | 9g | 18% |
| Fat | 41g | 63% |
| Saturated Fat | 19g | 95% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 18g | 106% |
| Cholesterol | 109mg | 36% |
| Sodium | 547mg | 23% |
| Fiber | 4g | 16% |
| Sugar | 92g | 184% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.5
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