According to my mother, chocolate cake recipes are always better with coffee as an enhancing ingredient. I think the coffee in this cake is perfect, as the flavors enhance each other and make it somehow even more chocolatey. This recipe is adapted from Barefoot Contessa, and I’ve yet to find a better recipe for rich, intense, chocolate cake than this one. If I have ever made chocolate cake for you – this is the recipe. We have used it for years, without fail.
Because it so rich, you may want to consider using minimal icing. I usually bake this in a bundt, and either top with powdered sugar or simple chocolate ganache. This is also a great chocolate layer cake, in which you may want to consider a chocolate buttercream frosting.
You will need:
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- ¾ cups cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
- Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (recipe follows)*
Steps:
- Preheat – preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease & Flour two 8-inch round cake pans or one bundt pan.
- Prepare dry Ingredients- Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined.
- Prepare wet Ingredients – In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ones. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Bake – Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans. If using 8 inch cake pans, bake for 26-28 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. If using a bundt pan, bake for 42-45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Decorate – After the cake is completely cooled, you can decorate in a variety of ways:
- Simply dust with confectioner’s sugar
- Chocolate ganache – whisk 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate and 3 tbs of cream over low-medium heat. This is good for a bundt cake.
- Chocolate buttercream frosting – see instructions below. This is ideal for layers.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
- 6 ounces good semisweet chocolate
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
- 1 egg yolk, room temp
- 1 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 Tbs instant coffee
Steps:
- Melt chocolate in a double broiler or in a pyrex bowl over simmering water.
- Beat the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes.
- Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, then beat at medium speed until smooth and creamy.
- Dissolve the coffee in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don’t overwhip. Spread immediately on the cooled cake.
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This looks wonderful Vanva and I agree no icing would be fabulous.
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