Description
If you love bold chocolate flavor, this dark chocolate cake is the one to keep forever. It’s incredibly moist, tender, and intensely chocolatey without being overly sweet. Even better, it’s a simple one-bowl batter that works for birthdays, holidays, and anytime you want a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
Ingredients
Cake
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1¾ cups all-purpose flour
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¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-process preferred)
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2 cups granulated sugar
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1½ tsp baking powder
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1½ tsp baking soda
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1 tsp salt
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2 large eggs (room temperature)
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1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice)
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½ cup vegetable oil
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2 tsp vanilla extract
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1 cup hot coffee or hot water
Chocolate Frosting
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½ cup unsalted butter, softened
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⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
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3 cups powdered sugar
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⅓ cup heavy cream or milk
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1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
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Prep oven & pans
Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Grease two 9-inch round pans and line bottoms with parchment. -
Mix dry ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. -
Add wet ingredients
Add eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Beat 2 minutes until smooth. -
Add hot liquid
Slowly mix in hot coffee or water. Batter will be thin — that’s correct. -
Bake
Divide into pans. Bake 30–35 minutes until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. -
Cool
Cool in pans 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely before frosting.
Notes
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Use Dutch-process cocoa for darker color and smoother flavor.
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Hot coffee boosts chocolate taste without making the cake taste like coffee.
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Don’t overbake — moist crumbs on the tester are perfect.
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Chill layers briefly before frosting for cleaner spreading.
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Make cupcakes: bake 18–22 minutes (makes ~24).