If I ever have to keep just one chocolate cake recipe in my life, this old-fashioned chocolate cake would be it. This could pretty much be the only one for me and I would carry on with no regrets at all.
A bowl, a whisk and a deep penchant for chocolate cake is all you need to whip up this cake. This cake fails to disappoint even during these unprecedented times when, as we all know, there have been times we were rationing flour, butter and eggs. It uses only two eggs, less than two cups of flour and two sticks of butter for the entire cake. It is such a modest cake and yet deeply comforts not only during these uneasy times but at all times.
This chocolate cake is ultra-moist to the point of being velvety. The oil, buttermilk and hot water chips in and contributes to the luscious texture of the crumbs. The instant coffee enhances the taste of chocolate. So, even if you are not a coffee person, I highly recommend not to leave it out. The coffee in it heightens the chocolate flavor. The batter will be on the thinner side after you add the hot water; don’t worry, that is how it is supposed to be.
The chocolate frosting adorning this adorable cake may not be as modest as the cake layers, but it is a pretty simple one to make. While you can whip up the cake layers with a bowl and a whisk, making the frosting would require an electric mixer. Make sure to beat the butter until it is nice and fluffy before adding the sugar and other ingredients. I like bitter-sweet chocolate in the frosting, but semi-sweet chocolate should be fine too.
Among all the lofty chocolate cake recipes, this old fashioned one stands on its own. It may be old fashioned but will never go out of fashion, at least not in my household. Because the kids absolutely adore this one and for a very long time this would be the only chocolate cake they wanted. I have been making this cake for 17 years now and each time I devour this cake, slice by slice, I find myself delving deep into the comforting realms of chocolate heaven.
Recipe
Chocolate Cake
| Ingredients | |
|---|---|
 | 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour |
| 2 cups sugar |
| ¾ cups good cocoa powder |
| 2 teaspoons baking soda |
| 1 teaspoon baking powder |
| ½ teaspoon salt |
| 1 cup buttermilk at room temperature |
| ½ cup vegetable oil |
| 2 large eggs at room temperature |
| 1 teaspoon vanilla extract |
| 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder or instant espresso powder |
| ½ cup boiling hot water |
Special equipment: 2 8-inch round cake pans
| Instructions | |
|---|---|
| Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Butter the 8 inch round cake pans, line them with parchment paper and butter the parchment paper too |
| Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar into a large bowl |
| In another bowl, combine the eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla using a whisk |
| Dissolve 1 tablespoons coffee or espresso powder in ½ cup hot water |
| Using a whisk, slowly combine the wet ingredients into the dry |
| Add the instant coffee to the batter and stir just to combine |
| Scrap the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula making sure all the batter is mixed well and no dry bits of flour remain |
| Pour the batter equally into the prepared pans |
| Bake for 35 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean |
| Cool the cakes in the pan for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely |
Chocolate Frosting
| Ingredients | |
|---|---|
| 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature |
| 2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted |
| 1 teaspoon vanilla extract |
| 1 teaspoon instant coffee powder |
| 6 ounces good bitter-sweet chocolate |
| Instructions | |
|---|---|
| Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Stir until melted. Add coffee powder to the melted chocolate and set it aside until cooled to room temperature. Alternately, you can melt the chocolate in the microwave using a microwave proof bowl |
| In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes |
| Add vanilla and continue beating for 1 minute |
| Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioner’s sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy |
| Add the chocolate to the butter mixture and mix until blended |
Assembling the Chocolate Cake
| Place 1 layer of cake, flat side up on a plate or cake pedestal |
| With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting |
| Place the second layer on top, flat side up |
| Spread the remaining frosting evenly on the top and sides |
If you make The Best Chocolate Cake Ever, please leave a comment. I would love to hear from you! And if you do make this recipe, please don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or your favorite social media platform! I would love to see pictures of your creations.
Inspiration: My two boys’ absolute love for all things chocolate
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This is really fantastic! I’m a huge fan of your cooking 😊
Thank you! I guess we salivate for the same kind of food.
Your ingredient list is incorrect, it says 2 tsp. baking powder and then 1 tsp baking powder. It should be 1 tsp. baking soda.
Thank you for catching the error. It has been fixed now. It is actually 2 teaspoons baking soda.