Romantic Chocolate Layer Cake (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
→ Cake
01 -
1 3/4 cups (219g) regular flour
02 -
3/4 cup (62g) natural cocoa powder
03 -
1 3/4 cups (350g) white sugar
04 -
2 teaspoons baking soda
05 -
1 teaspoon baking powder
06 -
1 teaspoon salt
07 -
2 teaspoons espresso powder (if you want)
08 -
1/2 cup (120ml) cooking oil
09 -
2 large eggs at room temp
10 -
2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
11 -
1 cup (240ml) buttermilk at room temp
12 -
1 cup (240ml) hot strong coffee
→ Chocolate Buttercream
13 -
1 1/4 cups (282g) soft unsalted butter
14 -
3 1/2 cups (420g) powdered sugar
15 -
3/4 cup (65g) cocoa powder
16 -
3-5 tablespoons heavy cream
17 -
1/4 teaspoon salt
18 -
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
→ Decoration
19 -
Semi-sweet chocolate chips (if you'd like)
# Instructions:
01 -
Heat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Coat two 9-inch cake pans with grease and put parchment paper on the bottom.
02 -
In a big bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder if using.
03 -
Mix oil, eggs, and vanilla in another bowl. Pour in buttermilk. Add these wet items to your dry mix along with the hot coffee and stir until smooth.
04 -
Pour the mix evenly into your pans. Bake for 23-26 minutes until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean. Let cool fully.
05 -
Whip butter until it's fluffy. Mix in sugar, cocoa, cream, salt, and vanilla until you get a smooth, creamy frosting.
06 -
Trim cakes flat if needed. Stack them with frosting between layers and coat the whole cake. Add chocolate chips on top if you want.
07 -
Chill in the fridge for 30-60 minutes before cutting. You can enjoy it cold or let it warm up a bit.
# Notes:
01 -
Go with natural cocoa powder instead of dutch-process
02 -
Make sure your ingredients aren't cold from the fridge
03 -
You can make it ahead and freeze it for later
04 -
The coffee makes the chocolate taste even better