Hello loves,
Have we all seen Matilda? Okay, so that was one of my favorite movies as a kid. The chocolate cake from the movie is the chocolate cake I think about when I think of the best chocolate cake. It looks moist, decadent, rich, dense in a good way and just oh so good. Well friends, that’s what I’m sharing today. I’m sharing the best chocolate cake recipe you will ever make. I know that’s really promising a lot… and tbh I don’t promise things like that too often because I know everyone has different tastes/preferences. However, I am confident that this recipe will be your absolute go-to when you feel like making a chocolate cake.
***Let’s address the elephant in the room. Moist is quite possibly the best word for describing food. We have all had a dry cake and overcooked chicken. We all know how bad that is. Moist is the perfect word to describe food that is great!!***
This chocolate cake has two thick layers. Every crumb is as moist and delicious as the next. There is a sweet but not too sweet chocolate frosting between the layers that’s almost cloud like in texture but holds it’s own in the flavor department. I could list off every single adjective for how good this cake is and describe it in so much detail. But I think the fact that I have eaten half of this two layer cake myself in the past 3 days speaks for itself. And I’m gonna be honest, if I am given the choice between chocolate or vanilla cake, I always choose vanilla. But this cake makes me change my mind.
The Best Chocolate Cake
The Best Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3 cup flour
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla
For the frosting:
- 1 1/2 cups butter, softened to room temp
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temp
- 1 1/2 cups cocoa powder
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- 6-7 cup powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 oz semi-sweet chocolate bar, peeled for garnish, optional
- 2 strawberries, optional for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray two 9" round cake pans with bakers spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. Alternatively you can butter the pans and sprinkle flour in them, shaking out the excess.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix on low speed to combine. Add the eggs, buttermilk, warm water, oil and vanilla beating on medium speed till combined. About 2 minutes. Divide batter into the two prepared pans.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 10-15 minutes then flip out onto the wire rack, removing the parchment paper. Cool completely.
- To make the frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add in the cocoa powder and vanilla. Beat until combined. Using a spatula to scrap down the sides. Then add the powdered sugar a cup at time while beating on low speed. Add the milk a tbsp at a time. I added 6 cups of powdered sugar and found the whole 1/3 cup was needed.
- Once cakes have cooled completely, assemble cake. Put the first layer down then smear a generous amount of frosting on top of the layer. Then add the second cake layer and frost the top and sides. I like to shave some semi-sweet chocolate on top as a garnish and strawberries are always pretty.
I made this cake a few years ago for a friends birthday. It was right when covid first hit and no one was doing anything. He usually has big birthday parties so I wanted to do something special for him. His favorite cake is chocolate cake so I experimented with this recipe until I got it just right. I don’t know why I waited so long to share the best chocolate cake recipe with you! I can’t wait to hear what you guys think of it. Be sure to tag me @tessa_port!
