Best Chocolate Cake

 From:  The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe {Ever} - Add a Pinch

Yields: 24 servings

2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour

▢2 cups (396 g) sugar

▢3/4 cup (63 g) unsweetened cocoa powder

▢2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder

▢1 1/2 teaspoons (9 g) baking soda

▢1 teaspoon (2.8 g) kosher salt

▢1 teaspoon (2.3 g) espresso powder, homemade or store-bought

▢1 cup (227 g) milk, or buttermilk, almond, or coconut milk

▢1/2 cup (99 g) vegetable oil, or canola oil, or melted coconut oil

▢2 large (100 g) eggs

▢2 teaspoons (9.4 g) vanilla extract

▢1 cup (227. g) boiling water

▢Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe (see below)

Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray, buttering and lightly flouring, or brushing them with homemade chocolate pan release.

Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk through to combine or, using your paddle attachment, stir through flour mixture until combined well.

Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter until well combined.

Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the chocolate cake comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely.

Frost the cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.

Notes

The cake batter will be very thin after adding the boiling water. This is correct and results in the most delicious and moist chocolate cake I’ve ever tasted! 

Frosting:

1½ cups (339 g) butter, softened

▢1 cup (84 g) unsweetened cocoa powder

▢5 cups (567.5 g) confectioner’s sugar

▢½ cup (113.5 g) milk, whole, half and half, or heavy cream preferred

▢2 teaspoons (9 g) vanilla extract

▢½ teaspoon (1 g) espresso powder

Add cocoa powder to a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer. Whisk through to remove any lumps.

Cream together butter and cocoa powder until well-combined.

Add confectioner's sugar to a large bowl. Whisk through to remove any lumps. Alternatively, you may sift the confectioner's sugar into the large bowl. Add the confectioner's sugar and milk to the cocoa mixture by adding 1 cup of confectioner's sugar followed by about a tablespoon of milk. After each addition has been combined, turn the mixer onto a high speed for about a minute. Repeat until all sugar and milk have been added.

Add vanilla extract and espresso powder and combine well.

If frosting appears too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency. If it appears to wet and does not hold its form, add more confectioner’s sugar, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.