Everyone needs a good Chocolate Cake Recipe that they turn to when needed. This is mine and I love it because there is no fuss when making this recipe. This recipe is exactly the same as a Vanilla Cake Recipe, but all you need to do is change out some of the cake flour for cocoa powder. So you have 2 recipes in 1! A lot of chocolate cakes use oil, water or coffee, but this one is so simple, you won’t need to go looking for another chocolate cake recipe.
This recipe makes two 20cm/8 inch cakes.
- Equipment needed:
- Electrical hand mixer or stand mixer
- 2 large mixing bowls
- Sieve
- Cake Tins
- Spatulas
- Measuring cups and spoons OR a scale
- Cooling racks
If you’re a beginner baker, you might want to check out my List of 10 essential baking tools for beginners.
Ingredients for the cake:
- 2 cups (300g) Cake Flour (add 2 teaspoons baking powder if your cake flour doesn’t have it added already)
- ¾ cup (30g) Cocoa Powder, unsweetened
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup (226g) Butter, unsalted & soft
- 1 ½ cups (300g) White Sugar
- 4 Eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup (240ml) Milk, room temperature
How to Make an easy Chocolate Cake Recipe
This Chocolate Cake cannot be any easier to make! Start by measuring out your ingredients (remember to take your butter out the fridge a while before to let it come to room temperature), grease your cake tins and preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F.
TIP! You can use butter to grease your cake pans and then sprinkle flour around the pans so that the cakes don’t stick to the bottom!
Beat the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl for about 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs in one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add in the vanilla extract and mix to combine.
Sift in the flour and cocoa powder and mix until just combined. Try not to mix the cake batter too much, only until you no longer see any dry ingredients.
TIP! Remember to scrape down the bowl between mixing!
Then add half of the milk, mix until combined and repeat with the remaining milk. Using a spatula, give the cake batter a final mix, making sure that all the ingredients have been well combined. Divide the batter evenly between 2 cake tins and bake for 30-40 minutes. Cakes are ready when a toothpick comes out clean.
When your cakes are done, remove them from the oven and leave them in their tins for 5-10 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Now is a great time to make the frosting and only assemble when the cakes are totally cooled down.
TIP! You can add a delicious berry jam in between the cake layers to cut through the sweetness of all the chocolate! Berries and chocolate go great together!
INGREDIENTS For the Frosting:
- 2 cups (500g) Powdered Sugar
- 250g unsalted Butter at room temperature (you can add a pinch of salt if you find american buttercream on the sweet side)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons Milk/Cream
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 2 to 3 tablespoons unsweetened Cocoa Powder (taste it after adding 1 or 2 to see if you are happy with the taste)
How to make Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Beat your butter for about 5 minutes until very light and fluffy
- Gradually add the icing sugar
- Add the milk + vanilla extract
- Beat for another 5 min until all combined and you are happy with the texture (you can add more or less milk but don’t add too much as it will make piping difficult)
- Add your cocoa powder, mix and taste
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