Decadent Chocolate Cake

Chocolate cake fan?  If so, this is the cake for you.  Moist, decadent, and velvety.  Top with your favorite chocolate buttercream or cream cheese frosting and devour. Perfect for any occasion…birthday, anniversary, new job or in this case, a job well “done” for my Penpal.

Ingredients

Butter to grease pans

1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour, plus a bit for dusting pans

2 cups sugar

2/4 cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup buttermilk

½ cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee (No worries if you don’t like coffee, you won’t taste it.  Coffee helps bring out the flavor of chocolate).

Your favorite chocolate buttercream frosting or cream cheese frosting

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter two 8-inch round cake pans.  Line with parchment, then butter and flour.  Or just use Pam. J

2.  Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl of a mixer.  Mix at low speed until combined.

3.  In another bowl, mix buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. 

4.  With the mixer on low, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.  Slowly add the coffee and stir until just combined. 

5.  Pour the batter into the pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees.  Using a cake tester, make sure the tester comes out clear.  Cool completely and frost, layering cakes atop one another.  Yum!

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa.