This decadent chocolate cake is INTENSE!!! I am not a huge chocolate cake person and this might just be my all-time favorite cake. Ever. Period. It has an insanely rich chocolate flavor with the perfect amount of moisture. You could even eat this without icing…it is that good.
One of the reasons this cake is so amazing is from the addition of hot coffee. Your cake will not taste like coffee. It simply enhances and deepens the rich, chocolatey flavor. If you are strongly opposed to using it though, you may replace it with hot water. I recommend using a high quality cocoa powder for this recipe. I tend to use either Guittard or Ghirardelli. This cake recipe will stick to pans if the pans are not properly greased. I use Pam Baking Spray with flour and it comes out clean every single time.
Tips
- Measure correctly – I highly recommend using a kitchen scale when baking. Because baking measurements need to be exact, using a scale helps to measure as precisely as possible. It quite honestly was a complete game changer for me when I first started using one! I would be lost without it now.
- Room temperature is important! When certain ingredients (eggs, cream cheese, butter, etc.) are listed as room temperature, there are scientific reasons behind this. At room temperature, these ingredients blend together better and result in a smoother batter. Ultimately, you will end up with a better final product!
- Level cakes – Whenever baking cakes in round pans, I use these cake strips to achieve a perfectly flat top instead of a domed top. This eliminates the need to trim the cake prior to decorating. They are very easy to use…simply soak them in water when you begin assembling your recipe. By the time you are ready to bake the cake, wring them out and place around cake pans. Perfectly level cakes…huzzah!
My Preferred Tools
You may already have many of these items in your kitchen. I recommend the following for this recipe:
- Kitchen Scale – precisely measure ingredients
- Stand Mixer – to mix batter
- Cake Pans – to bake cake
- Cooling Racks – to cool cake and dishwasher friendly!!
- Cake Strips – to achieve level cakes
- Cake Turntable and Spatulas – excellent for decorating cakes
- Wilton Decorating Kit – piping tips, bags, couplers, and more for decorating cakes
- Master Decorating Kit – ultimate cake decorating tip set
- Cake Scraper Set – use these to scrape icing and create fun, easy designs on your cakes
- Cake Boards – sturdy, cardboard cake boards used to pick up your cake
Decadent Chocolate Cake Pairs Well With
- Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting
- Rich Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Chocolate Ganache
- Cream Cheese Frosting
Decadent Chocolate Cake
This is the best chocolate cake ever! It is light and moist with an intense chocolate flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (397 g) granulated sugar
- 1 ¾ cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (63 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs, room temp
- 1 cup whole milk, room temp
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup strong, hot brewed coffee
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9” cake pans with vegetable shortening. Line the pans with parchment paper. Then, grease the parchment paper. Alternatively, spray cake pans with Pam Baking Spray (with flour). Soak cake strips in water if using them. If making cupcakes, line cupcake tins with paper liners. (Makes approximately 24 cupcakes depending on size.)
- Step 2 In a large bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Step 3 In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla.
- Step 4 Add liquid mixture to solids and beat on medium speed for one minute. Gently, stir in hot coffee (batter will be thin).
- Step 5 Wring out cake strips and fit onto cake pans (if applicable). Next, pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 20-25 minutes for 9” pans or 18-22 minutes for cupcakes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. (For two 8-inch pans, bake 33-35 minutes. For two 6-inch pans, bake 26-28 minutes.) Let cool in pan for about 5 minutes. Then, remove cakes from pans and let cool on cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.
Thank You for sharing your time with us
Thank you for visiting. I truly hope you love this recipe as much as I do. If you tried it, please share a comment below and let us know what you think or share a picture on Instagram. Tag @the_kelly_kitchen and hashtag it #the_kelly_kitchen
If you would like to know when we post new recipes, please subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. For video updates, please subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Have a wonderful day!
