Rich Chocolate Cake Indulgence (Printable Version)
Moist chocolate cake with rich cocoa flavor, ideal for celebrations or a decadent dessert experience.
# What You'll Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
03 - 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
04 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
05 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
06 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
→ Wet Ingredients
07 - 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
08 - 1/2 cup vegetable oil
09 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
10 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
→ Additional
11 - 1 cup hot brewed coffee
→ Ganache (optional)
12 - 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
13 - 1 cup heavy cream
14 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
# How to Make It:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
02 - Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
03 - Whisk milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl until fully combined.
04 - Gradually add wet ingredients into dry mixture, stirring gently until just combined.
05 - Pour in hot brewed coffee and mix until batter is smooth and slightly runny.
06 - Divide batter evenly between prepared pans.
07 - Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
08 - Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes then remove and place on wire rack to cool completely.
09 - Place chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat cream until simmering, pour over chocolate, let sit 2 minutes, add butter and stir until smooth.
10 - Spread ganache on one cake layer, top with second layer, coat entire cake with remaining ganache. Allow to set before slicing.
# Expert Insights:
01 -
- The coffee isn't detectable but somehow makes the chocolate taste like the deepest, richest version of itself.
- It's moist without being heavy, which means you can actually enjoy a second slice without guilt.
- The ganache transforms it from everyday to celebration-worthy in about five minutes.
02 -
- The temperature of your wet ingredients matters more than you'd think—cold eggs and milk won't mix smoothly, and you'll end up with a lumpy batter that bakes unevenly.
- Stop stirring the moment you see no dry flour; one extra stir changes the cake from tender to dense, and there's no coming back from that.
- If your ganache looks grainy or broken instead of silky, you either had the cream too hot before pouring or the chocolate was cold; let it sit for a minute and stir slowly to rescue it.
03 -
- Room-temperature ingredients are not optional—they mix together smoothly and create a more uniform crumb than cold ingredients ever will.
- If you don't have two cake pans, you can absolutely bake this in a single 9-inch pan and double the baking time, then slice the cooled cake in half horizontally to create layers.