Description
Sinful chocolate cake beckons with rich, velvety layers of pure indulgence. Luxurious cocoa notes dance across your palate, promising a memorable dessert experience that lingers deliciously.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Ingredients:
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups (1.25 cups) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup buttermilk
Leavening and Flavoring Agents:
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Wet Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- Fire up the oven to 350°F (175°C) and prepare two 9-inch round cake pans by lightly coating with cooking spray and dusting with flour to prevent sticking.
- In a mixing bowl, thoroughly blend dry ingredients – flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and sugar – ensuring no lumps remain.
- Create a separate mixture combining buttermilk, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract, whisking until the liquid becomes uniform and silky.
- Gently fold wet ingredients into dry components, stirring with minimal manipulation to maintain a tender cake texture.
- Distribute batter evenly between prepared pans, carefully tapping each pan against the counter to eliminate potential air pockets.
- Place pans in preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, checking doneness by inserting a toothpick into the cake’s center – it should emerge clean without wet batter.
- Remove cakes from oven and let them rest in pans for 10 minutes, allowing initial cooling and structural stabilization.
- Transfer cakes to wire cooling racks, permitting complete cooling before frosting or decorating to ensure optimal texture and prevent structural collapse.
Notes
- Achieving the perfect texture depends on not overmixing the batter, which can make the cake dense and tough.
- Substitute buttermilk with a mixture of milk and vinegar if you don’t have buttermilk on hand for the same tangy richness.
- Enhance the chocolate flavor by adding a tablespoon of espresso powder to the dry ingredients, which deepens the cocoa’s intensity without making it taste like coffee.
- For a gluten-free version, replace wheat flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend to maintain the cake’s soft, tender crumb.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 286 kcal
- Sugar: 27 g
- Sodium: 157 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 39 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg