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I asked my non-writer husband to describe this cake and here's what he said: perfectly chocolatey, rich, yet fluffy, just sweet enough, not too heavy, not too light, juuuuust right. He may not be destined for writing, but he hit the nail on the head with that description 😀 Seriously- this chocolate cake is best-ever material. Paired with a just-a-tad-sweet cream cheese frosting, this is the only chocolate cake recipe you'll ever need.
About
Despite not having much time this week, I knew Valentine’s Day was coming up, so I figured I’d make Chris’s favorite: chocolate cake. He was beyond excited when I started testing out chocolate cake recipes. If you’ve read some of my other posts (primarily my pretzel hug bites), you’ll know he is veeeeery picky about his desserts. Place ‘n Bake chocolate chip cookies, ice cream, and boxed chocolate cake with canned cream cheese frosting were quite literally the only desserts he would eat growing up. And don’t get me wrong- I think all desserts (including pre-made) have a place in this world. But, I mean, come on. Homemade chocolate chip cookies don’t hold a candle to the Place ‘n Bakes, and homemade cream cheese frosting can’t be beaten. So, when we started dating, I decided to open his mind to the entire world of desserts.
And I failed.
Well, sort of. He still won’t go near any dessert that has fruit or nuts in it. He only tries one bite of everything I make because I force him into it. But, we have found out that he likes my mom’s pumpkin bars (recipe coming in the fall) and pies with graham cracker crusts! So, we’re further than we once were.
However, whenever he requests a dessert, it is 1 of 2 things: my chocolate chip cookies or the chocolate cake I’m about to tell you about.
Now, I love desserts. I’ve never met a chocolate cake I didn’t like. But let me tell you- this is the chocolate cake to end all chocolate cakes. Seriously. It literally does not get any better than this.
Ingredients
Coffee: Please please please try it out with the coffee in the batter. You can get decaf if you’re worried about the caffeine (though there’s so little compared to the rest of the cake, I don’t worry about it). Also take heart that I do not like coffee, but I loooooove this cake. It doesn’t have a coffee taste at all, but the coffee develops a richer chocolate flavor. However, if you are reaaaaally opposed, you can use 1 cup of hot water instead.
Cream Cheese Frosting: I made it this time around with cream cheese frosting because that’s Chris’s favorite to go with chocolate cake, but I recently made it with vanilla buttercream for a friend’s birthday and it was just as delicious. I’m sure it would also pair well with chocolate buttercream (or really literally any other frosting because it is just that good).
Notes
Storage: Cover and store on the counter for up to 3 days.
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Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose or cake flour
- 2 cups sugar
- ¾ cup cocoa powder dark
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot coffee 8 oz
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 pkg cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Prepare.
- Preheat your oven to 350.
- Grease a 9x13 pan then coat the pan with flour.
Mix the Batter.
- Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, and vanilla.
- Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir using a stand mixer, hand mixer, or by hand. Mix until just combined.
- Add the coffee, and stir to combine. The batter will be loose. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake.
- Bake 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with just crumbs, not loose batter.
- Allow the cake to fully cool before frosting, at least 2 hours.
Make the Frosting.
- Start making the frosting shortly before you plan to frost the cake.
- Beat together the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract until fully combined.
- Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until fully incorporated.
Assemble.
- Once the cake is cooled, spread the frosting evenly over it.
- Voila! Best chocolate cake ever!
Did you make this chocolate cake? I want to know! Post it on social media, tag @battersandblessings, and add #battersandblessings so I can see your creation 🙂
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Tracy says
This is a fabulous cake. I made it for my husband’s birthday as this is also his favorite flavor combo. He loved the flavor, thought it was just the right amount of sweetness with deep rich chocolatey goodness. I loved how easy it was to make. This one is a keeper for sure. Thank you for a great recipe.
Batters and Blessings says
Tracy, thank you so much for the kind comment, I am so glad you and your husband enjoyed it! It's my hubby's favorite, too 🙂