Dark Chocolate Cake Recipe Made From Scratch
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“Some things are just wonderful like friendship & chocolate cake.” – anonymous.
There’s nothing better than a piece of chocolate cake. Here you’ll learn how to make this rich and decadent dark chocolate cake recipe. These dark chocolate cake layers are perfectly moist and have the right amount of crumb.
The chocolate cake is made with dark cocoa powder and freshly brewed coffee. The coffee enhances the chocolate flavor giving it a well-rounded taste not too sweet or bitter. The cake layers are perfectly moist and have the best texture that makes it stable but very light, making it a definite crowd-pleaser.
This cake is impressive for someone new to baking because this recipe can be made in one bowl. I suggest using a stand mixer as it’s easier to mix, but if you want to use a stand mixer or a whisk, then that’ll work just as well!
Tips for Success:
- Read through all the ingredients and instructions so you can get a better idea of how much time and what you need to make this cake.
- A single batch of this cake recipe makes three 6-inch round cake layers or two 8-inch round cake layers. Double the cake recipe to make enough cake batter for three 8-inch cake layers.
- In this cake recipe, you need 1 cup buttermilk; if you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, you can easily use 1 cup whole milk mixed with 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to make your own.
- You can bake the cake layers ahead of time. Wrap the cake layers in a double layer of plastic wrap and freeze for up to one month.
- Serve at room temperature and enjoy!
What Tools You’ll Need to Make This Cake:
Baking
- 5-quart, Stand Mixer with mixing bowl & whisk attachment (or electric hand mixer & mixing bowls)
- 3, 6-inch cake pans or 2, 8-inch cake pans
- Whisk or sifter
- Rubber Spatula
- Non-Stick Cooking Spray and Parchment Paper
- Ice Cream Scooper with Trigger Release (recommended for dividing cake batter evenly)
- Cooling rack
- Mixing bowl
- Cake Stand, optional
Decorating, optional
- Offset spatula
- 8-inch or 10-inch white cake board
- A serrated knife or cake leveler
- Turntable
- Cake scraper or bench scraper
Here’s how to make this decadent Dark Chocolate Cake recipe!
Let’s Get Baking!
Dark Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Spray three 6-inch round cake pans or two 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
- In the stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, stir together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Add the eggs and the vegetable oil on low until well incorporated.
- Pour in the buttermilk and add brewed coffee. Mix on medium for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three cake pans and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely — wrap cakes in plastic wrap and place them into the freezer to chill for 1-2 hours before decorating them later.
- Build the cake with a complimentary frosting, then crumb coat and decorate your cake. Serve the cake at room temperature and enjoy!
You May Also Enjoy:
- How to Decorate Your First Cake (free ebook)
- How to Decorate Your First Cake (free course)
- Cake Decorating for Beginners (online course)
I’m so excited to see your Dark Chocolate Cake creations. Please feel free to email me here at xokatierosario@gmail.com with any questions you may have; I’ll be happy to help!
Happy Baking!
P.S. Hey, if you liked this tutorial, you really should check out Cake Decorating for Beginners, my online cake program. I coach you on everything I teach on these cake tutorials so that you can uplevel your baking and decorating skills. We 10x it so you get the results you want most. Like any new skill, it’s essential to learn from the ground up to build a foundation so that you can take on any cake challenge. It is an investment your future self will thank you for. Check it out at XOKatieRosario.com/online-cake-course. I will see you there!
Watch The How-to Video Below:
Dark Chocolate Cake Layers
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup dark cocoa powder
- 1 Tablespoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 whole eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup brewed coffee
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Spray three 6-inch round cake pans or two 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
- In the stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, stir together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Add the eggs and the vegetable oil on low until well incorporated.
- Pour in the buttermilk and add brewed coffee. Mix on medium for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three cake pans and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely — wrap cakes in plastic wrap and place them into the freezer to chill for 1-2 hours before decorating them later.
- Build the cake with a complimentary frosting, then crumb coat and decorate your cake. Serve the cake at room temperature and enjoy!
Notes
- Read through all the ingredients and instructions so you can get a better idea of how much time and what you need to make this cake.
- A single batch of this cake recipe makes three, 6-inch round cake layers or two 8-inch round cake layers. Double the cake recipe to make enough cake batter for three, 8-inch cake layers.
- In this cake recipe, you need 1 cup buttermilk; if you don't have any buttermilk on hand, you can easily use 1 cup whole milk mixed with 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to make your own.
- You can bake the cake layers ahead of time. Wrap the cake layers in a double layer of plastic wrap and freeze for up to one month.
- Serve at room temperature and enjoy!
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