Description
A rich, moist, and deeply chocolatey layer cake made with three layers of chocolate cake and finished with a luscious chocolate cream cheese buttercream frosting. Perfect for celebrations or any chocolate lover’s craving.
Ingredients
Scale
The Most Amazing Chocolate Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1 1/2 cups warm water (or brewed coffee)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 7 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup milk, as needed
Instructions
- Prepare pans: Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). Lightly grease three 9-inch cake rounds or dust with flour or cocoa powder, or grease and line with parchment paper.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt on low speed until combined.
- Add wet ingredients: Add eggs, buttermilk, warm water (or coffee), vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until smooth, scraping the bowl sides and bottom to mix fully.
- Divide batter: Pour batter evenly into the three pans (about 3 cups per pan). Tap pans gently to release air bubbles.
- Bake: Bake for 35 minutes at 350°F (176°C), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool cakes: Cool cakes in pans on wire racks for 15 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely on racks.
- Make frosting: Beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add cocoa powder and vanilla extract; beat until combined. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, adding milk as needed for spreadable consistency.
- Assemble and frost: Use the frosting to frost and assemble the cake layers. Refrigerate after frosting; cake can remain at room temperature up to 4 hours.
Notes
- For metric measurements, bake at 176°C in three 23 cm pans.
- Use brewed coffee instead of warm water to deepen the chocolate flavor, especially for dark chocolate lovers.
- The recipe yields three layers to easily scale up or down depending on desired number of layers.
- Ensure cakes are completely cooled before frosting to prevent melting.
- Refrigerate the frosted cake to preserve texture and flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 520 kcal
- Sugar: 45 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 70 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
