Chocolate Cake and Frosting

 This is a great chocolate cake and chocolate frosting recipe! I baked the cake for 28 minutes.

 The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe {Ever} - Add a Pinch

Ingredients

2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour, (spoon + level)

2 cups (396 g) sugar

3/4 cup (63 g) unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons (9 g) baking soda

1 teaspoon (2.8 g) kosher salt

1 teaspoon (2.3 g) espresso powder, homemade or store-bought

1 cup (227 g) milk, or buttermilk, almond, or coconut milk

1/2 cup (99 g) vegetable oil, or canola oil, or melted coconut oil

2 large (100 g) eggs

2 teaspoons (9.4 g) vanilla extract

1 cup (227. g) boiling water

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe

 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray, buttering and lightly flouring, or brushing them with homemade chocolate pan release.

 

For the chocolate cake:

1.Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk through to combine or, using your paddle attachment, stir through flour mixture until combined well.

2.Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter until well combined.

3.Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the chocolate cake comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely.

4.Frost the cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.

Notes

-The cake batter will be very thin after adding the boiling water. This is correct and results in the most delicious and moist chocolate cake I’ve ever tasted! xo

-Freezer Friendly: Let the baked cake layers cool completely. Wrap them well with plastic wrap and then with foil. Put each layer into a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. To serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight with wrapping intact. The next day, the layers are ready to fill and frost.

Ingredient Notes:

Here are a few additional ways I like to make this cake!

Chocolate Cupcakes

If you are looking for cupcakes from this recipe, I’ve shared my recipe for the best chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting. This recipe makes a perfect dozen so that you can scale the recipe to make as many chocolate cupcakes as you need! Talk about easy! 🙂

9×13 Chocolate Cake

I love this version! It is a delicious, scaled-down version that is just the thing for potlucks, reunions, tailgates, and travels perfectly! I’ve also scaled-down the frosting so that has the frosting to cake ratio that my family prefers. It is a definite winner!

Large Chocolate Sheet Cake

Scaled for a crowd, this recipe bakes beautifully in a rimmed half sheet baking sheet and is perfect for all sorts of get-togethers. Think of it as the 9×13’s big brother! 🙂 This recipe features Fudge Icing, but you can definitely substitute the icing for whatever you fancy!

 

Perfect Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe - Add a Pinch

Ingredients

• 1½ cups (339 g) butter, softened
• 1 cup (84 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 5 cups (567.5 g) confectioner’s sugar
• ½ cup (113.5 g) milk, whole, half and half, or heavy cream preferred
• 2 teaspoons (9 g) vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon (1 g) espresso powder

Instructions 

• Add cocoa powder to a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer. Whisk through to remove any lumps.
• Cream together butter and cocoa powder until well-combined.
• Add confectioner's sugar to a large bowl. Whisk through to remove any lumps. Alternatively, you may sift the confectioner's sugar into the large bowl. Add the confectioner's sugar and milk to the cocoa mixture by adding 1 cup of confectioner's sugar followed by about a tablespoon of milk. After each addition has been combined, turn the mixer onto a high speed for about a minute. Repeat until all sugar and milk have been added.
• Add vanilla extract and espresso powder and combine well.
• If frosting appears too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency. If it appears to wet and does not hold its form, add more confectioner’s sugar, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.

Notes

Storage Tips: 

Refrigerator: Place frosting in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 5 days. Once ready to use, remove from the refrigerator and allow to reach room temperature, then whisk well to fluff the frosting.

Freeze: Place frosting in an airtight, freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Once ready to use, place in refrigerator overnight to thaw, then remove from fridge for a short time prior to use as described previously and whisk to fluff the frosting.