Description

Super moist chocolate cake made with a surprising hot water technique. Rich chocolate flavor, easy buttercream frosting, and uses ingredients you already have.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (get the good stuff, seriously)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder (this is the magic)
1 cup milk (whatever kind you drink is fine)
½ cup vegetable oil (coconut oil works too)
2 large eggs (I forget to take them out early, room temp is nice but not required)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water (yes, really boiling)

For the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened (set it out when you start mixing)
3½ cups powdered sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ cup heavy cream

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Instructions

Step 1: Preheat & Prep Your Pans

Turn your oven to 350°F. Grease your pans with whatever you use – I like butter, then I dust them with cocoa instead of flour so they don’t look all white and weird.

Step 2: Mix Those Dry Ingredients

Dump all the dry stuff in your biggest bowl and whisk it up. Make sure there aren’t any cocoa lumps because those turn into bitter surprises later.

Pro Tip: Taste your cocoa before you use it. Old cocoa tastes like dirt and will ruin your whole cake.

Step 3: Add the Wet Ingredients

Pour in the milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Mix it on medium until it looks like normal cake batter. Nothing fancy here.

Step 4: The Magic Boiling Water Step

This is where it gets weird. Turn your mixer down low and slowly pour in that boiling water. The batter’s going to get really thin and you’re going to think you screwed up. You didn’t.

Pro Tip: Go slow with the water so you don’t make scrambled eggs. Keep that mixer running the whole time.

Step 5: Bake to Perfection

Split the batter between your pans – it’ll be really liquidy, that’s normal. Bake for about 30-35 minutes. Stick a toothpick in the middle and if it comes out clean or with just a few crumbs, you’re done.

Step 6: Cool Completely

Let them sit for 10 minutes, then flip them out onto racks. I know you want to frost them now but don’t. Hot cake melts frosting and you’ll hate yourself.

Step 7: Make That Dreamy Frosting

Beat your butter until it’s fluffy, then add everything else and beat the crap out of it until it’s smooth. If it’s too thick, add more cream. Too runny? More powdered sugar.

Step 8: Frost and Serve

Bottom layer on your plate, frosting in the middle, top layer, then frost the whole thing. Don’t stress about making it perfect – homemade should look homemade.

Notes

Here’s what I wish someone had told me when I started making this cake. That espresso powder isn’t optional – it makes chocolate taste more like itself without adding coffee flavor. When you measure cocoa, don’t pack it down or you’ll get way too much and your cake will be bitter as hell.

Also, smell your vanilla before you use it. Cheap vanilla tastes like rubbing alcohol and will mess up your whole cake. If your frosting looks too thick, add cream bit by bit. If it gets too thin, stick it in the fridge for a few minutes then beat it again. And here’s something nobody tells you – check doneness in the center, not the edges. Edges always cook faster and you’ll pull it out too early.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 slice
Calories: 485
Sugar: 58g
Sodium: 285mg
Fat: 18g
Saturated Fat: 9g
Unsaturated Fat: 8g
Carbohydrates: 82g
Fiber: 4g
Protein: 6g
Cholesterol: 65mg