The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe . . . Ever☺- By Valerie

Our parents' special 25th wedding anniversary was on Tuesday and I wanted to make a cake to celebrate.  We have several "tried and true" cake recipes, but I wanted to try a new recipe. I was hoping for a chocolate cake that would be very moist and have a really dark chocolate color and rich flavor.  I looked up the "best☺" chocolate cake recipe and found  this one!  We all really enjoyed this cake and I think it has definitely become a new favorite.  The recipe calls for espresso powder in both the cake and butter-cream frosting which was all new to us and we didn't have any on hand.  So, we did some research on possible substitutes and found that you can use instant coffee granules after they have been ground in a food processor.  Also you should double the amount of instant coffee as espresso powder. Hope you enjoy!

 

Chocolate Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon espresso powder

1 cup milk

½ cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring.
2. For the cake:
3. 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.
4. 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. Beat on high speed for about 1 minute to add air to the batter.
5. 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 comes out clean.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely.

Perfect Chocolate Butter-cream Frosting

 Ingredients

• 1½ cups butter (3 sticks), softened
• 1 cup cocoa
• 5 cups confectioner’s sugar
• ½ cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon espresso powder

Instructions

1. Add cocoa to a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer. Whisk through to remove any lumps.
2. Cream together butter and cocoa powder until well-combined.
3. Add sugar and milk to cocoa mixture by adding 1 cup of sugar followed by about a tablespoon of milk. After each addition has been combined, turn mixer onto a high speed for about a minute. Repeat until all sugar and milk have been added.
4. Add vanilla extract and espresso powder and combine well.
5. 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.

Source: Addapinch.com