As with our vanilla cake, the chocolate cake we were serving at Magnolia Bakery in 2007 needed an update. Early on, I developed this super-rich version that customers now obsess over. It’s incredibly easy to make and doesn’t even require a mixer. The resulting cake is moist with a beautiful dark chocolate aroma and flavor. The addition of a little espresso powder—boiling water helps it dissolve evenly through the cake—enhances the chocolate’s intensity. This recipe is the base for all the chocolate-inspired cakes in this chapter.
Chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream is pure heaven, but this dark beauty is so versatile that it can pair with almost any buttercream. Over the next several pages are variations on this cake that offer delicious flavor options.
MAKES two 9-inch layers; serves 8 to 16
INGREDIENTS
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (428g/15oz) granulated sugar
1¾ cups (237g/8.3oz) all-purpose flour
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (87g/3oz) unsweetened dark cocoa powder (22 to 24%), sifted
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoons salt
2 eggs
1 cup (240g/8.5oz) whole milk
½ cup (104g/3.6oz) vegetable oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
¾ cup (180g/6.3oz) boiling water
Chocolate Buttercream or Chocolate Mocha Buttercream
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk the together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla.
- Whisk the egg-milk mixture into the flour mixture just until incorporated. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Place the espresso powder in a liquid measuring cup, add the boiling water, and whisk until dissolved. Carefully whisk into the cake batter until fully mixed. Scrape the bowl again.
- Divide the batter evenly (it will be thin) between the prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 30 minutes. Transfer the cakes to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- To assemble and decorate the cake with horizontal swipes, place one layer top side up on a cake turner. Use an icing wand to evenly spread 1½ cups buttercream over the surface. Add the second layer top side up. Using an icing wand, spread 1 cup buttercream on the top and the remaining buttercream on the sides. Smooth the icing around the cake, leaving a somewhat thick but smooth coating on the sides. Gently press the tip of an icing wand against the side of the cake, starting on the bottom, while spinning the cake turner, evenly move the wand to the top of the cake to create the horizontal swipes effect.