Ultimate Chocolate Cake

Happy Monday everyone...!!! I baked this beautiful cake for my male friend's birthday party as a surprise.  It's perfectly moist, fudgey and has a wonderful texture and chocolate flavor you ever asked for. With one bite of this chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, every single person around the table commented that this was the best chocolate cake they’d ever tasted. So as for my house, this chocolate cake recipe now holds that honor.

 

Theres nothing compared the taste of homemade cake, so I did homemade buttermilk as well, to add the freshness flavor of fresh lemon. I know..its easy to use store-bought buttermilk but I preferred fresh one. It is easy to make, every 1 cup of whole milk just add 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice, stir together and let stand for 15 minutes before use. 

So, enjoy and happy baking.....

Ingredients

Butter, for greasing the pans

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans

2 cups sugar

¾ cups good cocoa powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1 cup buttermilk

½ cup vegetable oil

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Fresh raspberries, for decoration

Shaved chocolate, for decoration

Chocolate waffles, for decoration

Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows

Cream cheese frosting, recipe follows

Directions

* Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans. Line with 

  parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

* Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, set aside.

* In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on 

  low speed, slowly add the flour mixture. With mixer still on low, add the coffee 

  and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. 

* Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake 

  tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto 

  a cooling rack and cool completely.

* Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset 

  spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded 

  side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Frosting

  6 ounces semisweet chocolate (good quality chocolate)

  1 cup  butter, at room temperature

  1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature

  1 tsp pure vanilla extract

  1¼ cups sifted confectioners' sugar

  1 tbsp instant coffee powder

* Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering

  water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

* In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter 

  on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg 

  yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, 

  gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping 

  down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee 

  powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate 

  and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! 

  Spread  immediately on the cooled cake.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  250g cream cheese, room temperature

  ½ cup butter

  1½ cup icing sugar

  ½ tsp. vanilla extract

 Cream the butter until smooth add cream cheese and vanilla  mix well, 

 gradually add icing sugar beat until smooth.

 Spread into cake.