Every baker needs one chocolate cake that always works. This is the hot-coffee cocoa method: the boiling liquid blooms the cocoa into its deepest self and thins the batter to a pourable slick that bakes level. The coffee doesn't make it taste of coffee, only more of chocolate. One bowl, a whisk, no mixer.
Everything you need
- 1¾ cups (219 g) all-purpose flour
- 1¾ cups (350 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (64 g) cocoa powder
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (245 g) buttermilk
- ½ cup (109 g) vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (237 g) hot strong coffee
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, soft (for the frosting)
- ⅔ cup (57 g) cocoa powder (for the frosting)
- 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar, sifted (for the frosting)
- ⅓ cup (77 g) heavy cream (for the frosting)
Weigh, don't scoop. Measuring flour by cups can overpack it and dry out your bake. Tap any ingredient to open its converter.
Method
0 of 6 done-
Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Grease and line two 20 cm round tins.
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Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in your biggest bowl.
For this step
- 1¾ cups (219 g) all-purpose flour
- 1¾ cups (350 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (64 g) cocoa powder
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp fine salt
- ⅔ cup (57 g) cocoa powder (for the frosting)
- 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar
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Whisk in the eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla until smooth.
For this step
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (245 g) buttermilk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter
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Pour in the hot coffee and whisk. The batter goes thin as cream, which is exactly right.
For this step
- 1 cup (237 g) hot strong coffee
- ⅓ cup (77 g) heavy cream (for the frosting)
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Divide between the tins and bake 30 to 34 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in the tins (the thin batter makes delicate hot layers), then fully on a rack.
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Frosting: beat the butter 3 minutes, add the cocoa, then the powdered sugar and cream in alternating stages, and beat 2 minutes more until silky. Fill, stack and frost the cooled layers in swoops.
For this step
- 1¾ cups (350 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (64 g) cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup (57 g) cocoa powder (for the frosting)
- 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup (77 g) heavy cream (for the frosting)
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Worth knowing
- The thin batter is the recipe working, not failing. Resist adding flour: it bakes into the moistest crumb on the site.
- No coffee in the house? Boiling water works, quieter but still good. Decaf blooms cocoa identically if the caffeine matters.
Make it your own
- Makes 24 excellent cupcakes, 18 to 20 minutes.
- A raspberry jam layer under the frosting between the cakes, for the black forest adjacent version.
Storing & freezing
Under a dome at room temperature for 3 days, the fridge only in hot weather. Unfrosted layers freeze for 3 months and are easier to frost half-frozen.
Frequently asked
Why put coffee in chocolate cake?
Hot coffee blooms the cocoa, dissolving its flavour compounds so the cake tastes more intensely of chocolate, not of coffee. Boiling water does the blooming with less depth.
Why is my chocolate cake dry?
Usually overmeasured flour or overbaking. Weigh the flour (219 g here), pull the cake at a clean skewer, and remember this batter is meant to pour like cream.
Cooking in a different unit? Use the cups ↔ grams converter or the recipe scaler to halve or double this recipe.
More to cook
A note on cooking safely. Recipes are provided for informational purposes only and are not medical or nutritional advice. Cooking times, temperatures and quantities are suggestions: use your own judgement, and check that meat, poultry, fish and eggs are properly cooked before serving.
Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making dietary changes, particularly if you have allergies, a medical condition or specific nutritional requirements.