I’m not kidding you when I tell you this is the best chocolate cake you’ll ever have. Every time I make this recipe every square inch of my apartment fills with the dreamiest smell you could imagine. Not only is this the most fluffy, rich, moist, and decadent chocolate cake ever but it is SO easy!

The BEST Chocolate Cake You’ll Ever Have

5 from 3 votes

Recipe by Maddison Koutrouba – thesqueakymixer.com

Servings

12-15

servings

Total time

hours

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. espresso powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup boiling water
Chocolate Buttercream
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 Tbsp. heavy cream
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 3 6″ cake pans with parchment paper. I trace and cut out circles to fit the bottom of my pan with parchment paper. Grease the pans with non-stick spray then set aside.
In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fir with the whisk attachment, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt. Mix until everything is evenly combined.
Place 3/4 cups of water in a small stove top pot and heat over medium to high heat. Turn the heat off once the water comes to a boil.
Create a well in the center of the bowl if you’re mixing by hand and add in the milk, oil, vanilla, and eggs.
Slowly mix everything together while adding a slow stream of the boiling water in the side of the bowl. Mix until the batter is nice and smooth.
Divide the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Flip the cakes onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before decorating.
Chocolate Buttercream
To make the buttercream, cream together the butter and confectioners sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment on low speed until smooth. Gradually increase the speed and continue to mix. The mixture should become lighter and fluffier.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla. Mix on low speed and add the heavy cream 1 Tbsp. at a time.
Mix until the buttercream is light and fluffy. Add in the salt. Scrape down the sides of the bowl one last time to be sure that everything has combined evenly.
Layer and stack the cakes with this chocolate buttercream between each layer and coated on the outside.
Enjoy!