Description
Chocolate lovers find pure bliss in Ina Garten’s chocolate cake, a rich dessert that embodies indulgence. Moist layers paired with silky frosting create a memorable experience you’ll savor with each delectable bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 6 oz (170 g) semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup hot coffee
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsps baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat Preparation: Warm oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two 8-inch round cake pans with butter and parchment paper.
- Dry Ingredient Fusion: Whisk flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl until uniformly combined.
- Wet Ingredient Harmonization: Blend eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla in a separate bowl until smooth and well-integrated.
- Batter Integration: Gently fold wet ingredients into dry mixture, maintaining a light, airy texture while avoiding overmixing.
- Coffee Infusion: Stream hot coffee into batter, stirring until completely incorporated and achieving a silky, consistent mixture.
- Pan Distribution: Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans, ensuring balanced volume for uniform baking.
- Baking Process: Bake for 35 minutes, checking doneness with a toothpick that should emerge clean from the cake’s center.
- Cooling Stage: Allow cakes to cool partially in pans, then transfer to wire rack for complete cooling; can be prepared a day ahead if refrigerated.
- Chocolate Preparation: Melt chocolate using double boiler or microwave, stirring until achieving a glossy, smooth consistency.
- Frosting Creation: Cream butter in stand mixer, gradually adding powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla extract; fold sour cream into slightly cooled melted chocolate.
- Frosting Finalization: Combine chocolate-sour cream mixture with butter base on low speed, creating a velvety, uniform frosting.
- Frosting Optimization: If frosting seems soft, refrigerate for 10-15 minutes to enhance stability, then stir before applying to completely cooled cake layers.
Notes
- Prevent Overmixing: Gently fold ingredients to maintain a light, tender cake texture, avoiding tough, dense results.
- Coffee Temperature Matters: Use hot coffee to enhance chocolate’s depth and create a silky, smooth batter consistency.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure eggs, buttermilk, and butter are at room temperature for better integration and smoother mixing.
- Frosting Consistency Check: If frosting seems too soft, briefly chill for 10-15 minutes to achieve the perfect spreadable texture.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 9
- Calories: 482
- Sugar: 58 g
- Sodium: 259 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 17 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg