Want to know the secret ingredient to making the BEST & most moist chocolate cake you've ever had? Well, I'm not going to give it away that easily... you'll have to read on to find out.
I've always been known to be a chocolate gal, I mean, who isn't? I love classic chocolate cake. It never goes out of style. While I've branched out in the dessert world, using different flavors and making an array of treats from cake pops to pies to cupcakes, I always find myself going back to the trusty chocolate cake. And over the years, I've tweaked my recipe to make it just right. By golly, I think I have finally got my best chocolate cake recipe yet!
My husband and his aunt share the same birthday. It's really cool because with family so close now, they get to celebrate their day together. It's such a fun time for the whole family! His aunt requested a chocolate cake this year, but I decided to make them each a cake and let my husband choose his. (He loves my Lemon Blossom recipe, so naturally he chose that!) And when we finally got to dig into both the cakes that night, I found them to be a BIG hit with the family. My husband even commented that it was my best chocolate cake yet! They were so flavorful and delicious.
We can talk about my lemon recipe another time, but I wanted to share with you a secret ingredient that makes my chocolate cake so moist and delicious. (Some of you may already know this, but for me, the light bulb finally went off.) I'm also going to share my chocolate frosting recipe with you and what makes it so good too...so technically I'm giving you two secrets :) The name that I originally chose for my chocolate cake recipe couldn't be any more true than it is now!
I call this cake: DEATH BY CHOCOLATE.
My recipe calls for all the normal ingredients you would expect in a cake:
- flour
- sugar
- eggs
- baking soda and powder
- cocoa powder...but it has to be dark
- salt
But in the baking world, there is a list of go-to ingredients that bring moisture and flavor into your cake. You might have heard of applesauce, buttermilk (which this recipe also calls for), sour cream, or greek yogurt as ingredients that will bring moisture. Those are all fantastic and I use them in a lot of my other baked goods as well.
But there is one ingredient you MUST add to your chocolate cake recipe to bring out all the flavor and richness...
Coffee.
That combined with dark cocoa powder is game. over. You mustn't use milk chocolate cocoa powder, it has to be dark.
COFFEE & DARK COCOA POWDER. Did you get that? Coffee is the key. I think Lorelei Gilmore would be proud of this recipe because it calls for her favorite drink. Hot coffee in your chocolate cake is going to make the world of difference. Now, I said I was going to give you two secret ingredients, which technically I just did, but I think now I have to make it three. You need put the dark cocoa powder in BOTH the cake AND the frosting.
Here's a freebie for you. My frosting recipe.
BEST CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM RECIPE
2 sticks of butter, whip this really good before adding the sugar
1-11/2 bag confectioners sugar (give or take, I don't really measure this)
3/4-1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder ( I don't measure this either... I just go off of my gut and how chocolate-ly I want it!)
1/2 cup (give or take) of heavy whipping cream or milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Salt generous pinch
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Now, I apologize that I can't tell you how I exactly do everything, because that wouldn't be fair. But my frostings are always a "dump" recipe - I really go by my gut. But if you add dark cocoa powder to your chocolate frosting, you won't be disappointed.
And if you add coffee. coffee. coffee to your chocolate cake, your friends and family will be raving too!
You can thank me for giving you this tip, but ordering my chocolate cake for your next event. ;)
