Homemade Chocolate Cake Recipe from Scratch

Chocolate cake is a type of cake made with chocolate or cocoa. All ingredients are added sequentially into a bowl and mixed together to form a batter that is then placed in an oven to bake at a certain temperature and for a period of time. In this article, I’ll show you how to make a homemade chocolate cake recipe from scratch.

This quick and easy homemade chocolate cake recipe is amazing and you will end up with a very moist, and lovely cake.

Here are some tips that will ensure your homemade chocolate cake recipe is a success:

Use room temperature ingredients, particularly eggs: eggs at room temperature (as opposed to cold from the fridge) are fluffier and will emulsify in the batter better, which will also help the cake rise properly. A trick for bringing eggs to room temperature quickly is to run hot water over them for one minute or let them sit in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.

Use buttermilk: buttermilk is a great ingredient to make cakes like your homemade chocolate cake recipe extra moist. If you don’t have buttermilk, use a simple trick of mixing 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar into 1 cup of milk. Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes and you’ll notice it curdle slightly, to form buttermilk.

Line the bottom of your cake pan, before adding the batter: I have learned early on to never skip the step of lining the bottom of my cake pans with parchment paper. Then you never have to stress about the cake sticking to the bottom of the pan. I also spray the bottom of the paper and the sides of the pan lightly with cooking spray.

Homemade chocolate cake recipe variations

One Layer Cake: Grease 9×13” pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

Cupcakes: Line cupcake pan with paper liners and fill 2/3 full with batter. Bake cupcakes for 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely before frosting. Makes 24-30 cupcakes

Bundt Cake: Properly grease and flour the pan and cook the chocolate cake for about 50-55 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes in the pan before inverting onto a wire cooling rack.

Gluten-Free: substitute Bob’s Redmill Gluten-Free flour at a 1:1 ratio.

Dairy-Free: substitute Almond milk in both the cake and frosting recipes at a 1:1 ratio.

Homemade chocolate cake recipe

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake:

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup oil (vegetable or canola oil)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water, or hot coffee

Chocolate Frosting:

• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line two 8 inch round baking pans with parchment paper and then spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla and mix until well combined.
4. Stir in boiling water (or hot coffee). Batter will be thin, but that’s okay! Pour batter into prepared pans.
5. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Chocolate Frosting:

1. Combine butter and cocoa powder.
2. Add powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Mix for several minutes until smooth and fluffy.

Assemble:

1. Place one cake layer on a serving tray. Spread a generous amount of frosting on top. Add a second cake layer. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting.
2. Cut and serve.

Make-Ahead and Freezing Instructions: The cakes and the chocolate frosting can both be made ahead of time. Allow the cakes to cool completely and then wrap each layer in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to three months. Cakes can be frosted while frozen.

The homemade chocolate cake recipe frosting will keep well in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to two weeks, or in the freezer for up to three months.  Remove the frosting from the fridge about an hour before you’re ready to frost your cake to allow it to come to room temperature.

Nutrition

Calories: 383kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 328mg | Potassium: 203mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 240IU | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 1.8mg

How to Add Vinegar to Make your Homemade Chocolate Cake Recipe More Moist

Egg rationing during World War II may have initiated the development of cake recipes that used vinegar in place of eggs. Vinegar makes cake batter more acidic; the acidity, in turn, causes the proteins in the flour to set the cake as it bakes. This results in a cake that is fluffy yet still moist. You don’t have to eliminate eggs to achieve the same effect; just use a little vinegar in a traditional cake recipe or with a boxed cake mix.

Substitution Options

1. Mix 1 tsp. vinegar into the dry ingredients.
2. Replace 1 tsp. baking powder in the recipe with 1/4 tsp. baking soda plus 1/2 tbsp. vinegar.
3. Substitute 1 tbsp. vinegar, 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 1 tbsp. water for one egg.

Tip

Avoid using more than 1 tbsp. vinegar total in a cake; this may give it a vinegary aftertaste.

Will you try this recipe? Let us know here

Credit:

https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/hersheys-perfectly-chocolate-chocolate-cake/

https://www.leaf.tv/articles/how-to-add-vinegar-to-make-a-cake-more-moist/