Christie C. Are you ready for the best ever chocolate cake? Of course you are! I have been making this particular cake for years. It is my favorite reliable chocolate cake recipe that produces a super moist crumb and rich chocolate flavor.
“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” ―
Charles M. Schulz
Why You’ll Love This Best Ever Chocolate Cake Recipe
- Super moist cake
- Rich chocolate flavor
- Delicate crumb
- Pairs well with different frostings and fillings
Inspiration for Best Ever Chocolate Cake Recipe
This cake is inspired by the chocolate cake I tasted in one of my favorite dessert bars in New York City: The Chocolate Room. They have a vast array of cakes, cookies, and brownies, bonbons and truffles, and a myriad of confections. Every time I visit New York, I pick up a few treats to bring back home. While I was a full time baker, I always wondered why my chocolate cakes lacked a strong chocolate punch.
Through The Chocolate Room, I learned that the trick to the cakes was the addition of coffee and sour cream in the cake batter. Even with high quality cocoa powder, chocolate flavor can taste weak. The addition of coffee brings out the flavor of chocolate due to their similar aromatic and flavor compounds.
What kind of coffee to use
This chocolate cake gets much of its flavor from the coffee used, since it makes up the majority of the liquid in the cake. I have gotten away with making a totally delicious cake using average quality cocoa powder, but high quality coffee. It is more economical to use better quality coffee than to use expensive cocoa powder. Just how you would use a wine you love to drink in your cooking, use a coffee you love to drink in your baking.
I typically brew a few cups of Blanchard’s Black Dog or Umbuntu Etosha Blend to use in my cakes. If you are not a regular coffee drinker (or feeling lazy), then I suggest purchasing a good cold brew to use instead. When I’m feeling the time crunch or the the lazy bug, I go the cold brew route and use the ready-to-drink Trader Joe’s Cold Brew Coffee, 100% Arabica. You can also use your favorite instant coffee.
Chocolate Cakes of the Past
Homemade chocolate cakes are among my favorite to bake because their flavor profile is more interesting than white and yellow cakes. With white or yellow cake, I tend to want to add fruit, cream, or an interesting buttercream.
This chocolate cake pairs well with cookies and cream buttercream, peanut butter, strawberries, raspberries, and caramel.
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Special Tools and Equipment
- Two 6″ aluminum cake pans, 6″ bundt cake pan, or cupcake tray
- Silicone spatula
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Large, medium, and small mixing bowls
Best Ever Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp (85g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (245g) firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups (150g) cake flour
- 1/3 cup (37g) cocoa powder
- 1 tsp (6g) baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup (105g) whole sour cream
- 1 cup plus 1 tbsp (110ml) strongly brewed coffee
- simple syrup or honey for brushing
Instructions
To make a 6" cake
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Preheat your oven to 350ºF/177ºC.
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In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until light and airy. Then beat in the eggs.
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In a separate mixing bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
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A third at a time, mix in the flour mixture into the creamed sugar. Mix for approximately 1 minute, or until the cake batter is slightly fluffy. Scrape down the slides of the bowl with a spatula.
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A third at a time, mix in the coffee and sour cream, alternating between the two until fully incorporated into the cake batter.
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Generously grease two 6” cake pans (or one bundt cake pain) with butter , vegetable oil, or cooking spray. You may also line the bottoms with circular cut-outs of parchment paper. Divide batter equally between the two tins and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the cake bounces back when touched or a toothpick comes out clean when probed at the center.
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With a spoon or pastry brush, brush the tops of each cake with an even layer of the simple syrup. You do not have to use a lot of the syrup; you just want to use enough to evenly coat the tops of the cakes.
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Let the cakes cool completely before releasing them from the molds and serving and/or frosting.
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For the best frosting results, let cake chill overnight in the freezer before cutting into layers.
To make cupcakes
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To make cupcakes, prepare a standard cupcake tray with 10 to 12 liners, and fill each cup no more than 2/3 high. Bake the cupcakes for 30-40 minutes or until the cake bounces back when touched or a toothpick comes out clean at the center.
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With a spoon or pastry brush, brush the tops of each cupcake with an even layer of the simple syrup. You do not have to use a lot of the syrup; you just want to use enough to evenly coat the tops of the cupcakes.
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Let the cupcakes cool completely before releasing them from the molds and serving and/or frosting.
