Perfect Chocolate Cake
★★★★☆
PREP TIME
30 minutes
COOK TIME
35 minutes
MAKES
two 8-inch layers
Ingredients
2 cups
sugar
1 3/4 cups
flour
3/4 cup
cocoa (not Dutch-processed)
1 1/2 teaspoons
baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons
baking soda
1 teaspoon
salt
2
eggs
1 cup
milk
1/4 cup
vegetable oil
2 teaspoons
vanilla
1/4 cup
boiling water
1/2 cup
butter
2/3 cup
cocoa
3 cups
powdered sugar
1/3 cup
milk, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon
vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter and flour two 8-inch round cake pans. You can also make this in two 9-inch cake pans -- the layers will just be slightly thinner.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add in the boiling water and mix to incorporate.
- Pour the batter (it will be very thin -- don't panic!) into the prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (start checking after 30). The cake is ready when it starts to pull away from the edges and a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan before turning the cakes out onto a rack to cool.
- To make the frosting: Melt the butter, then stir it together with the cocoa in a medium bowl. Add powdered sugar and milk in alternating turns, whisking until your frosting reaches a spreadable consistency (you may need to add a touch more milk). Add the vanilla and mix well.
- To assemble your cake: Add a large dollop of frosting to the first layer. Top with the second layer, add a thin crumb coat of frosting around the outside of the cake. Add your final, thicker layer of frosting. (It will help to freeze the layers briefly before frosting.)
