My Favourite Chocolate Cake Recipe

I love chocolate cake. I would eat it every day if I could (no, seriously, I would). There’s a catch though, I don’t just love any old chocolate cake. I love this chocolate cake. Yep this one right here, it’s rich yet light, fluffy and moist and just simply delicious. I’m sharing the recipe with ya’ll because I’m in that kind of mood (and also because google search tells me you guys have been searching for it). So here it is!

Molly Bakes Chocolate Cake Recipe

Ingredients

100g cocoa powder (I like Green & Blacks as it gives off the richest flavour)

400g self raising flour*

2tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2 tsp salt

250g unsalted butter, room temperature

400g caster sugar*

2 tsp vanilla extract

4 eggs

350ml buttermilk

*For American & non-UK readers (howdy! **waves**), self raising flour is just cake flour and I don’t think you guys have caster sugar, so just use granulated and obvs bicarbonate of soda is just baking soda.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F). Grease and line x3 or x4 20cm (8″) round cake tins (depending on how many layers you’d like your cake to be). Set aside.

Sift together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a mixer or with a hand held whisk, beat the butter until pale and creamy. Add the sugar gradually and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla extract.

Add the eggs one at a time and drop the speed to medium. Leave a gap of one minute between each before adding the next, remember to scrape down the sides as you go.

Add a third of the flour and mix on low speed until just combined, then add half the buttermilk. Repeat this step, beginning and ending with the flour.

Divide the mixture equally between the prepared cake tins. Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 mins or until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre of each cake comes out clean. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Once completely cooled, wrap the cakes in cling film (plastic wrap) and place in the fridge to chill. It’s much easier to ice a layer cake that is chilled, just keep it at room temperature until serving time.

For the buttercream

Ingredients

250g unsalted butter, room temperature

500g icing sugar

1tsp vanilla extract

200g dark chocolate, melted (I always use at least 70% cocoa solids)

Beat the butter on high speed until pale and fluffy. Gradually add the icing sugar and beat until well combined and the mixture is smooth and creamy. Mix in the vanilla extract then the melted chocolate. Once the mixture well combined with the chocolate you can use straight away to ice your cake.

We’ll do a step by step tutorial on how to ice a layer cake with buttercream really soon!

Pics by Zoe Flammang