Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake (one bowl, cocoa powder)
This is an easy cocoa chocolate cake made in one bowl using a classic two-stage mixing method. It makes three thin 8-inch layers that bake quickly and are ideal for stacking with plenty of frosting or filling.
Servings 8 slices
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs at room temperature
Frostings and fillings, see Notes below
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Butter and flour three 8-inch round cake pans. Or use two pans for taller cakes and just one layer of filling.
Make the chocolate cake batter:
- In a large mixing bowl, sift 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon espresso powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda. Stir in 1 ¼ cups sugar until it’s evenly mixed.
- Add ¾ cup buttermilk, 1 cup unsalted butter, softened, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes on medium/high speed.
- Add 2 eggs and the remaining ¼ cup buttermilk and beat for 2 more minutes, until completely smooth. Don't overbeat.
- Pour into the prepared pans, dividing evenly.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. These are thin layers, so watch them at the 15-minute mark. You don't want to overbake them.
- Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack and immediately cover the pans with clean kitchen towels. Leave for 10 minutes to allow the steam to moisten the cakes. Remove the towels and let the layers cool completely before filling and frosting.
Assemble the cake:
- Place a cake round on a flat surface or lazy susan.
- Spread a layer of chocolate frosting between each cake layer, making a three-tiered cake. You might not want to use all of the filling if you don't have a sweet tooth.
- Frost the top and sides with more frosting.
Notes
To frost and fill: For a sweeter cake, I like this old-fashioned chocolate frosting with melted chocolate (the one in this post) and this sour cream chocolate frosting. Sometimes I use dulce de leche between the layers. Also, white chocolate buttercream if you want a black and white cake. For a less sweet cake, I use a smaller amount of these frostings for the filling and dark chocolate ganache for the frosting.
Bake the cake layers the day before. The crumb will settle and gain the structure necessary to hold the filling and frosting better. Cover the rounds in plastic wrap after they've cooled down completely to prevent dryness, and leave them at room temperature overnight.
Make ahead: the cake layers can be frozen for a month or kept at room temperature for up to 2 days, always covered in plastic wrap. Fill it up to a day before, but frost it a couple of hours before serving.
