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The Best Dutch Cocoa Cake Ever

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Servings: 1 cake
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

Cake:
  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk (or make your own: 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp vinegar)
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup hot brewed coffee (this makes the chocolate flavor pop!)
Ganache:
  • 8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter (optional, for extra shine)

Method
 

The Cake:
  1. Prep your pans: Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
  2. Dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  3. Wet ingredients: In another bowl, beat the eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla until smooth.
  4. Combine: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, mix until combined (don’t overmix), then slowly stir in the hot coffee. The batter will be thin—that’s perfect.
  5. Bake: Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bake for 30–35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
The Ganache:
  1. Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan until it’s just about to boil.
  2. Pour it over the chopped chocolate and let it sit for 5 minutes.
  3. Stir until smooth and glossy. If you want that bakery shine, stir in a tablespoon of butter.
  4. Let the ganache cool slightly so it thickens before spreading it on your cake.