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Classic Chocolate Cake

I decided I wanted to start off this blog with a classic chocolate cake. I've surprisingly not made many cakes in my lifetime, but I had a really good time putting this one together. 

I decided to go with a two layer cake because I was feeling ambitious and I've been watching too many baking shows on Netflix. It was a fun challenge and I think that anyone can handle a cake like this.



My biggest concern was my cakes sticking to the pan. I made the decision to only grease them with butter, but next time I would recommend using a baking spray to ensure that they won't stick. I've seen other people recommend parchment paper. I've never tried it, but maybe I will for my next cake and report back. 
I only had one area crumble, so I'm pretty proud of my work! And I fixed it up with some buttercream so no one would ever have noticed! 

My 8 inch cake pans are from T.J. Maxx, but you can get them anywhere and all of the ingredients should be available in your local grocery stores. (I'm not sure about where you are, but my grocery stores are well stocked again and I had no trouble finding my ingredients!) 



Now let's get to the recipe! 
*Please note that all ingredients are adjusted for baking at 3,000 ft above sea level

Ingredients 
  • 1 3/4 Cup + 2 Tbsp. of All-Purpose Flour 
  • 2 Cups - 2 Tbsp. of Granulated Sugar
  • 3/4 Cups of Cocoa Powder 
  • 2 Tsp. of Baking Soda 
  • 3/4 Tsp. of Baking Powder
  • 1 Tsp. of Salt 
  • 1 Cup of Milk
  • 1/2 Cup of Vegetable Oil
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 Tsp. of Vanilla Extract 
  • 1 Cup of Hot Water
Instructions
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees 
  • In a small bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt
  • In a larger bowl, combine sugar, milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla

  • Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix until well combined
  • Add the hot water and continue to mix until your cake batter is smooth
  • Grease your cake pans and pour half of the mixture in each
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
  • Let sit for 10 minutes before removing from pans 


While your cakes are cooling you can use this time to get started on your buttercream. If there is one thing I've learned from watching baking competitions on TV, its that you can ice a hot cake. So take this time to maybe watch an episode of Nailed It or read a chapter of Michelle Obama's Becoming while waiting for those cakes to cool. 


Ingredients 
  • 4 Cups of Powdered Sugar
  • 1 Cup of Butter, Softened
  • 2 1/2 Tsp. of Vanilla Extract 
  • 1-2 Tbsp. of Milk
Instructions
  • Mix softened butter and vanilla until smooth
  • Add the powdered sugar and beat well 

  • Slowly add the milk, testing the consistency along the way
  • Now is your chance to add color. I decided to make my buttercream lavender colored, but you can do whatever color you want!



Once you've got everything mixed up and baked, it's time for assembly!

Place one of your cakes on your display surface and cover the top of it with a generous layer of buttercream. Set the other cake directly on top and then get to work covering the entire thing with buttercream. 


Feel free to have fun with the decorations, I used sliced strawberries since I love the chocolate and strawberry combo. 



Now cut yourself a big slice of cake and enjoy!














Comments

  1. Carmen M.June 5, 2020 at 11:43 AM

    Hello Makala! This cake looks really good and I would like to try this recipe someday. I love to bake and I like to try new recipes. I’ve never heard of baking spray, but next time I bake a cake I’ll consider looking into it and try it out. I always grease the pan with butter. Awesome post, and I’ll look forward to reading your blog!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lynn Klyde-AllamanJune 5, 2020 at 7:32 PM

    This looks good. I use parchment paper and butter, and it works well.

    ReplyDelete
  3. CmartJune 7, 2020 at 11:27 AM

    I’m not much of a baker, but this looks delicious. I also liked your opening to this post. it always feels a little more personal, and more enjoyable, cooking something when you can hear others talk about some of the issues that they also face when cooking or baking things. It helps me to not feel too much like a failure if the end product doesn't turn out quite like what I had imagined. Thanks for sharing this.

    ReplyDelete

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