Back when I published this post in 2013, I wasn’t a fan of coffee at all. It’s funny how your taste buds change over time and now iced lattes and frappucinos are my favorite coffee drink to have. Iced is the only way I’ll drink coffee or inside baked goods like this chocolate cake.
This chocolate cake is probably one of the easiest chocolate cake recipes I’ve ever made and probably one of the best. If you don’t want a whole two layer cake this recipe can be halved or made even smaller for only 1 or two people.
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How does coffee enhance Chocolate?
Ina Garten stated that coffee helps to enhance the flavor of the chocolate inside this cake. Even though there’s coffee in this cake you still can’t taste it but it is super moist and the chocolate flavor is spot on.
Why does coffee do this? I tried looking this information up online but didn’t really get a lot out of it. Some sites say it’s because chocolate and coffee share many of the same flavor characteristics and coffee amplifies some of the darker tastes of chocolate.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
Since this recipe requires coffee keep a cup of cold brew available in the fridge prior to making this cake so you won’t have to brew it the day of making. The coffee does not have to be hot like the recipe states.
All the other ingredients are probably already in your pantry or fridge.
Ingredients Needed
- 1 ¾ c all-purpose flour
- 2 c sugar
- ¾ c cocoa, unsweetened
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 c buttermilk
- ½ c butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 c hot coffee
- Chocolate Frosting:
- 6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut)
- ½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups sifted confectioners' sugar
How to make Beatty’s Chocolate Cake
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 2-9 inch baking pans or line with parchment paper circles and set aside.
In a large bowl of a standing mixer stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
Add eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla extract and beat until smooth about 3 minutes.
Remove bowl from mixer and stir in hot coffee with a rubber spatula. Batter will be very runny.
Pour batter evenly between the 2 pans and bake on the middle rack of oven for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs attached.
Allow to cool 15 minutes in pans then run a butter knife around the edges of each cake. Place a wire cooling rack over top of each pan.
Wearing oven mitts use both hands to hold the racks in place while flipping the cakes over onto the racks.
Set the racks down and gently thump on the bottom of the pans until the cakes release. Cool completely before handling or frosting.
Baking Equipment
These are common baking tools every baker should have during the Holidays.
Rectangle Steel Sheet Pan - No matter what you're making, the durable non-stick and scratch-resistant coating on our cake pans allows your food to slide or pop out easily, making cleanup almost effortless. Non-stick bakeware sets are a must-have for busy cooks
Glass Mixing Bowls - This set includes different sized glass bowls for all your baking and mixing needs.
Cooling Racks - For those who love to bake but have limited space, this three-tiered Wilton cooling rack just solved that problem; cool batches of cookies, cake layers or countless finger foods all at once without sacrificing counter space
Best Baking Tips
- Room temperature butter is key, let it sit out on the counter for a couple of hours before baking.
- Read the recipe over a few times before baking or look up videos to see how it’s done properly.
- Get an Oven Thermometer - Not every oven is the same. Keep an oven thermometer inside to make sure the oven is at the proper temperature. Wondering why your cookies or baked goods didn’t get done? This might be the reason why.
- Don’t peek at whatever is baking in the oven! This lets out warm air.
- Always combine the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl and the dry ingredients in another bowl. Slowly incorporate them together.
- Have any more baking tips? Let me know in the comments below.
Other Ina Recipes to Try
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Print
Really Moist Chocolate Cake
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 35 min
- Total Time: 1 hr 35 min
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
1 ¾ c all-purpose flour
2 c sugar
¾ c cocoa, unsweetened
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 c buttermilk
½ c butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 c hot coffee
Chocolate Frosting:
6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut)
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups sifted confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 2-9 inch baking pans or line with parchment paper circles and set aside.
- In a large bowl of a standing mixer stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
- Add eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla extract and beat until smooth about 3 minutes.
- Remove bowl from mixer and stir in hot coffee with a rubber spatula. Batter will be very runny.
- Pour batter evenly between the 2 pans and bake on the middle rack of oven for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs attached.
- Allow to cool 15 minutes in pans then run a butter knife around the edges of each cake. Place a wire cooling rack over top of each pan.
- Wearing oven mitts use both hands to hold the racks in place while flipping the cakes over onto the racks.
- Set the racks down and gently thump on the bottom of the pans until the cakes release. Cool completely before handling or frosting.
-
Frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.
- Category: Medium
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
Keywords: chocolate cake
Bee says
I have made this cake for years but I use 9 by 13 pan and I put white icing on the cake.
★★★★★