Or… at least the best chocolate cake I’ll ever eat!!!
I crave my chocolate cake. I mean, I think about it every day. Dream about it. Drool about it. Everyone who ever needs a cake recipe, I tell them to use this one. It’s by far the BEST chocolate cake I’ve ever made. The best part of it… it’s so incredibly simple to make. It takes just a few minutes to put together and you don’t even need a mixer. Two bowls, sauce pan and a whisk.
I’ve made this recipe so many times that I have it memorized. Which is saying a lot for me because I don’t have ANY other recipes of mine memorized. I always have to bring the tablet to the kitchen and look up the recipe on my blog.
Because this cake is just for me… I’m not decorating it fancy or doing anything special with it. I am just baking it in a 9×13 pan and frosting it with my favorite chocolate fudge frosting (recipe from my Mamma) and garnishing with simple sprinkles. I’m pretty sure my daughter and I will finish off a big slice tonight with a giant glass of milk and the rest will be gone by the weekend. Hmmm, maybe I’ll even invite my neighbors over for a slice. Maybe not.
This cake… this is the cake that you make when you want chocolate. When you just need a fix of that rich decadence that is chocolate but you don’t want a candy bar or cookies and you definitely don’t want to spend 100 hours in the kitchen making something. This is the chocolate cake you make when you know you want to eat it straight from the pan with a fork.
This is…
The Best Chocolate Cake You’ll Ever Eat!
The moist delicious chocolate cake you'll ever eat!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup strong brewed coffee
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp espresso powder
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 1oz squares baking chocolate
- 1 lb sifted powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ cup whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Grease and flour 9x13 pan. I also lined mine with parchment paper.
- In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter. Add the coffee, espresso powder, cocoa powder, and vanilla and whisk until combined. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, sift together the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream and the eggs. SLOWLY add a few tablespoons of the chocolate mixture to the sour cream and eggs. Whisk to combine. In a slow stream, whisk in the remaining chocolate mixture until combined completely.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in wet. Using a whisk, stir until no more lumps remain.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan completely before frosting.
- Once the cake has cooled completely, prepare the frosting.
- Sift sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment.
- In a double boiler, melt the butter and chocolate together. Stir in the vanilla.
- With the mixer on low, slowly pour the chocolate into the powdered sugar. The frosting will be very thick and hard to mix.
- Add the whipping cream and beat until smooth. You may not need all the whipping cream, so add it slowly.
- As the frosting cools it will thicken so spread over cooled cake immediately.
Betsy Eves
Hi I'm Betsy- the owner of JavaCupcake.com! I'm also an Army wife, mother, blogger, writer, baker and traveler. I'm currently living in Germany... spending my days taking care of family, baking for friends and blogging! I also write for the world famous blog, Cupcakes Take the Cake and contribute to the coffee blog, Coffee Cup News.
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This looks incredible. I want it right now!
So when I saw that title I was like, “Psh…no way”.
Then I saw the photos.
OMg….WAY! Yummmm!
Seriously…. the photos don’t really even make it look that special. But the flavor….. OMG!
Is the pan in size in cm???
Nope… Inches.
It sure looks great and easy to make. Can I use this recipe for cupcakes? Thanks for sharing all your delicious recipes.
Absolutely, you can!!
Is the amount of flour right, just 1 cup? It must be really thin on a 9 x 13″ pan.
Yup… it’s right. It’s just about 1in of cake in the pan. If you want a thicker layer…. make a double batch. You could also bake the cake in a 8in round or any other size pan you wanted. The day I made this cake, I just really wanted cake. lol I didn’t care what shape it was in!
Good luck!
Is the 1 cup of flour right for a 9 x 13″ pan or is it a typo? Thanks.
Yup! It’s correct!
What type/brand of dark chocolate cocoa powder do you use?
Thank you!
Michelle
On a regular basis, I use Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder. But – when I’m feeling fancy, I use Valhrona!
Thank you for your quick reply! Also, if using this to make cupcakes, how full do you fill the liners and how long do you bake them for? Will this make an even dozen cupcakes? I love all your recipes! Thank you so much for sharing them!
Typically – I fill my liners 2/3 full and bake about 18 minutes. BUT with every oven, that time can vary. And yes, I believe it will make a dozen cupcakes!
Hello! I’m interested in trying this cake with your peanut butter frosting, but I’m worried about the coffee. I’ve heard it brings out the flavor of chocolate, but I absolutely do not like coffee so I’m hesitate to try a recipe with coffee in it. Can you actually taste the coffee in this cake? Thanks!
Hi Kelsey – you absolutely CAN NOT taste the coffee in this cake. It truly brings out the chocolate flavor. If you’re worried about it, omit the espresso powder but still use the coffee. If you’re REALLY worried about it, substitute a stout beer for the coffee. That beer also brings out the great coffee flavor. And if that doesn’t work for you – use water. But, then the cake won’t be as flavorful and then it won’t be the best chocolate cake you’ll ever eat.
Happy Baking!