It’s National Cake Day a.k.a the BEST holiday ever created because we all need just one more reason to eat cake. To celebrate this sweet holiday, here’s an easy-to-make chocolate cake recipe that you can do at home to enjoy with your family, friends, or hoard it for yourself.
Before baking and buying your ingredients, remember that you can substitute some of the ingredients for a healthier version, based on your preferences, or using what’s already available in your kitchen. As for your frosting, this can be ready-made and store-bought—or you can also opt to make this from scratch!
- Buttercream frosting is made from butter and icing sugar plus your flavor of choice (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, etc). This is best partner for this recipe!
- Cream cheese frosting is great if you want your cake to have that subtle tangy taste!
- Ganache is something every chocolate lover would enjoy on their cake—and this recipe is no exception!
Now for the substitutes and add-ons that you can consider:
- Use almond milk if you’re looking to put together a dairy-free cake. Alternatively, if you want a more tender cake, opt for buttermilk.
- For oil, use vegetable or canola oil, or replace this with an equal amount of melted butter.
- Espresso powder is a must as it gives more flavor and depth in baking chocolate goods. If you don’t have this, you can use instant coffee powder—but make sure it’s just black coffee and not the 3-in-1 type.
Now that that’s off the table, gather your baking tools, wear that apron and let’s start baking!
Easy-to-Bake Chocolate Cake
Prep Time: 30 mins
Bake Time: 30 mins
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups white sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (natural, not dutch)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot water
- 2-3 cups of cake frosting
Part 1: Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 350º F (178º C).
- Prepare two 9-inch round cake pans and spray them with baking spray or butter and sprinkle it with a bit of flour.
- Whisk together all dry ingredients in a large bowl until they’re combined well: flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder.
- Add in your wet ingredients: milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla to the dry mixture and combine together using an electric mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Do not overmix.
- Adjust the speed to slow and carefully add hot water on the batter, continuing to mix until well-combined. This will make your batter thin, but don’t worry, that’s normal.
- Pour the chocolate cake batter evenly between the two cake pans.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until it’s well-baked (do a cake test: insert a toothpick in the center of the cake, if it comes out clean, it’s baked!).
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 15-20 minutes before removing them from the pans and placing them on a cooling rack. Set aside to cool completely.
Part 2: Cake Frosting
- Get about a tablespoon of frosting and place it on the center of your cake pan. Secure your cake in the middle, using that bit of frosting as your “glue”.
- Now that your first layer of cake is in place, spoon a cup of frosting in the middle and spread it evenly, avoiding the edges. It’s important that you leave a bit of margin so that when the next layer of cake goes on top, your filling won’t go beyond the edges of your cake.
- Frost your cake from the top to the sides, making sure that the amount of frosting is even.
- Add your own design! Even it out, add twists, swirls, strokes—however you want it! You can even garnish your cake with fruits like strawberries, or top it with chocolate shards, sprinkles, nuts, candy, or just have it as is! This cake will surely be a delight to eat.
Serve these cakes with a big smile on your face and say Happy Cake Day! Don’t have the time to bake a cake? Have one delivered right at your doorstep.