CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM & CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
I only have dessert once a week, so when I have one, it has to count. I’m always on the search for great chocolate recipes and, in particular, one for the Best Chocolate Cake Recipe ever. To me that means a cake with rich, creamy frosting (and a lot of it), plus a little crunch factor.
This particular recipe has it all. The cake is definitely moist with two kinds of frosting (rich chocolate buttercream and cream cheese frosting), plus high quality chocolate chips inside for a little crunch.
BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE EVER
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 120 minutes
Servings: 8
INGREDIENTS
CAKE:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 3/4 cups of flour
- 3/4 cup of cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk (I used almond milk)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used avocado oil)
- 2 teaspoons good quality vanilla
- 1 cup boiling water
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- 1 cup cream cheese
- 3/4 cup butter
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla
- 5 cups powdered sugar
CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
- 1 cup butter
- 1 3/4 cups cocoa powder
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
DIRECTIONS
CAKE
Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Coat three 8″ round pans or 3 rectangular pans with cooking spray or butter. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Spray again with cooking spray or coat with butter. Add a thin layer of flour.
In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Add the chocolate chips. Mix until everything is incorporated. Stir in the boiling water (the batter will be very thin).
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool the layers in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Wrap each layer in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Now onto the frosting…
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer at medium speed for about one minute. Add the vanilla and beat one more minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the powdered sugar (1/2 cup at a time). Once the sugar has all been added and incorporated, beat at medium speed for about two minutes. The frosting should be fluffy.
CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
In a large bowl, combine the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Beat the butter with an electric mixer at medium speed for about one minute. Reduce the mixing speed to low and add the sugar/cocoa mixture (1/2 cup at a time ). About halfway through, add the milk and vanilla. Once all of the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated, beat at medium speed for about two minutes or until fluffy.
ASSEMBLING THE CAKE
Remove the layers from the refrigerator. If needed, level each layer with a serrated knife or cake leveler.
Place the bottom layer on a cake plate. Evenly spread about 3/4 cup of the cream cheese frosting over the cake. Top with the second cake layer and repeat. Finally, top with the third layer. Refrigerate for about 20-30 minutes.
Apply a thin layer of chocolate buttercream over the top and sides of cake. This is only a crumb coat, so it doesn’t need to be perfect. Refrigerate the cake for another 20-30 minutes. Apply the final layer of chocolate buttercream. Add any decorations or embellishments.
FINAL NOTES
This cake tastes much better the second day. My suggestion is to make it the night before you are going to serve it. Keep it refrigerated until 20 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
If you love chocolate and want another rich dessert, try our Chocolate Caramel Tart here. This one is a keeper.
