The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe You'll Ever Make

The best chocolate cake recipe you'll make uses quality chocolate and unsweetened cocoa powder. For the ultimate results, use fresh, local organic eggs and buttermilk and pure bourbon vanilla (no imitation extracts). The following recipe serves between 12 and 14 people.

Best Chocolate Cake Recipe
Ingredients You Will Need:
Cake:
3 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 cup hot coffee
3 cups sugar
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups cocoa powder, unsweetened
2 teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 ½ cups buttermilk
¾ teaspoon vanilla

Frosting:
2 ounces (2 squares) unsweetened chocolate
6 tablespoons butter
4 ½ cups powdered sugar
¼ cup milk
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Line two round cake pans with wax paper that you've greased.

Finely chop the chocolate. Add the chocolate to a bowl with the hot coffee, and stir occasionally until the chocolate is fully melted and the mixture is smooth in texture.

Sift sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and powder and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the eggs until slightly thickened and lemon in color. Use the electric mixer for about three minutes, and then hand mix for another five minutes.

Add the oil, buttermilk, vanilla and melted chocolate to the eggs, and beat until fully mixed. Add the sugar mixture, and beat on medium speed until blended.

Divide the batter between the two pans, and bake for about an hour. Meanwhile, start the frosting. Melt the chocolate in a saucepan. As the chocolate cools, beat together the butter and powdered sugar. Add milk, vanilla and chocolate, and beat until the frosting is fluffy and thick.

Use a tester in the middle of the cake and, if it comes out clean, the cake is ready. Allow the cake to cool before frosting.