I came across this gem when I was looking for a cake recipe for my grand mom’s birthday a few years ago. The instructions were simple to follow, but what really caught my attention was how moist it looked. It turned out that the pictures weren’t that deceptive after all, and basically..I was SOLD.

I’m no expert chef, and I have had no formal training in the culinary arts, but I have never been one to follow recipes “as is”. This is an adaptation of Robyn Stone’s chocolate cake recipe, only, I substituted the milk for butter milk (I tried the former, but found the cake to be a little too dense, and anyway, this just happens to be a low-fat alternative, so who’s complaining?)  I cut down the quantity of sugar by half (get a taste of the batter before it goes in the oven and add more sugar if you wish to). Also, I decreased the cook time by 10 minutes.

The strong coffee in the batter not only moistens the cake, but it also intensifies its chocolate flavour. And the taste, you ask? You wouldn’t be able to taste a hint of the coffee in the cake!

I’ve used a simple chocolate frosting that I whipped up with a hand whisk to get it light and aerated, when the recipe just calls for a regular spoon&bowl mix-up.

This chocolate cake has it all – it’s super-easy, it’s quick, cooks evenly and most of all, tastes divine! I say that about a lot of cakes, but the fact that I’m not really much of a chocoholic should add to the credibility of that statement.

This is hands down the best chocolate cake you would’ve tried!

INGREDIENTS:

For the chocolate cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup castor sugar

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 cup butter milk (or 1 cup milk mixed with 2 tsp lemon juice)

2 teaspoons instant coffee powder

2 large eggs

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

For the frosting:

100 grams unsalted butter (at room temperature)

3 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup icing sugar

3 tbsp milk

METHOD:

Preheat oven to moderate 350º Farenheit (180º Celcius) and lightly grease a 9″ baking dish.

For the cake:

Add coffee powder to the 1 cup of boiling water, stir, and set aside.

In a large bowl, add in all the dry ingredients – flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir until well combined.

In another bowl, add the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and vegetable oil. Stir using a whisk or ladle until well incorporated. Add the coffee mixture we made earlier and stir. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir for 20 seconds or so until you have a smooth batter (don’t over-mix).

Pour into a lined/greased baking dish and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the thickest part of the cake comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool for an hour before you frost it.

For the frosting:

In a bowl, add the cocoa powder, icing sugar, butter and vanilla and whisk for about a minute.

Add the milk in gradually to this frosting, and only if necessary, to achieve the right consistency.

Frost the cake as desired.

2 Comments

Kirthana Dorairaj

Hey! This cake is incredibly moist and you will love it! I have to mention here that you will have a rather runny batter, but don’t be alarmed; with my limited knowledge of food science, I think that’s what makes it super squidgy and moist.
Let me know how it turns out!

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