Description
Ina Garten’s Beatty’s chocolate cake delivers rich, moist chocolate layers with silky chocolate frosting. Chocolate enthusiasts will savor this classic dessert that combines deep cocoa flavors with creamy, indulgent frosting you cannot resist.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups (400 grams) sugar
- 1 ¾ cups (220 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (75 grams) cocoa powder
- 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, shaken
- 1 cup (240 ml) freshly brewed hot coffee
- ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable oil
- 2 tsps baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 6 oz (170 grams) semisweet chocolate
- ½ lb (227 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups (150 grams) sifted confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tbsp instant coffee powder
- Butter for greasing pans
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Meticulously prepare two 8-inch round cake pans by buttering, lining with parchment, re-buttering, and dusting with flour to guarantee effortless cake release.
- Dry Ingredients: Combine cake flour, granulated sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Blend these components on low speed until perfectly homogeneous.
- Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until the mixture achieves a silky, uniform consistency.
- Batter Formation: Slowly integrate the wet ingredients into the dry mixture, mixing on low speed to preserve the cake’s delicate structure. Pour in the hot, freshly brewed coffee, stirring gently until the liquid melds seamlessly, creating a deep, luxurious chocolate batter.
- Baking Process: Distribute the batter evenly between the prepared pans, ensuring smooth, level surfaces. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, verifying doneness with a cake tester that should emerge clean with minimal crumbs.
- Cooling and Finishing: Allow cakes to rest in pans for 30 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once at room temperature, apply chocolate frosting between layers and across the entire cake surface for a decadent, glossy presentation.
Notes
- Prepare Pans Perfectly: Use parchment paper, butter, and flour to guarantee effortless cake removal without sticking or breaking.
- Avoid Overmixing: Blend ingredients on low speed to maintain the cake’s tender, delicate crumb and prevent tough, dense texture.
- Coffee Enhances Chocolate: Hot coffee deepens the chocolate flavor, creating a rich, complex taste that elevates the entire dessert.
- Temperature Matters: Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting to prevent melting and ensure a smooth, professional-looking finish.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 561
- Sugar: 60 g
- Sodium: 358 mg
- Fat: 31 g
- Saturated Fat: 16 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 69 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 81 mg