Easy Chocolate Cake
Servings 8
Ingredients
**Cake:**
- 1 cup all-purpose flour 130g
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 165g
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil 65g
- *½ cup buttermilk 120g* (you can make your own by using ½ cup milk + ½ tablespoon vinegar)
- 1 tsp instant coffee can be reduced to ½
- ¼ cup boiling water 60g
- ¼ cup cocoa powder 25g
**Ganache:**
- ¼ cup cream 60g
- 75 g chocolate of choice I used milk chocolate
Instructions
**Cake:**
- Preheat your oven to 350F (conventional) and prepare a 9″ cake pan with parchment paper and butter/oil.
- If making your own buttermilk, mix ½ cup milk with ½ tablespoon vinegar, stir, and set aside.
- In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift the ingredients to ensure no lumps.
- Add the egg, vegetable oil, and buttermilk to the dry ingredients. Gently whisk until everything comes together.
- In a smaller bowl, mix boiling water with cocoa powder and instant coffee. Whisk until you get a shiny mix, blooming the cocoa powder.
- Add the bloomed cocoa powder mix to the cake batter and gently fold until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350F for about 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs attached.
- Wait for 10 minutes, then turn out the cake onto a wire rack.
**Ganache:**
- Bring the cream to a boil and pour over the chopped chocolate. Cover and rest for 5 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt. Mix until you get a shiny ganache.
- Rest for another 5 minutes to let the ganache thicken slightly.
- Pour the ganache over your cake, and you’re ready to dive in!
Notes
- You can make your own buttermilk by mixing ½ cup whole milk with ½ tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice. It might look clumpy, but that’s normal.
- Avoid overmixing the batter to keep it tender.
- This cake can also be baked in an 8×8″ or 9×9″ square pan. For a 9×13″ sheet cake, double the quantity and adjust the time accordingly.