To make the best moist dark chocolate cake recipe ever, you will need a handful of baking tools, and lots of ingredients that include a generous helping of quality dark chocolate. So grab a couple of packs of Cadbury Cocoa Powder and Cadbury Bournville Dark Chocolate, higher on the cocoa content, and get baking! This recipe makes a delicious layered chocolate cake from scratch, complete with frosting and decorations.
The Best Moist Dark Chocolate Cake Recipe
Ingredients:
For the Cake Batter:
- 260 gm all-purpose flour
- 400 gm granulated sugar
- 75 gm Cadbury Cocoa Powder, sifted
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 240 ml warm water
- 2 tsp instant coffee powder
- 240 ml buttermilk
- 110 ml vegetable oil
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 450 gm unsalted butter, room temperature
- 100 gm Cadbury Cocoa Powder, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 625 gm powdered sugar
- 180 gm heavy cream, room temperature
- 230 gm Cadbury Bournville 70% Dark Chocolate, melted and cooled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and prepare three 8-inch or four 7-inch round cake pans by lining their bottoms with parchment paper and greasing the sides with butter.
- Mix flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Whisk until lump-free.
- Pour hot water into a bowl and add the coffee powder to it. Mix until the coffee is dissolved.
- Next, pour buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla into the coffee. Give it a quick mix until smooth.
- Proceed to pour the coffee-egg mixture into the flour bowl. Mix using a spatula until fully mixed to get a runny batter.
- Pour the batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Use a kitchen scale if you have it.
- Bake the cakes for 22-25 minutes. You will know your cakes are perfectly baked when a toothpick inserted into their centers, comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool in their pans, for about 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, run a knife around the rims of each pan to loosen them. Quickly flip them over a wire rack to let them cool off completely.
- When all the cakes have cooled, level the tops, so you can easily stack the cakes. In case you are making ahead the cakes, make sure to wrap the cakes well and freeze them for later.
- Using the paddle attachment on an electric mixer, beat the butter in a bowl, for about 30 seconds until it's smooth and creamy.
- Add the cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and salt, then mix on low speed until incorporated.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar to the mixture, in parts. Make sure to add the heavy cream halfway through to ensure you get a smooth consistency.
- Reduce the speed to low, and slowly pour in the cooled melted chocolate. Continue mixing until the chocolate is fully incorporated. If not using immediately, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the frosting to prevent a crust from forming.
- Place a small dollop of frosting on your cake board or serving plate to secure the first cake layer in the center to prevent it from sliding away.
- Using an offset spatula, spread an even layer of the chocolate frosting on top.
- Carefully place the second cake layer on top of the frosted first cake layer. Repeat the frosting process, using the same amount as before. Repeat with the next layer (if there’s more).
- Then crumb coat the cake by applying a thin layer of frosting all over the cake, including the sides to seal in any loose crumbs.
- Smooth the frosting with a bench scraper or offset spatula, then refrigerate the cake for about 30 minutes, or freeze for 10 minutes, until the frosting firms up.
- Once chilled, apply a second, thicker layer of frosting to the entire cake. Use the bench scraper to smooth the sides and top for a professional look.
- Your cake is ready, if decorating, you can press mini chocolate chips into the sides of the cake and pipe swirls of frosting on top using a large star tip to decorate.