INTENSE CHOCOLATE CAKE
I baked two layers, then cut them in two making 4.
The recipe calls for cream cheese icing, but I used cream instead..
1 cup (80 g) unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)
1 cup hot coffee (240 ml)
2 cups sugar (400 g)
1 ¾ cup (210 g) all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk (240 ml)
½ cup vegetable oil (120 ml)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting:
24 ounces cream cheese, softened (3 x 230 g)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (120 g)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4½ cups (560 g) powdered sugar, sifted
Preheat the oven to 180 ºC. Line the bottom of two 8 or 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper, grease and flour the sides. (The parchment paper will make the cake come out much easier than just grease and flour).
If you prefer to bake the cakes in 4 separate pans, see the notes at the bottom.
In a medium bowl, whisk the hot coffee and cocoa together until smooth. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a whisk, blend and sift the ingredients together.
Add the eggs, milk, oil, vanilla, and the cocoa mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds until the dry ingredients are moist. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and beat for another minute. The batter will be thin.
Pour the batter into the two prepared pans and place in the center of the preheated oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes for the 9 inch pans or 33 to 37 minutes for the 8 inch pans (a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes should come out clean).
Let cool in the cake pans for 5 to 10 minutes then run a knife around the edge of the pans to loosen the cake from the pans. Invert the cakes onto a cooling rack and remove the parchment paper. (At this point if you re-invert the cakes onto another rack and let them cool with their tops up, they will retain more height and the tops of the cakes will not stick to the cooling rack.)
Photo: Sa-eeda Daniels
