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Slice of chocolate cake with shiny ganache on it with the rest of the cake in the background

EASY CHOCOLATE CAKE FROM SCRATCH RECIPE


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5 from 67 reviews

  • Author: Zoha
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 8

Description

An easy, super moist chocolate cake you can make from scratch in under an hour!


Ingredients

Cake

  • 1 cup all purpose flour (130g)
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar (165g)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil (65g)
  • *1/2 cup buttermilk (120g) -- use 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 tbsp vinegar to make your own
  • 1 tsp instant coffee (can be reduced to 1/2)
  • 1/4 cup boiling water (60g)
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder (25g) 

Ganache:

  • 1/4 cup cream (60g)
  • 75g chocolate of choice (I used milk chocolate)

Instructions

Cake

  • Pre-heat your oven to 350F (conventional) and prepare a 9" cake pan with parchment paper and butter / oil
  • If making your own buttermilk, mix 1/2 cup milk with 1/2 tbsp vinegar, stir, and set aside
  • Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Sift the ingredients to make sure there are no lumps
  • Break in the egg, and add the vegetable oil and buttermilk. Use a whisk to gently mix until the ingredients come together
  • In a smaller bowl, mix boiling water with cocoa powder and instant coffee, and whisk until you get a shiny mix. This step blooms the cocoa powder and brings out its lovely chocolatey notes
  • Add the bloomed cocoa powder mix to the cake batter, and gently fold until combined
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan
  • Bake at 350F for about ~20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached
  • Wait 10 minutes and 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, then mix until you get a shiny ganache. Rest for another 5 minutes so the ganache thickens slightly
  • Pour the ganache over your cake, and you're ready to dive in!

Notes

  • You can make your own buttermilk by mixing 1/2 cup whole milk with 1/2 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice. It will look clumpy, don't worry
  • Make sure you don't over mix the batter, as that will make it tough
  • You can also bake this cake in a 8x8" or 9x9" square pan. If you want to make a 9x13" sheet cake, double the quantity and adjust the time as needed
  • Prep Time: 35 min
  • Cook Time: 25 min
  • Category: Desserts
  • Cuisine: American