The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe | So Soft & Moist!

Moist Chocolate Cake that melts in your mouth! 🍫 🍰

This easy chocolate cake recipe is incredibly soft and moist, with layers of rich and creamy chocolate buttercream. A little coffee intensifies the cocoa and dark chocolate flavour, making this a wonderfully rich homemade chocolate cake. 🍫 🍰

It's an easy chocolate dessert for birthdays, celebrations, afternoon tea, or whenever you're craving a really good piece of chocolate cake!

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🍫 Chocolate Coffee Cake with Chocolate Buttercream

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Cake

Cocoa powder – 25g (3½ tablespoons)
Instant coffee – 1 tablespoon
Warm milk – 120ml (½ cup)
Vinegar – 1½ teaspoons
Salted butter – 200g (¾ cup + 2 tablespoons), softened
Sugar – 200g (1 cup)
Eggs – 3
Plain flour – 200g (1⅓ cups)
Baking powder – 1¼ teaspoons (about 6g)
Baking soda – ¼ teaspoon
I use salted butter. If using unsalted butter, simply add a small pinch of salt.

Chocolate Coffee Buttercream

Cocoa powder – 1 tablespoon
Instant coffee – 1 teaspoon
Warm water – 2 tablespoons
Powdered sugar / icing sugar – 240g (2 cups)
Salted butter – 120g (½ cup), softened
Dark chocolate – 100g, melted and slightly cooled
Heavy cream – 2–3 tablespoons, optional
or
Milk – 2–3 tablespoons, as needed


Optional Sugar Syrup

Sugar – 50g (¼ cup)
Hot water – 60ml (¼ cup)
Alternatively, you can use a little milk to moisten the cake without adding extra sugar.


Equipment

Measuring cup size: 240ml
Baking pan: 20 × 20 cm (8 × 8 inch)

Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C (350°F) for approximately 30–35 minutes.


Method

Make the Chocolate Cake

In a small bowl, combine the cocoa powder, instant coffee, warm milk and vinegar. Mix well until smooth, then set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter and sugar.
Whisk for about 2–3 minutes, or until light and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the eggs and whisk for another 2 minutes, until well combined.
Sift the plain flour, baking powder and baking soda directly into the bowl.

Gently mix until almost combined.
Pour in the prepared cocoa and coffee mixture.
Gently fold everything together until the batter is smooth and evenly combined. Avoid overmixing.
Pour the batter into a lined 20 × 20 cm (8 × 8 inch) baking pan and spread it evenly.

Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C (350°F) for approximately 30–35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool completely before assembling.
Once cooled, you can wrap the cake well with cling film and store it in an airtight container until you're ready to decorate.


Make the Chocolate Coffee Buttercream

In a small bowl, combine the cocoa powder, instant coffee and warm water.
Mix until you have a smooth, paste-like consistency, then set aside.
Add the softened butter to a large bowl and whisk for about 1 minute, until creamy.
Gradually add the powdered sugar in several additions. Mix it in gently by hand at first to prevent the sugar from scattering.
Once incorporated, add the prepared cocoa-coffee mixture and the slightly cooled melted dark chocolate.

Whisk for approximately 2–3 minutes, or until the buttercream becomes smooth, soft and creamy.
If the frosting is thicker than you prefer, add 2–3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk, a little at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.
Keep the frosting chilled until the cake has completely cooled.


Optional Sugar Syrup

Mix the sugar with the hot water until completely dissolved.
Set aside and allow it to cool before using.
If you'd prefer not to add extra sugar, you can lightly drizzle the cake layers with milk instead.


Assemble the Cake

Once completely cooled, carefully cut the cake horizontally into two even layers.
If using the sugar syrup, lightly drizzle or brush it over the cut sides of the cake for extra moisture.
Spread approximately half of the chocolate coffee buttercream evenly over the bottom layer.
Place the second cake layer on top.
Spread the remaining buttercream over the top of the cake.
Finish with chocolate sprinkles, shavings, cocoa powder or any decoration you like.

Slice and enjoy your soft Chocolate Coffee Cake with creamy chocolate buttercream! 🍫☕🍰