Name: Classic Chocolate Cake Master Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: Yield: One 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33-cm) sheet cake, or two 9-inch (23-cm) round layer cakes, or three 8-inch (20-cm) round layer cakes, or about 24 cupcakes
Ingredients: 170 grams (¾ cup, 180 milliliters) neutral oil (canola, vegetable, safflower, or grapeseed); 3 large eggs, room temperature; 1 tablespoon vanilla extract; 340 grams (1½ cups, 360 milliliters) very hot coffee or water; 151 grams (⅔ cup, 160 milliliters) milk, room temperature (1 percent, 2 percent, or whole); 240 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour; 100 grams (1¼ cups) natural cocoa powder; 450 grams (2¼ cups) granulated sugar; 7 grams (2 teaspoons) baking powder; 4 grams (1 teaspoon) baking soda; 3 grams (¾ teaspoon) fine sea salt

Preparation info

Yield:
One
9 x 13 inch 23 x 33 cm ) sheet cake

Difficulty
Medium
Ready in
1 hr 5

Appears in

Baker Bettie's Better Baking Book

By Kristin Hoffman

Published 2022

About

This is my all-time favorite chocolate cake recipe. It is incredibly simple to make and always receives rave reviews. The coffee in the recipe isn’t overpowering and actually enhances the chocolate flavor. However, you can reduce the amount of coffee and substitute some or all of it with hot water. This cake is extremely moist and tender, and therefore I use all-purpose flour rather than cake flour to give it more structure.