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2 Tier Chocolate Cake

2 Tier Chocolate Cake Recipe

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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 560
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup hot strong coffee
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/3 cup whole milk, plus more as needed
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch of fine sea salt

Method
 

  1. Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 8-inch round cake pans, line bottoms with parchment, and grease parchment.
  2. Whisk flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl until no lumps remain.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth, then whisk in hot coffee.
  4. Pour wet mixture into dry ingredients. Stir just until combined, about 10 to 15 strokes; do not overmix.
  5. Divide batter evenly between pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  6. For the frosting, beat butter until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add powdered sugar and cocoa powder on low, then milk and vanilla. Beat until fluffy, adding a splash more milk if needed. Frost the cooled cake layers and slice.

Notes

The batter will look thin after adding the hot coffee; that’s normal and leads to a tender crumb. Let the cake layers cool completely before frosting, or the buttercream will slide off. If you don’t have buttermilk, stir 1 tablespoon lemon juice into 1 cup milk and let sit 5 minutes as a substitute.