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Slice of chocolate butter cake on a white plate

Chocolate Butter Cake

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate butter cake
Prep Time: 39 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 19 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 365kcal
Author: Kara @I Scream for Buttercream
This chocolate butter cake has a wonderfully rich buttery chocolate flavor. It has a tighter crumb, but remains moist. Pair it with chocolate buttercream or ganache for a super chocolaty treat everyone will love.
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Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • ¾ cup cocoa (I used Hershey's cocoa - not dutch processed)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup brown sugar (packed)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup butter (1 stick)
  • ¼ cup oil
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup hot coffee

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8 inch round pans.
  • In a mixing bowl, add the room temp butter and the brown and granulated sugar. Beat on medium until well mixed.
  • In another bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  • In a separate bowl, mix together the oil, vanilla, milk and eggs. (You'll add the coffee later.) Set aside.
  • Now you'll add in your dry and liquid ingredients alternately. Take a third of the flour mixture and add into the butter and sugar mixture. Beat  on low/medium just until combined.
  • Add in half the liquid ingredients (not the coffee yet) and beat on medium just until combined. 
  • Add in the next third of the flour mixture, mix, then the second half of the liquid mixture and mix just until combined. Now add in the last third of the flour mixture and beat just until combined.
  • Add in the hot coffee and mix until well combined. Don't over mix. Once it's combined, stop mixing. You don't want to mix for several minutes, that's too long.
  • Pour into prepared pans and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 35 to 40 minutes. 
  • Set on wire racks to cool for about ten minutes, then turn out the cake layers onto the racks and remove the pans to cool completely. 

Notes

This cake does not need to be kept in the refrigerator, unless you've added perishable filling or frosting. This cake can be frozen for up to a month if wrapped well in plastic wrap and foil.
My double chocolate buttercream recipe is delicious on this cake.
Nutritional information is for the cake only and does not include icing or filling. Nutritional values are an estimate.
This recipe card may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition

Calories: 365kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 400mg | Potassium: 224mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 335IU | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 2.1mg