When it comes to comforting classic desserts, the Chocolate Buttermilk Cake reigns supreme, offering an incredibly moist and deeply flavorful experience that’s surprisingly simple to achieve. This recipe is your guide to creating that perfect, tender crumb and rich chocolate taste that will have everyone asking for seconds.
Key Ingredients for Chocolate Buttermilk Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-processed)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or other neutral oil like canola)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot water or hot brewed coffee
How to Make Chocolate Buttermilk Cake
This Chocolate Buttermilk Cake is the epitome of effortless indulgence, delivering a velvety texture and intensely satisfying chocolate flavor with minimal fuss. Its beauty lies in its simplicity, yielding a cake that’s both incredibly moist and wonderfully rich, perfect for any occasion. Expect a preparation time of around 20 minutes with a baking time of 30-35 minutes.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat Your Oven and Prepare Your Pan: Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan, or alternatively, line it with parchment paper for easy removal. This ensures your Chocolate Buttermilk Cake slides out perfectly.
Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Ensure these dry ingredients are thoroughly combined to distribute the leavening agents and prevent clumps from forming in your cake batter.
Add Wet Ingredients (Except Hot Water/Coffee): Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the room-temperature large eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.
Mix the Batter: Using a whisk or an electric mixer on low speed, blend the ingredients until just combined. Be careful not to overmix at this stage; a few small lumps are perfectly acceptable. Overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour, leading to a tougher cake.
Incorporate the Hot Liquid: Gradually add the hot water or hot brewed coffee to the batter while mixing on low speed. The batter will become very thin, which is completely normal for this type of Chocolate Buttermilk Cake. The hot liquid “blooms” the cocoa powder, intensifying the chocolate flavor and contributing to the cake’s incredible moisture.
Pour and Bake: Pour the thin batter evenly into your prepared baking pan. Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The aroma of rich chocolate will fill your kitchen as it bakes.
Cool the Cake: Once baked, remove the Chocolate Buttermilk Cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 15-20 minutes. Afterwards, you can invert it onto the wire rack to cool completely, or simply frost and serve it directly from the pan.
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Buttermilk Cake
This Chocolate Buttermilk Cake is an absolute game-changer for any chocolate lover seeking a dessert that’s both incredibly moist and bursting with pure chocolate indulgence. The secret to its unparalleled tenderness lies in the magic of buttermilk and cocoa powder, creating a cake that’s far superior to your average chocolate cake, even rivaling the complexity of a lava cake with its deep, satisfying richness. Plus, the cost of creating this masterpiece at home is significantly less than buying a comparable dessert from a bakery, making it a budget-friendly yet impressive treat. From its velvety texture to the way it pairs so beautifully with a simple dusting of powdered sugar or a decadent ganache, this cake offers unparalleled flavor and satisfaction without breaking the bank. Give this delightful Chocolate Buttermilk Cake a try, and prepare to be amazed by its simple elegance and incredible taste!
Storing this delicious Chocolate Buttermilk Cake is straightforward, ensuring you can enjoy its moist goodness for days to come. For immediate enjoyment or for up to 3 days, simply cover the cake tightly with plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container at room temperature. If you wish to keep it for longer, refrigerate it in an airtight container, where it will remain fresh for up to a week. Freezing is also an excellent option for future cravings. Once the cake has completely cooled, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil, or place it in a freezer-safe airtight container. It can be stored in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. To reheat, allow a frozen cake to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring it to room temperature. For a freshly baked feel, you can gently warm individual slices in a microwave for about 10-15 seconds on a low setting.
Final Thoughts
This Chocolate Buttermilk Cake is undeniably a treasure, delivering an unparalleled moistness and rich chocolate flavor with effortless ease. We strongly encourage you to whisk up this recipe and experience its comforting deliciousness firsthand – it’s a true crowd-pleaser that’s sure to become a staple in your baking repertoire.
Chocolate Buttermilk Cake
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan, or alternatively, line it with parchment paper for easy removal. This ensures your Chocolate Buttermilk Cake slides out perfectly.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Ensure these dry ingredients are thoroughly combined to distribute the leavening agents and prevent clumps from forming in your cake batter.cups 2 all-purpose flour, cups 2 granulated sugar, cup 3/4 unsweetened cocoa powder, teaspoons 2 baking soda, teaspoon 1 baking powder, teaspoon 1 salt
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the room-temperature large eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.2 large eggs, cup 1 buttermilk, cup 1/2 vegetable oil, teaspoons 2 vanilla extract
- Using a whisk or an electric mixer on low speed, blend the ingredients until just combined. Be careful not to overmix at this stage; a few small lumps are perfectly acceptable. Overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour, leading to a tougher cake.
- Gradually add the hot water or hot brewed coffee to the batter while mixing on low speed. The batter will become very thin, which is completely normal for this type of Chocolate Buttermilk Cake. The hot liquid “blooms” the cocoa powder, intensifying the chocolate flavor and contributing to the cake’s incredible moisture.cup 1 hot water or hot brewed coffee
- Pour the thin batter evenly into your prepared baking pan. Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The aroma of rich chocolate will fill your kitchen as it bakes.
- Once baked, remove the Chocolate Buttermilk Cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 15-20 minutes. Afterwards, you can invert it onto the wire rack to cool completely, or simply frost and serve it directly from the pan.