Chocolate Butter Cake

• Deeply chocolaty, moist cake with a nice crumb.
• Makes two 9" rounds.
• Goes very well with Cherry Cream Cheese Frosting.

Source

• http://www.joyofbaking.com/ChocolateButterCake.html

Special Equipment

• Two 9" round cake pans
• Parchment paper
• Stand Mixer

Preheat Oven

Preheat oven to 350° F

Ingredients

• 120g (4oz) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 30g (1oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 240ml (1 cup) boiling water
• 295g (11oz) all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 226g (8oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 400g (14oz) granulated white sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (240 ml) milk

Preparation

Prepare Cake Pans

1. Butter two 9" round cake pans.
2. Cut to fit a single sheet of parchment for each of the rounds; affix to the inside bottom of buttered pans.
3. Butter the parchment.
4. Lightly flour; shake out any loose residue.

Melt Chocolate

1. In a heatproof bowl, combine chopped unsweetened chocolate and cocoa powder.
2. Add 240ml (1 cup) boiling water.
3. Whisk till smooth.
4. Set aside; cool to room temperature.

Combine Dry Ingredients

In a medium sized bowl, sift or whisk together:

• Flour
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt

Using Stand Mixer

Use a stand mixer, on mostly medium speed, to beat butter, sugar, and eggs. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

1. Using a stand mixer, beat butter until smooth.
2. While continuing to beat, gradually add sugar; beat till fluffy- about 3 minutes.
3. Add eggs, one at a time; mix well after each addition.
4. Add vanilla.
5. Add cooled chocolate mixture; beat till combined.

Add Dry Ingredients and Milk

With stand mixer set to low/stir, add the dry ingredients and milk in alternating additions; just till combined. Begin and end with dry ingredients:

1. 1/3 dry
2. ½ milk
3. 1/3 dry
4. ½ milk
5. 1/3 dry

Divide Batter and Bake

1. Evenly divide batter into prepared cake pans.
2. Bake 35 to 40 minutes.
3. Test for done-ness: toothpick inserted onto the middle should come out clean.

Cool

1. Cool for 10 minutes
2. Turn out cakes onto wire rack, remove parchment, and cool completely.