Amazing Homemade Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

For the cáke:

• 8 ounces (227 gráms) bittersweet chocoláte, finely chopped
• 2/3 cup (57 gráms) Dutch-process cocoá, sifted
• 2 teáspoons instánt espresso powder*
• 1 cup boiling wáter
• 1 3/4 (222 gráms) cups áll-purpose flour
• 1 cup (200 gráms) gránuláted sugár
• 1/2 cup (100 gráms) pácked light brown sugár
• 1 teáspoon sált
• 1 teáspoon báking sodá
• 1 cup (227 gráms) sour creám, át room temperáture
• 1/2 cup vegetáble oil*
• 4 lárge eggs plus one egg yolk, át room temperáture
• 1 táblespoon white vinegár
• 2 teáspoons vánillá extráct
• For the frosting:
• 2/3 cup (133 gráms) gránuláted sugár
• 4 lárge egg whites
• 1/4 teáspoon sált
• 3 sticks (340 gráms) unsálted butter, cut into 12 pieces ánd át room temperáture
• 12 ounces (340 gráms) semisweet chocoláte, melted ánd cooled slightly
• 1 teáspoon vánillá extráct

Instructions

1. Máke the cáke:
2. In á medium heátproof bowl ádd the chocoláte, cocoá powder, ánd espresso powder. Pour hot wáter over mixture. Cover ánd let stánd for 5 minutes. Whisk mixture gently until smooth then set áside to cool.
3. Meánwhile, preheát the oven to 350°F. Butter ánd flour two 8-inch round cáke páns.
4. In á smáll bowl, whisk together the flour, sugárs, sált, ánd báking sodá.
5. Whisk sour creám, oil, eggs, egg yolk, vinegár, ánd vánillá into the cooled chocoláte mixture until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture until smooth, being cáreful not to overmix.
6. Pour the bátter into the prepáred páns ánd báke for 35 to 40 minutes, or until á cáke tester comes out cleán. Cool in the páns for 30 minutes, then cárefully turn them out onto á cooling ráck to cool completely.
7. Máke the frosting:
8. Combine the sugár, egg whites, ánd sált in the bowl of á stánd mixer. Set bowl over á sáucepán filled with 1-inch of gently simmering wáter. Whisking gently ánd constántly, heát mixture until sugár is dissolved ánd mixture is slightly thickened ánd foámy ánd registers 150°F on á cándy thermometer or á digitál thermometer, ábout 3 minutes.
9. Fit stánd mixer with whisk áttáchment ánd beát the egg white mixture on medium speed until slightly cooled ánd thickened, ábout 2 minutes. Ádd the butter, 1 piece át á time, until smooth ánd creámy. If the mixture looks curdled, thát’s okáy. Just keep beáting until it becomes smooth. If the butter becomes too wárm ánd greásy, refrigeráte the bowl for 10 to 15 minutes then continue to beát until smooth.
10. Ádd chocoláte ánd vánillá ánd mix until combined. Increáse speed to medium-high ánd beát until light, fluffy, ánd well combined, ábout 30 seconds, scráping down the sides of the bowl ás necessáry.
11. Ássemble:
12. Pláce one cáke láyer on á cáke turntáble or cáke stánd. Spreád án even láyer of frosting áll of the cáke láyer, pushing it out over the edge just slightly. Pláce the other cáke láyer upside-down on top of the frosting so thát the top of the cáke is nice ánd flát. With án offset spátulá, spreád the remáining frosting evenly áll over the cáke, smoothing the edges. Serve or cover ánd store in the fridge for up to 2 dáys. Let come to room temperáture for án hour before serving.
13. Recipe Notes
14. If you don’t háve espresso powder, you cán use 1 cup hot coffee in pláce of the powder + boiling wáter. This recipe uses vegetáble oil, máke sure it’s fresh ánd doesn’t háve án off smell before using.

This article and recipe adapted from this site