Chocolate Layer Cake Rounds
“Blooming” the cocoa powder in boiling water and adding instant espresso powder to the batter produce deep chocolate flavor. Sour cream adds moisture and tang. This recipe is very versatile—change up frostings and fillings to produce all sorts of different cakes.
Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 7 ½ ounces all-purpose flour 1 ½ cups
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups boiling water
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate chopped
- 1 ½ ounces Dutch-processed cocoa powder ½ cup
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 10 1/2 ounces light brown sugar 1 ½ cups packed
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup sour cream room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease two 9-inch or three 8-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper, grease parchment, and flour pans.
- Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in bowl.
- In a second bowl, whisk boiling water, chocolate, cocoa, and espresso powder together until smooth.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined.
- Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
- Reduce speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with chocolate mixture in 2 additions, scraping down bowl as needed.
- Give the batter a final stir by hand.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes (for 8-inch pans) or 25 to 30 minutes (for 9-inch pans), rotating pans halfway through baking.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Remove the cakes from the pans, discarding parchment, and let cool completely on rack, about 2 hours.
Notes
This Devil’s Food-style cake is packed with chocolate flavor. For an accurate measurement of boiling water, bring a full kettle of water to a boil, then measure out the desired amount.