Desiring a decadent dessert? You can’t go wrong with luscious buttermilk chocolate cake!
Chocolate has been cultivated by man as far back as the Olmec, Mayan and Aztec civilizations, though it wouldn’t look like the sweet treat we know it as today. At the time, they considered the bitter, dark chocolaty water they called “xocolatl” to be a sort of ambrosia (food fit for gods) and would only serve the drink to highly esteemed members of their societies and, even then, only reserved it for special occasions. As it spread into the European continent following Spanish conquest, it was sent to France numerous times as wedding gifts between royal families and slowly trickled down to the enjoyment of the masses. Chocolate has since been sweetened and turned into an edible treat, rather than just a rich and velvety drink. The proportions of cacao and cream which compose the chocolate we’re familiar with are still being experimented upon and a whole new color and flavor of chocolate was even unveiled as recently as 2017 – the now-famous ruby chocolate! However, one thing has remained since chocolate’s use in godly worship millennia ago: its flavor is simply divine.
Here, we celebrate the heavenly flavor of chocolate with our buttermilk chocolate cake, featuring two layers of fluffy chocolate crumb and a luscious icing of chocolate buttermilk frosting sandwiched between. Talk about decadent! Plus, it’s easy to make almost anytime with a majority of shelf-stable ingredients so you can whip up delicious buttermilk chocolate cake whenever you want it!
Chocolate vs. Cocoa: What To Use In Your Bake
Chocolate cakes are a little misleading because many of them don’t use chocolate – they use cocoa powder! While cocoa powder is unmistakably still chocolate, there is a reason most chocolate cakes don’t use chocolate solids like semisweet chips or milk chocolate morsels. It all comes down to how both cocoa powder and chocolate bake.
Cocoa powder makes cakes fluffy and light! Because cocoa powder does not contain cocoa butter and milk, you can manage a much more delicate crumb in your cake thanks to the proportions of dry and wet ingredients. Using chocolate solids in your cakes adds moisture to that delicate ratio and results in brownie-like and fudgy cakes depending on the mixture. So, if you like your cake fluffy and light, cocoa powder is your go-to! If you’re looking for a dense cake, you have a wide variety of chocolates to choose from!
How to Make Ahead and Store?
Buttermilk chocolate cake is best served fresh. For your leftover cake, store it in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Cake can dry out in the fridge so it’s important to ensure that you either keep it air-sealed. Reheat slices in the microwave and indulge anytime!
What If I Want To Put Fillings In My Cake?
The important thing regarding a cake’s fluffiness and texture is the balance between wet and dry ingredients. If you want to add fillings to your batter, consider how much moisture is in those additives! Fresh fruits, for instance, have a lot of moisture that will affect the density of the cake while dry ingredients, like nuts, might soak up some of your wet ingredients’ moisture and result in a dry crumb. Balance is key!
Serving Suggestions
Buttermilk chocolate cake is a decadent dessert deserving of equally divine sides! Serve your buttermilk chocolate cake with a topping of homemade ice cream (either Classic Vanilla or double-down with Dark Chocolate!) or try different flavors of frosting to make a Classic Caramel chocolate combination or try a ripple of Peanut Butter Frosting to fit between your buttermilk chocolate cake layers! We can’t recommend a White Chocolate Ganache topping any higher (except, perhaps no higher than a Light and Airy Coconut Cream)!
Buttermilk Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 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
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup buttermilk at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract for frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans, lining the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Add eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
- Gradually pour in hot water and continue mixing until the batter is smooth. The batter will be thin.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the frosting, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in cocoa powder and buttermilk, heating until the mixture is smooth.
- Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla extract until the frosting is smooth and spreadable.
- Once cakes are cool, spread frosting on the top of one cake layer, place the second layer on top, and frost the top and sides of the cake.
- Let the cake sit for about 30 minutes to allow the frosting to set before slicing and serving.
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