Upgraded Easy Chocolate Cake

So my go-to chocolate cake recipe has always been this one, which is quick, easy, and conveniently vegan. However, I will admit that the cake itself is more of a base for decoration/embellishment, as opposed to being an independently delicious chocolate cake. And sometimes you just need a chocolate cake that’s delicious in its own right, you know?

I decided to branch out a little and try out a different cake recipe– one that still forgoes use of the stand mixer and avoids softened butter, but which increases the cocoa and has a few more flavor-enhancing ingredients. It ended up being excellent– more chocolate flavor than my old recipe, with a texture that stays moist even when taken directly from the refrigerator. While I’ll keep the old recipe on hand for pantry emergencies or vegan birthday celebrations, I’ll be switching to this one for my chocolate cake needs going forward!

This particular cake was part of a fancy birthday cake for my husband (post coming later), so for extra height I increased the recipe below by 50% and made three tallish 7″ cake layers. That being said, the recipe below will make two thinner 9″ cake layers.

Upgraded Easy Chocolate Cake (from Sally’s Baking Addiction)

1 3/4 cups (220g) flour

3/4 cup (65g) cocoa powder

1 3/4 cups (350g) sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. espresso powder (optional)

1/2 cup (120ml) oil

2 eggs

3/4 cup (180g) sour cream

1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk*

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup (120ml) hot water or coffee

*If you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, use half sour cream and half regular milk as a substitute for it.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare cake pans with nonstick spray and parchment.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder.

3. In a separate bowl (or in a large glass measuring cup), combine oil and eggs. Whisk until smooth.

4. Add sour cream, buttermilk, and vanilla to egg mixture. Whisk to combine.

5. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients, then pour the hot water over the top and whisk until completely smooth.

6. Pour into prepared pans and bake for about 18-20 minutes, testing with a toothpick to see when they’re done.