Moist Chocolate Layer Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Mix together dry ingredients.
• Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
• Combine dry and wet ingredients together (I gently whisk them together with a fork).
• Transfer mixture to a greased cake pan or cupcake tins. (Mixture usually fits one 13" x 9" pan or two 8" or 9" round pans.).
• Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 30 minutes. (Bake for approximately 15 minutes if making cupcakes).
• Set aside to cool before frosting.
• To begin the Chocolate Cocoa Frosting beat powdered sugar and butter until blended. (If using an electric mixer, use low speed).
• Stir in vanilla extract and cocoa powder.
• Gradually beat in just enough milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable. If frosting becomes too thin, add more powdered sugar.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan; dust pan with 2 teaspoons cocoa powder or as needed.
• Whisk cake flour, 3/4 cup cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Mix sugar and canola oil in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Beat eggs into sugar and oil, one at a time, blending in the first egg before adding the second. Gradually beat milk, coffee, and vanilla extract into sugar mixture until smooth.
• Reduce mixer speed to low and beat flour mixture into wet ingredients. Stir sour cream into batter. Pour into prepared baking pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with moist crumbs, about 40 minutes.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange two racks in center of oven. Butter three 8-by-2-inch round cake pans; line bottoms with parchment. Dust bottoms and sides of pans with cocoa powder; tap out any excess. Sift cocoa into a medium bowl, and whisk in boiling water. Set aside to cool.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on low speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides twice. Beat in vanilla. Drizzle in eggs, a little at a time, beating between each addition until the batter is no longer slick, scraping down the sides twice.
• In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk milk into reserved cocoa mixture. With mixer on low speed, alternately add flour and cocoa mixtures to the batter, a little of each at a time, starting and ending with flour mixture.
• Divide batter evenly among the three prepared pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center of each layer comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes, rotating the pans for even baking. Transfer layers to wire racks; let cool, 15 minutes. Turn out cakes, and return to racks, tops up, until completely cool.
• Remove parchment from bottoms of cakes. Reserve the prettiest layer for the top. Place one cake layer on a serving platter; spread 1 1/2 cups chocolate frosting over the top. Add the second cake layer, and spread with another 1 1/2 cups frosting. Top with third cake layer. Cover outside of cake with the remaining 3 cups frosting. Serve.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans. Cut 3 circles of waxed paper or parchment paper to fit the bottoms of the pans, then press them in.
• In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and eggs and mix until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla, cocoa, baking soda and salt and mix. Add 1/2 of the flour, then 1/2 of the sour cream and mix. Repeat with the remaining flour and sour cream. Drizzle in the hot coffee and mix until smooth. The batter will be thin. Pour into the prepared pans and bake until the tops are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a few crumbs are okay), about 35 minutes. Halfway through the baking, quickly rotate the pans in the oven to ensure even baking, but otherwise try not to open the oven. Let cool in the pan 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks and let cool completely before frosting.
• Frosting: In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Drizzle in the melted chocolate and mix. Add the coffee and vanilla and mix. Add the sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Mix until well blended and fluffy. To frost the cake, use a spatula to cover 2 of the cake layers with frosting. Stack them together. Flip the third cake layer over and rest it on the top to create a very flat top for the cake. Frost on the sides and top. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 8-inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment. Spray the parchment and dust with flour.
• Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
• Beat together the butter and sugar in a stand mixer until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at time and beat until incorporated. Add the sour cream and continue to beat until fully incorporated. Then add the vanilla.
• Stir together the instant espresso powder with the hot water in a spouted measuring cup. With the mixer running, add the dry ingredients in two additions, alternating with the espresso.
• Divide the batter between the cake pans and bake until a tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove the cakes to the rack to cool completely.
• Slice a thin layer from the top of each cooled cake with a serrated knife to remove the domed top. With a serrated knife, slice the layers in half horizontally to make 4 layers. Spread buttercream on the cut side of a layer and sandwich another layer on top. Repeat with the remaining frosting and layers, leaving the last top layer unfrosted.
• Apply a thin crumb-coat of frosting to the entire cake and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes to set. Use the remaining frosting to generously frost the cake.
• Put the egg whites and sugar into a large bowl set over a double boiler. Whisk constantly until the sugar melts and the mixture is very thin and warm.
• Pour the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Turn to low speed and continue beating until cool, about 10 minutes.
• Turn the mixer to medium speed and whisk in the butter in small pieces. (The mixture may look curdled before it comes together.) Add the vanilla extract. Re-beat the mixture as needed to keep it smooth as you frost your cake.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients. Add the eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes (batter will be thin). Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan., Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Prepare pans (makes one 9x13 sheet cake or two 8- or 9-inch layers) by greasing and flouring (use cocoa powder to avoid white residue).
• In a large bowl, stir Group One ingredients together and set aside.
• In another large bowl, stir Group Two ingredients together.
• Stir Group Two (dry ingredients) into Group One.
• It is quite a liquidy batter, so do not be alarmed!
• Pour batter into prepared pans (fill no more than 2/3 full).
• You may have extra batter, if so make a few cupcakes!
• Rap baking pans sharply on the counter to release air bubbles.
• Bake at 350 until edges are slightly dry, cake springs back when lightly pressed in the center, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
• Baking times will vary based on pan size, but check at 40 minutes and continue checking every 5 minutes thereafter.
• For cupcakes, check at 15 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Sift together dry ingredients in a bowl. Add oil, coffee and milk; mix at medium speed 1 minute. Add eggs and vanilla; beat 2 minutes longer. (Batter will be thin.) , Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans (or two 8-in. round baking pans and 6 muffin cups). , Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans. Cool on wire racks. , Meanwhile, for icing, combine milk and flour in a saucepan; cook until thick. Cover and refrigerate. , In a bowl, beat butter, shortening, sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add chilled milk mixture and beat 10 minutes. Frost cooled cake. If desired, dust with additional cocoa.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Chop 2 oz. chocolate. Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil and water in large bowl with mixer until blended. Stir in chopped chocolate. Pour into 2 (9-inch) round pans sprayed with cooking spray.
• Bake 30 to 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min. Loosen cakes from sides of pans. Invert onto wire racks; gently remove pans. Cool cakes completely.
• Microwave COOL WHIP and remaining chocolate in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 1 min. Let stand 15 min. to thicken.
• Stack cake layers on plate, filling and frosting with COOL WHIP mixture. Sprinkle with nuts.