One Layer Chocolate Cake Recipes From Scratch

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease two 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans.
• Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder (if using) together in a large bowl. Set aside. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or you can use a whisk) mix the oil, eggs, and vanilla together on medium-high speed until combined. Add the buttermilk and mix until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add the hot water/coffee, and whisk or beat on low speed until the batter is completely combined. Batter is thin.
• Divide batter evenly between pans. Bake for 23-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Note: Even if they're completely done, the cooled cakes may *slightly* sink in the center. Cocoa powder is simply not as structurally strong as all-purpose flour and can't hold up to all the moisture necessary to make a moist tasting chocolate cake. It's normal!)
• Remove the cakes from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely in the pan.
• With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy - about 2 minutes. Add confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, 3 Tablespoons heavy cream, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 1 full minute. Do not over-whip. Add 1/4 cup more confectioners' sugar or cocoa powder if frosting is too thin or 1-2 more Tablespoons of cream if frosting is too thick. (I usually add 1 more.) Taste. Add another pinch of salt if desired.
• If cooled cakes are domed on top, use a large serrated knife to slice a thin layer off the tops to create a flat surface. This is called "leveling" the cakes. Discard or crumble over finished cake. Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with frosting. Top with 2nd layer and spread remaining frosting all over the top and sides. I always use an icing spatula and bench scraper for the frosting. Garnish with chocolate chips, if desired.
• Refrigerate cake for at least 30-60 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake hold its shape when cutting.
• Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

DECADENT CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350℉. Spray cake pans with nonstick vegetable spray. Set it aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Set it aside.
• In a large microwavable bowl, melt chocolate and butter for 2 minutes, or until butter is melted. The mixture can also be melted in a saucepan over low heat. Stir until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl; add sugar and beat with an electric mixer until combined.
• Add eggs to chocolate mixture, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla; mix well.
• Alternate adding flour mixture and milk to chocolate mixture, beating well until everything is incorporated. Pour into prepared pans.
• Bake 32 to 36 minutes at 350℉, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Cool cakes in pans on a cooling grid for 15 minutes. Remove from pans. Transfer to a cooling grid to cool completely before decorating.

MOIST CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE

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.

ONE BOWL CHOCOLATE CAKE (MADE FROM SCRATCH!)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Mix in the oil, buttermilk, and eggs. Once the eggs are fully incorporated, pour in the hot water and mix well (your batter will seem runny, but I promise that it will work out!).
• Grease a 9x13" baking pan and pour batter into pan. Bake for 33-38 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean- mine was done at 33 minutes). When the cake is completely cool, top with frosting and decorate with sprinkles (if so desired).

ONE-LAYER CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine first six ingredients in bowl; add milk, shortening and vanilla. Using an electric mixer, beat on low speed until combined, then beat on medium for 2 minutes. Add egg and beat two more minutes.
• Pour into buttered and floured 9-inch baking pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes (or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean). Cool on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool thoroughly on rack.

CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE

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.

MEGA MAGICAL 7 LAYER CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch-round cake pans with butter and line with parchment paper.
• Place the sugar and oil in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until combined. Add the eggs, one by one, until completely incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and buttermilk and continue mixing until combined.
• Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Mix together the coffee and warm water. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the coffee mixture into the bowl of the stand mixer, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until you don't see any lumps and a thin batter has formed.
• Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of each cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and set on the wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
• For the dark chocolate mousse: Place the dark chocolate in a large bowl and set aside. Pour 1 cup of the heavy cream into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let sit for 3 minutes.
• Remove the towel and slowly whisk the ganache until it's smooth and shiny. Set aside to cool to about room temperature.
• Meanwhile, whip the remaining cup of heavy cream to stiff peaks in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or by hand. Using a rubber spatula, fold one-fourth of the whipped cream into the cooled ganache to lighten the consistency, then fold that mixture into the remaining whipped cream until almost completely combined with just a few streaks. Add the vanilla and salt and gently fold until combined into a light, fluffy mousse.
• For the chocolate fudge buttercream frosting: Place the sugar, hot fudge, cocoa powder, butter, milk, vanilla extract and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on low speed to combine. When the sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium and beat until the buttercream is smooth and satiny, 8 to 10 minutes.
• For the chocolate royal icing: Place the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, meringue powder and water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip on low speed to combine. Increase the speed to medium-high and whip until the icing holds stiff peaks, 5 to 8 minutes. If it seems too soft, add more confectioners' sugar in 1 tablespoon increments. If it is too stiff, add a bit more water, drop by drop. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a medium star tip.
• For the white chocolate ganache: Place the white chocolate in a medium bowl and set aside. Pour the cream into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let sit for 3 minutes.
• Remove the towel and slowly whisk the ganache until it's smooth and shiny. Set aside to cool to about room temperature, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a medium star tip.
• To assemble, level the tops of the cakes with a serrated knife or cake leveler. Spread half of the mousse over the top of one cake layer. Stack the second layer and repeat. Add the third cake layer and frost the top and sides with a thin coat of the buttercream. Refrigerate until the frosting is firm, 20 to 30 minutes.
• When the cake is ready, frost the top and sides with a thicker layer of the buttercream and refrigerate again until very firm, about 1 hour.
• When the cake is almost ready, lightly dust your work area with cornstarch and roll the fondant into a circle about 20-inches wide and 1/8-inch thick. Drape the rolled fondant over the cake and, using a fondant smoother or your hands, lightly press and smooth it onto the cake, working your way from the top down the sides. Pop any air bubbles with a cake tester or toothpick and continue to smooth the surface.
• Trim any excess fondant from the base of the cake with a pizza cutter. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the bottom half of the cake with the piping gel, then cover it with chocolate sprinkles.
• Pipe a scalloped border around the edge with the chocolate royal icing. Pipe little rosettes of the white chocolate ganache around the cake and press 1 hazelnut truffle onto each. Continue to pipe and decorate with the royal icing, white chocolate ganache and hazelnut truffles to your liking.

ONE LAYER CAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Butter and flour one 9-inch cake pan, then line the pan with parchment paper. Spray and flour the parchment paper, shaking out the excess flour.
• In a large measuring cup, add the buttermilk, eggs, egg yolk, vanilla and almond extracts and beat with a fork until blended. Set aside.
• Sift the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar into a large bowl and blend on low using a hand mixer for about 30 seconds.
• With the mixer running on low, add the butter, one piece at a time. Pour in the vegetable oil. Mix until the flour and butter clump together and appear pebbly, about 30 seconds after the vegetable oil has been added.
• Pour in a little more than half of the buttermilk-egg mixture and mix on the lowest speed until blended, about 10 seconds. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix until starting to appear light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Without turning off the mixer, add the remaining buttermilk mixture in a slow stream.
• Stop the mixer and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then beat at medium-high speed for about 15 seconds until well-mixed.
• Pour batter evenly into the prepared cake pan and bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes.
• Cool pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to loosen. Invert the cake onto a plate, peel off the parchment, then invert back onto the wire rack. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
• Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
• Using hand mixer, blend butter until creamy. Sift confectioners sugar, cocoa, and salt into the butter. Mix until blended. Add vanilla and half-and-half and blend until spreadable consistency.

ULTIMATE BASIC BIRTHDAY YELLOW CAKE (1 - LAYER)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Cut wax paper to fit the bottom of a 9 x 1 1/2-inch round pan. Spray the pan with cooking spray, place the wax paper in the pan and spray the paper.
• In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, mixing well.
• Combine milk with vegetable oil and stir thoroughly.
• Add the milk/vegetable oil mixture, butter and vanilla to the flour mixture and beat with an electric mixer on medium to medium-high speed for 2 minutes, scraping sides of bowl as needed.
• Add the eggs and continue beating an additional 2 minutes. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted near center of cake comes out clean, or until cake springs back when touched lightly in the center.
• Cool cakes on wire racks for 15 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely.
• Frost as desired.

HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE CAKE MIX

Steps:

• In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine.
• Use a pastry cutter to blend in the butter.
• Store in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.