Perfect Chocolate Cake

This recipe is for one of the best cakes to date. Espresso cakes aren't new to me; I remember a friend some time ago using powdered espresso in a cake to add to moistness and flavor. I hadn't tried it on my own but recall it being very good.

Chocolate powder adds as much risk as it does flavor to a recipe. More dry powder means moisture is soaked up, so it's important to compensate for that. In a regular vanilla cake batter recipe, adding cocoa powder can really throw things off (been there!). The beautiful thing about this one is that there's extra moisture built right in.

This is also one of those single bowl deals; the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, and salt go all together in a mixing bowl. You add the liquid ingredients right in - eggs, milk, butter, vanilla - then pour in a cup of boiling water. In this case i went with coffee because of a prior experience. I'd made this recipe a few months earlier (yes, without sharing!) and it was awesome with water, but I was excited to try it this way.

The hot coffee really watered down the mixture, but that's okay! It's not as thick as a regular cake batter before baking, but it works out. Trust me.

And just for fun, I dropped a Hershey kiss into each one. Extra chocolate in the cake batter = extra flavor.

I threw those cupcakes in the oven and got to icing. I'm not usually partial to chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Some people love it, but I think chocolate is a special flavor and in excess can become overwhelming.

Yet, I still wanted to try it for fun. I whipped up a basic buttercream with cocoa powder, then added almond extract for s nice, sweet touch. Almond extract adds a really nice flavor to desserts.

After baking and cooling, I topped them off with some frosting and voila: lil beauties.

Keep this one in the books! In addition to the fact it's a simple, one bowl batter, the result truly does sneak into the "perfect" realm. It's got the right moisture and a rich chocolate flavor that even with frosting is not overwhelming. The whole Hershey kiss in the center made for a bite of rich chocolate in the middle and everyone that tried it liked it, but next time I'll grate up the chocolate and distribute it in the batter; keeps anyone from being surprised by the chocolate buried in the cake.

Despite the coffee addition, this does not have a coffee flavor. It was, however, both moist and powerful in flavor.

This is definitely my favorite chocolate frosting yet. Don't be scared of the chocolate on chocolate! It can work out when done right. Everyone has their preferences, of course, but the overly rich flavors can be too much for me. This one is just right, and that almond extract adds a subtle extra touch.

Perfect Chocolate Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup fresh brewed coffee

For the frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon almond milk
2 teaspoons almond extract

Instructions:

To make the cupcakes, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Stir together flour, sugar, baking cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, melted butter and vanilla, then beat on medium for about 2 minutes. Stir in hot coffee, then spoon into cupcake papers. Bake 18-22 minutes, until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

For the frosting, beat butter for 3-5 minutes, until fluffy. Slowly add powdered sugar and cocoa powder, mixing between additions. Add almond milk and almond extract and beat until well combined. Top cooled cupcakes with frosting.

adapted from hershey's perfectly chocolate cake