Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 3 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans or grease a 9x13 pan.
- In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 3 minutes with an electric mixer.
- Stir in the boiling water by hand until batter is well combined. (The batter will look runny, but have faith... it'll turn out!) Pour evenly into the prepared pans (or pan).
- For two 9-inch cakes, bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. For 9x13 cake, bake for 40-45 minutes.
- For two 9-inch cakes, cool cake for 10 minutes in the pans, then remove from pans to cool completely.
- The cake is delicious by itself, either slightly warm or even chilled. Try it with the chocolate buttercream or whipped cream topping. Add some berries or cherry pie filling with the whipped cream, if desired!
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
- With an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, milk or cream, salt, and vanilla. Mix together on low speed. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. If frosting is too thin - add up to 1/2 cup more sugar. If too thick - add another tablespoon of cream or milk. Yield: 2 1/2 cups.
Notes
Cupcakes: Fill about 30 cupcakes liners in muffin pans to about 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 22-25 minutes.