8-inch Classic Chocolate Cake

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My best chocolate cake is an oil-based cake made with whipped eggs that makes a light and airy cake. Frosted with a smooth, velvety, and rich chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream. A surprisingly simple and easy recipe to make.

Can you have enough chocolate cake recipes? I think not. Often the main ingredients are the same and yet one small ingredient or one specific process can give you a completely different recipe. That's what fascinates me so much about baking. It's a weird science that can be fun and stressful all at the same time.

This cake is a family favorite and I can honestly say my favorite of all cakes to bake too.

About this 8-inch cake

This cake is very rich, light, and airy with a soft crumb. Perfect to use with light frostings such as whipped cream or Swiss or Italian meringue buttercream.

This was a very popular cake with my customers. It is quite stable and works wonderfully for birthdays and other celebration cakes. I've used it in tiered wedding cakes and covered in fondant too.

Today, I have frosted it with chocolate buttercream, but the options for frosting are endless. This would work with classic vanilla, mocha, or ganache frosting too. If you don't want to make a meringue frosting you can make an American, French, or German buttercream too. See my list of 50 plus buttercream frostings here.

The process and timeline for this cake

• Prepare cake batter - 15 minutes
• Bake cake - 35 minutes
• Chill cake - 4 hours at least (preferably overnight)
• Prepare buttercream - 25 minutes
• Crumb coat cake - 15 minutes
• Chill cake - 15 minutes
• Second coat - 15 minutes
• Chill cake - 15 minutes
• Final smoothing - 15 minutes
• Finishing touches

Ingredients and substitutes

• All-purpose flour – Regular all-purpose or plain white flour is all you need for this cake. Do not use any self-raising as those contain more leavening. If self-raising is all you have then use it but reduce the baking powder in this recipe by half.
• Cocoa powder – Ordinary unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder is all you need. You can find this in the regular baking aisle.
• Oil - Any flavorless cooking oil will work. For example, olive oil has a strong olive smell which we definitely don't want.
  Buttermilk – You can make homemade buttermilk in 5 mins so there is no need to substitute.
• Sugar – I prefer to use fine-grain sugar for baking cakes so the sugar dissolves easily in the batter or eggs.
• Eggs – Always use large size eggs when baking unless specified. The size of eggs varies significantly these days, so as a guide one large egg weighs between 50 to 60 grams. You can weigh the to when unsure.
• Vanilla – A good quality vanilla will make a huge difference in anything you make. You can also make your own vanilla extract, bean paste, or vanilla sugar.
• Chocolate for buttercream - I am using Callebaut 70% chocolate along with the cocoa paste. You can see that the frosting is quite darker on my cake. But, you can use 56 % or more.

Step by step instructions (pin)

Cake ( 14 dessert or 24 event servings)

• Preheat the oven to 160 C / 320 F
• Grease and line 3 x 8-inch or 2 x 9-inch round baking pans
• Add coffee to the boiling water to dissolve and set aside to cool.
• In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside
• Thaw eggs on the counter for 10 minutes or place in warm water for 5 minutes
  Tip - warm eggs will whip better than cold eggs and will reach the ribbon stage faster.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment whip the whole eggs.
  Tip - Start by whipping the eggs on low and increase the speed gradually to medium-high. This way the eggs will have a stronger structure and your baked desserts won't skin in the oven.
• Gradually add the sugar while whipping at the same time. Once all the sugar is in continue to whip for 2 to 3 minutes more.
  Tip - If the sugar is added too quickly it can cause the eggs to speckle or separate.
• The mixture will be about 3 to 4 times the original volume until you reach a ribbon stage consistency.
  Tip - ribbon stage is pale, thick, foamy batter. When you lift the whisk the batter falls down in ribbons. Hence the term ribbon stage.
• Next, gradually add in the oil ­while whipping at the same time. Followed by the buttermilk and vanilla extract.
• Lastly,­ add in the flour in three batches – still using the whisk attachment. The batter will look deflated a bit and that's ok.
  Tip - do not overmix the batter with the flour or you will risk losing all the volume you just created.
• Divide batter equally between the prepared baking pans.
  Tip - I like to use cake strips to ensure my layer cakes bake flat.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes clean.
• Cool in the baking pan for 5 minutes. Invert and cool on a wire rack completely before you decorate

Swiss meringue buttercream

• See the video - how I make Swiss meringue buttercream
• Cocoa paste - Combine water and cocoa powder until you have a paste. Set aside to cool completely (gives a deeper darker chocolate color to the meringue)
• Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl or double boiler.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, place the egg whites and sugar and place it over a pot of simmering water - this is called a double boiler.
  Tip - the top bowl must not touch the simmering water in the bottom pot or the eggs will cook.
• Using the whisk whip until all the sugar has dissolved and the egg whites are barely warm (about 160 F)
• Take the bowl off the heat and place it on the stand mixer. Whip the egg whites until you have a thick meringue with stiff peaks.
• Let the mixer continue to whip on low until the mixer bowl feels cool to touch.
  Tip - it is VERY important that the meringue is cool if not the butter will melt.
• Gradually add the butter one cube at a time with the mixer on medium speed. Once all the butter has been added turn the mixer up to medium-high and whip for 2 minutes.
• Finally, add the vanilla extract, cocoa paste, and melted cooled chocolate. Make sure everything is well combined and you have a smooth chocolate buttercream. Set aside until ready to use.

Assemble

• Prepare simple syrup - cool completely before using.
  Tip- Simple syrup is just sugar water that has been boiled and cooled. Used to keep cake layers moist.
• Using a bread knife or cake leveler cut the domes off the cake layers
• Brush each layer with the cooled simple syrup
• Place a cake layer on the cake board or cake stand.
• Top with a big dollop of buttercream - spread evenly using a straight-edge spatula.
• Place the cake in the fridge to chill for 10 to 15 minutes.
  Tip - Chilling the cake at this point will ensure the layers don't move when you frost the outside. Though, if you leave the cake uncovered in the fridge for too long it can dry out. So, 10 minutes is all you need.
• Spread the remaining buttercream around and top of the cake.
  Tip - A straight-edge spatula fo the top, an off-set spatula and bench scraper for the sides work better.
• I’ve used an icing comb to create a pattern on the outside but you can choose to create a smooth effect with a bench scraper or a rustic finish with a spatula.
• Place any remaining frosting in a piping bag and with a round tip and pipe small kisses as I have done

Storage

• The cake will stay fresh for up to 3 days at cool room temperature and longer if kept in the fridge. 
• It can be frozen for a month in the freezer.

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Frequently asked questions

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