May 23, 20235 min read

The Most Delicious Chocolate Cake Recipe

I made this recipe on my first Cake Wars Show that aired in 2017. The challenge was to make Captain America's Birthday cake! This recipe won me $10,000 and if you try it you will absolutely see why!

It is really hard to put into words how this chocolate cake is both light and decadent, both luscious yet rich, both subtle and mouth watering, but you don't have to trust me! Make it for yourself and you will get to experience how beautifully perfect this cake is! It is soft, not too dense and will give you everything you need to fulfill your chocolate cake cravings!

I have paired this chocolate cake with my Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe and freshly chopped strawberries.

The icing: Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMBC for short) is a type of buttercream that consists of cooked egg whites, an obscene amount of butter and granulated sugar and together they make the silkiest of buttercreams. This icing recipe is definitely for the intermediate baker. If you are new to baking or just the at home mom who likes a challenge, I say GO FOR IT. Give it a try, just heed all of the warnings in the recipe, but I am confident that with all of tips below you can pull this beautiful SMBC off on the first try! The good news is that this cake is delicious on its own and can be paired with any buttercream, if you don't feel like going for the gusto with the SMBC, pair it with any buttercream of your choosing, you will not be disappointed.

Add the following to your grocery list!

Nonstick baking spray
granulated sugar
all-purpose flour
baking powder
baking soda
salt
large eggs
whole milk (any milk will work; however, the fats in whole milk make it better for baking with)
vegetable oil
sour cream
vanilla extract
cocoa powder
unsalted butter
fresh strawberries (for garnish)

The Recipe

Chocolate Cake

- 2 cups granulated sugar

- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 2 large eggs

- ⅓ cup milk

- ½ cup vegetable oil

- ⅓ cup sour cream

- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

- ¾ cup cocoa powder

- 1 ⅓ cups boiling water

Swiss Meringue Buttercream Icing

- 1 ½ cups sugar

- 5 large eggs whites

- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1 ½ (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into cubes, at room temperature

- pinch of salt

- Fresh strawberries, cut into small pieces for garnish

Baking the Cake

Note before starting: pull your butter out of the fridge as soon as you get into the kitchen to let it come down to room temperature. By the time you get to making the icing, your butter should be soft and ready to use!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray three 8-inch cake pans with baking spray.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, combine the sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Turn up the speed to a low medium and mix in the eggs, milk, vegetable oil, sour cream and vanilla extract until just combined.
In a small sauce pan bring 1 ⅓ cup of water to a boil. In a separate medium sized bowl pour the boiling water over your cocoa powder and blend well with a whisk (or fork).
Pour the cocoa mixture into the mixing bowl with the other ingredients and mix on low/medium until well incorporated.
Divide the batter evenly into your three 8" pans. Make sure that your pans have been prepared with your non-stick baking spray.
Bake the cakes until the tops are firm to the touch, about 20-25 minutes depending on your oven. Wait about 5 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack to cool completely before icing and filling them.

Tip: To check my cakes, I just take my finger and lightly press down on the center of the cake. If the finger print stays, the cakes aren't baked enough. If the cake retains it shape and feels firm to the touch, the cake is good to go!

Making the Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Place a metal mixing bowl over a pot of simmering water to create a double boiler, make sure that the bottom of your bowl isn't touching the water. You don't want to accidentally make scrambled eggs!
Put the sugar and eggs whites (make sure you ONLY put egg whites into the bowl, if any of the yolks are included, your meringue will not whip properly) into the mixing bowl and whisk lightly until the mixture reaches 140 degrees F. This is usually about the same time that all the sugar has dissolved. Pinch the mixture, if you still feel granules of sugar, you must continue whisking over the heat. Once the mixture is silky smooth between your finger tips, you are ready to add your egg mixture to a separate mixing bowl fitted with the whisk attachment. If you happen thermometer in the kitchen, you can check the temperature as you heat it and once it reaches 140 degrees F you know you can move onto the next step.
Add in the vanilla extract and beat until fluffy, glossy white peaks form, about 5-10 minutes.
Lower the mixer to the slowest speed and slowly add your cubes of ROOM TEMPERATURE butter to the mixture. Drop the cubes of butter in one at a time.
After all of the butter is added in, you can turn the mixer up a speed or two, but not too much. (Warning: If you turn the mixer up too high your buttercream will curdle). Once the butter is mixed, change your mixer to the paddle attachment and let the buttercream slowly mix on low for another 10 minutes. You should be able to see the most silky buttercream begin to form.

Tip: If curdling occurs, this could mean that you turned your mixer up too high after adding the butter, it could also mean that your butter was too cold when you added it in. Curdling usually looks like your buttercream is splitting or getting extra bumpy! If you notice this, don't worry, you can fix it by heating up your mixing bowl. DO NOT put your bowl in the microwave, instead use a hair dryer (or my favorite, a mini blow torch) and apply the heat to the outside of the bowl while mixing on low. You will notice the buttercream starting to smooth out again. Once all of the little bumps appear smooth, your buttercream is fixed! No more curdles!

Time to assemble this beauty!

Slice your strawberries into small slivers so that they aren't too bulky in between each layer of cake.
Using a cake level or a serrated bread knife, shave the mounds of each cake layer off to create a level cake!
Place the first cake layer onto a serving plate and coat the top with some of the SMBC. Sprinkle the chopped strawberries over the buttercream.
Repeat the previous step with the second layer of cake.
Place the final layer of cake on top and ice the entire cake with the remaining buttercream. Sprinkle any remaining strawberries on top for garnish.
Serve and enjoy!

Cheers to Chocolate Cake!

I hope you enjoy making this cake, don't be afraid to try Swiss Meringue Buttercream, There is also an easier version of this type of buttercream that doesn't require a double boiler. Stay tuned for that recipe to be released soon! If you give it a try, let me know how it goes and of course I would be happy to answer any of your recipe questions!

Check out my very first Cake Wars episode where I made this delicious cake at the link below!

https://therokuchannel.roku.com/details/3308d40f28eb5de996d3ec0c5de6175e/cake-wars-s3-e1-captain-america

Cheers!