Description
This Best Matilda Chocolate Cake Recipe delivers a rich, moist, and deeply chocolatey cake layered with a luscious dark chocolate cream cheese frosting. Perfect for chocolate lovers, this cake combines Dutch processed cocoa, instant coffee, and a blend of buttermilk and sour cream to create a tender crumb with a complex and velvety texture. Ideal for celebrations or any time you crave an indulgent homemade chocolate dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1.5 tsp baking soda
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup buttermilk (1/3 cup whole milk + 1 tsp vinegar)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder (Dutch processed preferred)
- 2 tsp instant coffee
- 3/4 cup boiling water
Frosting Ingredients
- 300g dark chocolate
- 3 tbsp corn syrup
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cup heavy cream, chilled
Instructions
- Preheat oven and prepare pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper to prevent sticking, ensuring even baking and easy cake removal.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, Dutch processed cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well to evenly distribute the leavening agents and cocoa.
- Prepare wet ingredients and combine: In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk (made by mixing whole milk with vinegar), and sour cream until smooth and blended. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix gently until just combined.
- Add instant coffee and boiling water: Dissolve the instant coffee in the boiling water and gradually stir into the batter. This enhances the cocoa flavor and loosens the batter for a moist texture.
- Bake the cake: Pour the batter evenly into the two prepared cake pans. Place them in the preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, indicating doneness.
- Cool the cakes: Remove the pans from the oven and let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely to room temperature before frosting.
- Make the frosting: Melt the dark chocolate gently and mix with corn syrup until smooth. Beat the cream cheese until smooth, then add cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and salt. In a separate bowl, whip the chilled heavy cream until stiff peaks form, then fold it carefully into the cream cheese mixture. Combine the melted chocolate mixture with the cream cheese and whipped cream frosting for a rich, creamy texture.
- Assemble and frost: Once the cakes are completely cool, spread a generous layer of frosting on top of one cake layer. Place the second layer on top and cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting. Smooth the sides and top as desired.
Notes
- Use Dutch processed cocoa for the best rich chocolate flavor.
- Make sure the cakes are completely cooled before frosting to prevent melting the frosting.
- The instant coffee enhances the chocolate flavor but does not make the cake taste like coffee.
- Substitute heavy cream with whipping cream if unavailable, but heavy cream whips better and gives a richer frosting.
- Chilling the frosting briefly before using may help with spreading if too soft.
