the best chocolate cake in the world

Don't believe me? Try it for yourself. Seriously. The end. 

Makes one, two-tired 9-inch cake

For the cake:

2 cups 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 instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

For the frosting:

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3 cups confectioner's sugar
1/8 teaspoon instant coffee powder
1/3 cup milk

shaved semi-sweet chocolate, for the sides

Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter and flour the bottom and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting. In a large bowl, mix together butter, sugar, cocoa powder, coffee powder, and milk until there are no lumps. 

Once the cake is cooled you may begin to frost your cake. Start by skimming of the tops of the cakes with a large serrated knife to ensure the cakes are even and do not puff up in the center. Frost the cake as normal, using the most frosting on the top of the cake. Using a butter knife, create crescent-shaped divots in the cake, moving from the outsides to the center until you've gone all the way around the cake. If you wish, make a swirl in the middle so you can't tell where you started and where you ended your divots. Shave semi-sweet chocolate using a peeler and decorate the outside edges of the frosted cake.

Fin!

Recipe adapted from Hershey's

hershey's chocolate frosting meets david leibovitz's banana cake

Let's have a party.

Makes one, two-tired 9-inch cake

For the cake:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
6 tablespoons buttermilk, yogurt, or sour cream, room temperature

2 cups banana puree (3 to 4 large bananas)

For the frosting:

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup cocoa powder

3 cups confectioner's sugar

1/8 teaspoon instant coffee powder

1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter the bottom and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper.

Using a fine-mesh sieve, sift the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium-sized bowl. Using a large whisk, whisk to combine.

In a stand mixer with with the paddle attachment on medium speed, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and espresso powder (or coffee powder) and beat to just combine. Add the eggs one-at-a-time, beating well until completely incorporated.

Mix in half of the flour mixture, followed by the sour cream (or buttermilk or yogurt) and banana puree. Reduce speed to stir, stir in the remaining flour mixture, then stir in the pecans (or walnuts) just until combined. Do not over mix.

Divide the batter evenly among the 2 prepared baking pans. Bake until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the centres of the cakes comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

In a large bowl, mix together butter, sugar, cocoa powder, coffee powder, and milk until there are no lumps. Once the cake is cooled, frost and serve!