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Home » Recipes » Dessert

Buttermilk Chocolate Cake (or Cupcakes)

Published: Dec 16, 2013 · Modified: Dec 15, 2022 by Rose McAvoy · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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After all that talk about cake last week did you wonder if I was going to leave you hanging with out a recipe? Oh no no. I just wanted to give each element it's own moment to shine. As I shared, the Little Helping requested chocolate cupcakes for his birthday party. I cruised around Pinterest to find a suitable recipe. The final choice was a simple buttermilk chocolate cake from Taste of Home. The simplicity appealed to me. I wasn't look specifically for a lighter recipe however, I appreciated that these ingredients are a little slightly less decadent than other cakes.

I didn't set out to alter anything but I decided to punch up the flavor a bit. Without knowing, I got a jump on the baking tips we collected from Johnny Iuzinni and added a hearty scoop of instant espresso powder. It worked! The espresso gave the chocolate a good boost without taking on a mocha flavor. Both the cup cakes and cake were made the same way. For the frosting I was excited to use the technique for homemade Cool Whip for a second time. The simply sweet whipped frosting added a nice fluffy texture, and provided a place for the sprinkles to hangout but allowed the cake to be the star of the show.

This is a solid recipe; I am sure I will come back to it in the future. The cake turned out moist but not sticky with a texture dense enough to eat with a fork but not heavy. I was only able to make 20 cupcakes from the batter but perhaps I was too generous with my servings. If you are looking for a great no-fuss cake, for birthdays or other celebrations, Buttermilk Chocolate Cake is a great choice.

Buttermilk Chocolate Cake

Taste of Home
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 1 hr
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 1-½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup baking cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder
  • ½ cup butter softened
  • 1-½ cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup buttermilk

Frosting*

  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon gelatin
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • ¼ confectioners sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly butter the sides of two 9 inch round baking pans and line the bases with parchment cut into circles to fit the pans.
  • Sift together the flour, cocoa, and baking soda then add the salt. Set aside.
  • Combine the espresso powder with ½ cup of boiling water and set aside to cool.
  • Place butter and sugar in a large bowl or stand mixer - cream until they are light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs one at a time mix well between additions. Beat in vanilla.
  • Add buttermilk to the cooled espresso. Add ⅓ of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed until just barely combined. Add ½ of the liquid, again mixing on low until just combined. Continue to add the remaining ingredients alternating dry and wet and finishing with dry. Mix gently on low speed or with a rubber scraper just enough to blend all the dry ingredients into the batter.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
  • Bake 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool briefly before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

For frosting

  • Chill a metal mixing bowl and your whisk in the freezer for 15+ minutes. Sift the confectioners sugar.
  • Whisk together the boiled water and gelatin - move quickly at this point so it doesn't have time to solidify.
  • Pour cream into the chilled bowl and begin mixing on medium speed. When the cream becomes frothy (about 2 minutes) add the vanilla and sifted sugar. Continue mixing another 2 minutes until the cream begins to thicken then add the gelatin. Beat an additional minute or two until the cream is thick and fluffy. Recipe yields approximately 2 cups of frosting (aka whipped topping).

Notes

When assembling the cake place the bottom layer face up and the top layer face down. For filling between the layers use a bit of jam, caramel, frosting, or thinly sliced fresh fruit. The cake pictured is filled with homemade cranberry-orange sauce.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

*This frosting uses the recipe for homemade Cool Whip reduced in volume.

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