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This double chocolate cake is everything a chocolate cake should be: fudgy, moist, intensely chocolaty. When assembled into layers with chocolate ganache slathered in between, as the original recipe instructs, this cake becomes the perfect birthday finale for any chocolate lover; when topped with black velvet icing, as pictured here, this cake becomes an elegant dessert, a perfect treat to enjoy with morning coffee or afternoon espresso.
Why Is This Cake So Good?
A few things:
- Unsweetened cocoa powder, which imparts a deep, intense chocolate flavor and a rich, fudgy texture.
- Buttermilk, the magic ingredient in many a cake, namely this buttermilk blueberry breakfast cake.
- Oil (as opposed to butter), which keeps cakes incredibly moist (read: The Case For Making Cakes with Oil as Opposed to Butter).
The difference between Dutch-process and natural cocoa powder:
This info comes from Regan Daley’s In the Sweet Kitchen:
- Natural cocoa powder is produced if virtually all of the cocoa butter is removed from the cocoa liquor, leaving a dry cake that is then ground to a fine powder. Natural cocoa powder is quite acidic, so can be used as the necessary acid to activate baking soda in leavened baked goods, if present in sufficient quantity. Because of its high acidity and unpalatable bitterness, natural cocoa powder is best used only in baked or cooked desserts.
- Dutch-process cocoa (also called alkalized cocoa powder) has been treated with a small quantity of an alkaline solution to reduce the natural acidity. The process darkens the cocoa’s color, making it rich, often redder brown, and gives it a smoother, more mellow flavor.
- Both natural and Dutch-process cocoa have had about 75% of the cocoa fat removed.
- Although some recipes can be made with wither form of cocoa powder, many rely on the properties of one or the other. For this reason, be careful when substituting Dutch-process for natural and vice versa. In recipes for baked goods using baking soda as the leavener in which no other acid is present, Dutch-process cocoa is not appropriate as it does not contain sufficient acid to activate the baking soda. (You could use Dutch process for natural cocoa but an additional acid such as cream of tartar would need to be added.) Similarly, using natural cocoa powder in a recipe originally calling for Dutch process cocoa may cause the mixture to become overly acidic. Adding a small amount of baking soda, or increasing the amount already called for, will compensate for this.
- Natural cocoa is better for brownies, old-fashioned chocolate cakes and simple chocolate cookies. Dutch-process cocoa, more palatable than natural cocoa when raw, is good for icings, custards, creams and sauces that will not undergo further cooking. It has a more subtle, delicate flavor, one well suited to many to many elegant European-style cakes, biscuits, pastries and creams, and in any recipe where an overt, sharp chocolate flavor would overpower more delicate flavors. It is very good in nut cakes and ice creams, where a refined, un-bitter chocolate taste can complement the soft flavors of the other ingredients.
- If the cocoa will be tasted raw, as it is when dusted on cakes, cookies or truffles, opt for Dutch-processed. If the recipe is for a traditionally rich and fudgy baked good, use the stronger flavor of natural cocoa powder.
20 Must-Try Chocolate Recipes
• Gourmet’s Devil Dog Cake
• The brownies from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking
• Minny’s Chocolate Pie via the Garden of Eden
• Bon Appetit’s Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter & Walnuts
• Flourless Chocolate Cake via House to Haus
• Good Housekeeping’s Rich Chocolate Cake
• Grammy’s Chocolate Cookies on Martha Stewart Living
• David Lebovitz’s chocolate sorbet
• Wacky Cake from The American Heart Association Cookbook
• Smitten Kitchen’s Brownie Roll-Out Cookies
• Cook’s Country Wellesley Fudge Cake
• Cocoa Almond Granola from Joy the Baker
• Busy-Day Chocolate Cake from Lucinda Scala Quinn’s Mad Hungry cookbook
• Double Chocolate Fudge Brownies from the Garden of Eden
• Zoë Francois’ Not Your Average Devil’s Food Cupcake
• Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake
• Barefoot Contessa’s Beatty’s Chocolate Cake
• Molly Wizenberg’s Chocolate Cupcakes with Bittersweet Glaze
• Cook’s Illustrated Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Filling
• Jim Fobel’s Devil’s Food Cake with Fudge Frosting from the Old Fashioned Baking Book.
Both of these Fair Trade products from the Lake Champlain Chocolates company would make wonderful gifts for the holidays. They can be found at Whole Foods Market as well as online.
Double Chocolate Cake with Black Velvet Icing
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 10 to 12 servings
Print Recipe
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Source: Gourmet via Epicurious (for the cake) and my grandmother (for the icing)
Notes:
- The original recipe calls for making a chocolate ganache, which sounds heavenly, but I have always adored my grandmother’s chocolate glaze recipe — it’s called black velvet icing and it contains eggs, which is odd, but it’s so good — so that is the one I use. If you want to use Gourmet’s chocolate ganache, find it here.
- Some commenters have found the amount not to be enough for a full cake, so I’ve updated the quantities below to be a double batch, which should leave you with more than enough icing.
- If you want to make a half recipe, see this post: Gourmet’s Double Chocolate Cake, Revisited. I love these 6-inch cake pans for making half recipes of all sorts of cakes, namely this one. You need two.
Ingredients
for the cake:
- 3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate
- 1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
- 3 cups sugar
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
for the black velvet icing (*updated to a double recipe April 2020, see notes above):
- 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate
- a heaping 1/2 cup of confectioners’ sugar
- 6 eggs, well beaten
- 8 tablespoons butter, room temperature
Instructions
- Make the cake: Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease two 9- or 10-inch by 2-inch round cake pans with unsalted butter or nonstick spray. Line bottoms with rounds of parchment paper. Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
- Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer, beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined. Divide batter between pans (being sure not to fill pans higher than 2/3 full—they will overflow if you do; it’s not worth it) and bake in the middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the icing: Because several commenters have had trouble, with the icing, I am suggesting you use a double boiler. If you know how to set up a double boiler, do so; otherwise, fill a pot with an inch of water. Place a medium bowl over top. Turn the heat to medium. Place the chocolate in the bowl. Once it has melted, stir in the confectioners’ sugar, whisking until smooth. Stir in the eggs a little at a time, whisking vigorously after each addition — a flat-bottomed whisk is good for this. (I use a whisk until the ingredients are blended and then switch to a heat-proof spatula.) Cook over low to medium-low until thick. Stir in the butter one tablespoon at a time. Set aside to cool. Transfer to a glass measuring cup with a spout for easy pouring or store in whatever vessel you wish.
- Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Remove parchment paper. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.
- If you are making a layer cake, halve each cake round crosswise to create 4 layers. Spread icing over one cake layer. Top layer with other cake layer. Repeat until all layers are stacked. Pour icing on top of top layer and with an off-set spatula (if you have one) spread it all over the sides. Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. Bring cake to room temperature before serving. (I keep mine at room temperature always…there’s never space in the fridge.)
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: chocolate, double, black velvet, icing, Gourmet, best
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Rose says
Hi i was just wondering is it ok to use normal milk instead of butter milk?
alexandra says
Yes, definitely ok.
Michelle says
The cake was delicious, very very rich and dense. The frosting recipe only made 3/4 cup and was not nearly enough to frost between the 4 layer cake, let alone the exterior of the cake which is why I am removing a star.
★★★★
Alyssa Jensen says
PLEASE HELP!!
This recipe is the BEST ever!! But it sinks towards the end of the baking time in the middle.!! Why is it doing that 🙁 …
★★★★★
alexandra says
Hi Alyssa! It’s probably bc the cake isn’t completely cooked… that’s usually the culprit. Do you check it with a skewer? Or a toothpick? Is your oven generally reliable?
Jan Noga says
Alyssa, What kind of cocoa are you using? The recipe just says cocoa, so that means regular cocoa which is acidic. If you are using Dutch-processed, either completely or in a half-and-half like Hershey’s Special Dark, you’ll need to up the baking powder and reduce the baking soda accordingly. Dutched cocoa is alkaline but baking soda requires acids to work properly. Baking powder has added ingredients which give the sodium bicarbonate added boost. The recipe does have acid in the form of buttermilk, so you’ll need some baking soda. I flipped the proportions of soda and powder and it came out great.
★★★★★
alexandra says
Wow, thank you for all of this, Jan!
Alyssa says
I have made this cake three times now and I’m obsessed. I literally just told my boyfriend, “I would die for this cake batter” it’s become my absolute favorite.
★★★★★
alexandra says
So happy to hear this, Alyssa!
Heather C. says
This is my favorite chocolate cake recipe. It’s so moist and chocolatey! I’m wondering what your recommendations would be for baking this as cupcakes?
★★★★★
alexandra says
Hi Heather! I wouldn’t make any changes. Don’t fill the cups higher than 3/4 full — that is always important to ensure even baking. If you find them too dense, I would, the next time around, increase the baking powder a bit, maybe to a full teaspoon. Timing wise, I would bake at 350ºF for 18 – 21 minutes or until done. Good luck!
Heather C. says
The cupcakes turned out perfect and got many compliments. Thanks!
alexandra says
So happy to hear this, Heather!
alexandra says
So happy to hear this, Heather! I’m going to give them a go 🙂
Aida says
Best chocolate cake ever! But the icing NEVER comes out… turns into thick, gloppy messy custardy curdy gloop. I end up making whip cream and folding it in to make a topping. But the cake itself is the best I’ve ever had! Removed a star because of the topping…
★★★★
alexandra says
Great to hear this! I need to revisit the icing recipe or make a video, because it causes a lot of troubles 😩😩😩 Soon … stay tuned.
Felicia says
I made this today for my son’s 7th birthday. I was able to make 24 cupcakes + a tiny cake (4 layers, about a 6” cake). Believe me when I say, YUM. The best chocolate cake I’ve ever had, period. I doubled the icing and it was the perfect amount for everything (we love extra icing!). I dipped the cupcakes donut-style so they just had a thin layer, it is the perfect amount and less messy. My cake fell apart but tasted so good, and we are in quarantine anyway so no one to impress 😉 Thank you so much for this outrageous recipe, it really made this shelter-in-place birthday 10x better.
★★★★★
alexandra says
Oh yay! Felicia, I am so, so happy to hear this. One of my quarantine to-do’s is to video the icing because it has been troublesome for some, so it’s so nice to hear that it worked out. Making this cake this weekend. Yay 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Meg Watson says
In process of making this now. Cake still in oven, but help!, why is my icing/glaze practically solid? It’s the consistency of a brownie crumbled up with a bit of liquid added! Is there anything I can do to help it? I’m making this for my husband’s birthday & need it ready in 4 hours!!!
★★★
alexandra says
Meg, hi! Are you using a double boiler? Have all of the ingredients been added. What I would do is make sure you are using a double boiler and that the water is simmering. Whisk vigorously, adding a tablespoon of butter at a time until it becomes whiskable again. Once it has thinned out/melted, strain it. Then return it to the double boiler. Taste it. Add more confectioners sugar or chocolate if it has thinned out too much, but be sure to keep the mixture over low heat and to whisk vigorously.
Meg Watson says
Thanks for responding! Yes, I did use a double boiler & I keep going over it in my head but I feel like I followed all your instructions. Idk, but I ended up whipping up a quick buttercream icing & my husband loves it, so no harm done.
★★★
alexandra says
Awww, OK, glad you found a solution. I need to make an icing video ASAP.