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Chocolate-Glazed Chocolate Cake

Chocolate topped with more chocolate sounds like a great idea!

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This recipe has two layers of chocolate because who doesn’t love chocolate topped with more chocolate! We get that baking a cake from scratch takes a little extra effort, but trust us, this cake is super simple and really delicious. When time is of the essence, we might grab a cake from the store or use a mix, but this cake is really easy to throw together with staple baking ingredients right from our pantry and fridge. The next time you’re asked to provide a dessert for a party or special occasion, look no further than this easy glazed chocolate cake.

One of the highlights of our cake is the chocolate glaze, and we love to add a little bit of espresso to the glaze because it helps bring out the flavor of the chocolate without adding too much coffee flavor – although feel free to omit it if coffee really isn’t your thing. While it is tempting to immediately grab a slice, we recommend curbing your enthusiasm and allowing everything to set for a hour or so…this little bit of patience will pay off in the end, as the glaze will firm up and add a little bit of texture to each chocolatey bite.

Yield(s): Serves 8-12 servings

1 hour 15 minutes

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Ingredients
  • Cake Ingredients:
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¾ cup light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • Frosting Ingredients:
  • 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 6 tablespoons milk
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons instant espresso
Preparation
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 8 or 9-inch round springform pan with butter or nonstick spray.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Set aside.
  3. In a saucepan over medium high, melt butter, then mix in cocoa powder and water, and bring to a boil, stirring frequently to combine.
  4. With mixer set to low speed, slowly pour melted butter and cocoa into batter and mix until fully combined.
  5. Pour batter into greased cake pan, then transfer to oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to cake platter and remove springform.
  6. While cake cools, prepare frosting. Put powdered sugar into a bowl and set aside (note: sift to remove any lumps). Melt butter, espresso, and cocoa powder in saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, remove from heat and stir in vanilla and milk. Slowly pour over powdered sugar and whisk until fully blended.
  7. Pour frosting over cake, spreading evenly to coat. Serve immediately or, for a firmer frosting, allow to set for 1 hour before serving.

Recipe adapted from Tastes Better from Scratch