From Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two round 9-inch cake pans or one 9x13 pan; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla; mix batter until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to ensure batter is well mixed. Divide batter evenly among pans. (If I have any extra batter I like to make a few mini cupcakes.) Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.
Frost as desired.
Pantry Chocolate Cake
ReplyDeleteThis cake can be served plain, dusted with powdered sugar, or iced with a quick frosting. The frosting recipe follows the cake recipe. You can also stir in 1 cup of mini semisweet chocolate chips into the batter at the end of step 2 to make this cake extra chocolaty.
1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
3/4 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso or instant coffee (optional)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with a foil sling and grease the foil. Whisk the cocoa and the boiling water together in a small bowl. Let the mixture cool slightly.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder (if using) together. In a medium bowl, whisk the vegetable oil, egg, vanilla, and cooled cocoa mixture together. Stir the oil mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until smooth.
3. Give the batter a final stir with a rugger spatula to make sure it is completely mixed. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and gently tap the pan on the counter to settle the batter.
4. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Let the cake cool completely in the pan, 1 to 2 hours.
Quick Chocolate Frosting
Makes enough to frost an 8-inch cake or an 8-inch pan of brownies
After the cake has cooled for about 1 hour, melt 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil together in the microwave, stirring often, 1 to 3 minutes. Cool the mixture until barely warm, about 5 minutes, then spread evenly over the cake or brownies with a spatula. Continue to let the cake cool until the topping is set, 1 to 2 hours. If your kitchen is too warm for the frosting to set then place cake in fridge for 10 to 20 minutes to set the frosting.