Description
Black Magic Cake is a rich, moist, and deeply chocolatey layer cake made with a combination of cocoa powder, instant coffee, and buttermilk to enhance the chocolate flavor. It is topped with a smooth and creamy chocolate buttercream frosting, making it a decadent dessert perfect for chocolate lovers.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee (optional, but recommended)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
- ½ cup sour cream, room temperature
Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons milk (for desired consistency)
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pans. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans or line them with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and instant coffee if using. This ensures even distribution and a fine texture.
- Combine wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, room temperature buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Combine wet and dry mixtures. Gradually add the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients, mixing well until the batter becomes smooth without lumps.
- Add sour cream. Stir in the sour cream completely; this will make the batter thin but contributes to the cake’s moist texture.
- Add boiling water. Carefully pour the boiling water into the batter while mixing until fully incorporated and smooth. The batter will remain thin but this is normal.
- Pour batter into pans. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans, distributing the thin batter carefully.
- Bake the cakes. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, signalling doneness.
- Cool the cakes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely, which prevents sogginess from residual heat.
- Prepare frosting. In a large bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter until creamy and smooth, creating a perfect base for the frosting.
- Add powdered sugar and cocoa. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar and unsweetened cocoa powder, ensuring the mixture is fully incorporated and smooth.
- Final touches to frosting. Add vanilla extract and milk one tablespoon at a time until the frosting reaches your desired spreading consistency.
- Frost the cake. Once the cakes are completely cooled, spread the chocolate frosting evenly between the layers and on the top and sides to finish your Black Magic Cake.
Notes
- Using instant coffee in the batter intensifies the chocolate flavor but can be omitted if preferred.
- Ensure the buttermilk and sour cream are at room temperature to prevent the batter from curdling.
- The batter is thin after adding boiling water; this is normal and results in a moist cake.
- Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting to prevent melting the buttercream.
- You can adjust the milk in the frosting to get your preferred thickness.
- If you don’t have buttermilk, use 1 cup of milk plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes.
