Country Chocolate Layer Cake
Looking for the perfect way to share your love? Chocolate has an amazing way of saying, "I love you!" This sweetheart of a cake is made with all natural ingredients. It uses butter for a rich fine crumb and buttermilk to add depth to the flavor of the chocolate. We use Wilton .75 inch high 8-inch layer pans for ease in the layering as well as enabling a faster bake time. The easy buttercream recipe is enough to make any 8 inch 4 layer cake, so keep the recipe handy for all your future baking adventures.
Country Chocolate Layer Cake
2 ½ cups (12 1/2 ounces) Texas Pure Milling Organic All Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup hot water
½ cup (1 ½ ounces) Cocoa Powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup butter, cut into 16 pieces and softened
2 cups (14 ounces) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
Easy Buttercream Frosting
2 cup unsalted butter, softened
7 cups confectioners' sugar (16 ounces)
Pinch table salt
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup heavy cream
Directions:
For the cake:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 3 (8-inch) 2-inch round cake pans OR 4 8 inches by .75 inch rounds with baking spray with flour.
Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in bowl; set aside. In second bowl, whisk hot water, cocoa, and vanilla until smooth; set aside.
Using stand mixer fitted with a paddle, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, buttermilk and cocoa mixture until incorporated. Mix 2 minutes.
Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out with few crumbs attached, about 25 minutes for 3 layers or 15-20 minutes for 4 layer pans. Let cakes cool completely in pans, about 1 hour. (Cooled cakes can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days or frozen up to 6 months.)
For the Buttercream Frosting:
In standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat butter at medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add confectioners' sugar and salt; beat at medium-low speed until most of the sugar is moistened, about 45 seconds. Scrape down bowl and beat at medium speed until mixture is fully combined, about 15 seconds; scrape bowl, add vanilla, and heavy cream, and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 10 seconds, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 6 minutes, scraping down bowl once or twice.
Frost between each layer and stack the cake. Frost the outside of the cake with buttercream until even and smooth. Garnish with mint or toppings of your choice.
