Best Ever Chocolate Cake

Cheap Eat Challenge: Watch or join us as our family of 6 learns to eat on $6/day.

I love this cake.

Then why don't you marry it, you may be asking, especially if you are six years old.

Because I have, as alluded to yesterday, a wee problem with fidelity. I see other recipes and they just sound and/or look so good sometimes. I flirt with them a little, just to see, I tell myself. And some of them are good. Some of them are even great. But none of them is this chocolate cake. Which is the best there ever was. Period. Please forgive me chocolate cake, for ever thinking anything else. I love you and promise not to go seeking after grass that may seem greener, except maybe for that one with almond filling that I'm thinking of trying for my birthday. But after that, I swear, it's you chocolate cake, only you...


Best Ever Chocolate Cake
adapted from smittenkitchen
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Cost: $2.63
(chocolate: .50, sugar: .50, flour: .23, cocoa: .75, eggs: .30, oil: .12, buttermilk (I do milk and vinegar): .20, other stuff: .03)

3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (about 1/2 C)
1 1/2 very hot water
3 C sugar
2 1/2 C flour
1 1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
3/4 C vegetable oil
1 1/2 C buttermilk (or use a scan 1 1/2 C milk mixed with 1 1/2 Tbsp vinegar)
3/4 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 300. Grease and line bottoms of three 9-inch cake pans. Grease the wax paper lining also.

Chop chocolate (or save yourself some time and use chocolate chips) and put it with the hot water. Let it stand, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate has melted.

In large blowl, sift fugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl, beat eggs until thickened very slightly and lemon colored (3-5 minutes). Gradually beat in oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate. Add dry ingredients and beat until just combined well.

Divide batter evenly into cake pans.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.

Allow to cool 10 minutes in pan, then turn out on racks to cool completely.

Frost with your favorite frosting. We favor the chocolate one you'll find here.

Note: Just want two 9-inch layers. Smittenkitchen gives an adaptation here, but don't cook it as long as she guesstimates. You must only do 35-40 minutes or it will be burned and dry and not the best ever.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

(Look, I even found a picture of it from Kip's birthday a while ago.)