Cocoa Layer Cake

So how goes your diet?

If it is going well, please stop reading now. Don't scroll down. I would hate to be accused of being a saboteur!

If you have already given up, then to you I dedicate this post!

This cake is quite delicious and easy, as far as a from-scratch cake goes. Generally I prefer cakes made from melted chocolate instead of cocoa powder but this one has a nice chocolate flavor and is really moist.

Unfortunately, the chocolate buttercream frosting was pretty unremarkable, so I didn't include the recipe for it. I'll have to let you know how the next recipe for frosting goes. If I'm going to inhale these kinds of calories, and tempt you all to do the same, I really want to them to be worth it!

Cocoa Layer Cake

(makes two 9 inch rounds)

1 C boiling water

3/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder

2 C flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 C superfine sugar

1 C brown sugar

1 C butter, room temperature

4 eggs, room temperature

3/4 C buttermilk, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla

1. Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray your cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

2. Beat together the boiling water and cocoa. Set aside. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of your mixer, cream together the butter with the two sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time and scrape down the bowl after each addition.

4. Add the vanilla and buttermilk to the cocoa mixture.

5. Add about 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the mixer just until combined. Then add 1/2 of the wet and mix to combine. Repeat again, being sure to end with the dry. Do not over-mix.

6. Divide batter evenly between the pans and bake for 32-36 minutes until cake tester inserted is clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan then remove to wire racks to cool completely before frosting.