Chocolate Overload Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 280g (2⅓ cups) flour (see note 1)
- 80g (¾ cup) cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 300g (1½ cups) white sugar
- 90g (½ cup) brown sugar
- 250ml (1 cup) milk (see note 2)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 180ml (¾ cup) vegetable oil
- 3 eggs (large)
- 250ml (1 cup) hot water
- 1 tbsp instant coffee
Frosting:
- 150g (½ cup + 3 tbsp) butter (softened)
- 200g (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) cream cheese
- 200g (½ cup + 3 tbsp) Nutella
- 250g (1 cups + ½ cup + 3 tbsp) icing/confectioners'/powdered sugar
Decoration:
- Any chocolate or candy you like (and as much as you want)
Instructions
Cake:
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (230°F) and line and/or grease two 8" / 20cm pans.
- In a large bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda. Stir in the white and brown sugar.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the milk, vanilla extract, oil and eggs until well combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold together.
- Add the coffee to the boiled water.
- Slowly add the coffee/water and stir until everything comes together. Don't overmix, there will still be a few lumps left in the batter (also note that the batter is supposed to be runny, so don't panic!).
- Divide between the two prepared pans as equally as you can and then bake side by side for around 30-35 minutes. The cakes are ready when they bounce back when gently pushed on the top, and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and leave the cakes in the pans for around 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting:
- In the meantime, prepare the frosting. Beat the butter and cream cheese together until light and smooth, then add the Nutella. Finally add as much icing sugar as is needed to achieve a thick frosting consistency.
Assembly:
- Carefully slice off the tops of both cakes (if they are uneven).
- On the flat side of one of the cakes, smooth over some of the frosting (enough to give a nice coverage).
- Place the other cake on top and gently push down.
- Smooth the remaining frosting all over the cake, making a pretty pattern (as mentioned above).
Decoration:
- Pile any chocolate or candy you like on top. Add this while the frosting is still soft and not set. Leave in the fridge for a while for the frosting to harden completely (I left mine overnight). Cut into slices and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- The original recipe called for buttermilk but I used 2% milk.
- You can use spelt or regular flour for this recipe (just use the same amount).