The best chocolate cake by Ina Garten

Everyone is always looking for the best chocolate cake recipe, myself included, and luckily, all of the work has already been done for us. Both The Pancake Princess and The Kitchn rated Ina Garten’s famous ‘Beattys’ chocolate cake as the clear winner in their respective best chocolate cake tests, maybe even the best chocolate cake in the world.

The fact that it’s one of the easiest you will ever make is a double win. I baked it for the first time last year and knew it was excellent and would be the perfect chocolate cake recipe.  

Ina’s recipe uses a whole cup of coffee in the mix, and this amplifies the cake, which has an intense chocolate flavour and a deliciously moist crumb. I found mine baked a little longer in my oven, but you will have to test it to see how yours works out.

I didn’t use Ina Garten’s icing as I don’t like the notion of raw egg yolk in my buttercream, so I opted for the most fluffy and delicious buttercream I know. Adding a hint of coffee to the frosting, too and along with vanilla extract, really boosts the chocolate in the buttercream. If you wanted to go wild, a shot of dark rum would give the frosting a slightly grown-up boozy edge. 

As the best thing about chocolate cake is the icing, this recipe allows for more than enough to coat the cake generously, and this is how it’s done:

What You Will Need to Make This Cake

Ingredients:

• 225g all-purpose or cake flour (1 3/4 cups)
• 418g granulated sugar (2 cups)
• 65g good cocoa powder (3/4 cup)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 250ml buttermilk (1 cup), shaken
• 125ml vegetable oil (1/2 cup)
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

You will also need:

• 2 x 22-23cm (8-inch) springform cake tins
• Baking paper and cooking spray

How to Make the Best Chocolate Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line both cake tins with baking paper and lightly spray with cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the sugar and mix briefly.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
4. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix until just combined.
5. Add the hot coffee to the batter and mix again until just blended. The batter will be quite thin.
6. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared tins.
7. Bake for 35 to 55 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. Check from 20 minutes and loosely cover with foil if browning too much.
8. Let the cakes cool in the tins for 30 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

This fluffy buttercream frosting is very delicious, but if you prefer a more fudgy frosting, try this option.

Ina Garten’s Famous ‘Beattys’ Chocolate Cake Recipe

Ina Garten's 'Beatty's" chocolate cake is widely regarded as the best in the world

Print Recipe

Prep Time:25 minutes mins

Cook Time:45 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 225 grams all-purpose flour or cake flour 1 3/4 cups
• 418 grams granulated sugar 2 cups
• 65 grams good cocoa powder 3/4 cup
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup buttermilk (shaken) 250ml
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil 125ml
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Chocolate Frosting

• 340 grams salted butter 3 sticks
• 250 grams icing sugar 2 cups
• 2 Tbsp very strong coffee or espresso cooled
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 75 grams Cocoa powder 1/2 cup
• 150 grams good quality dark chocolate with 70% milk solids melted and then cooled
• Chopped walnuts or sprinkles to decorate optional

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180 c/ 350 F.  Line 2 x 22-23cms (8-inch) springform cake tins with baking paper (bottom and sides). Lightly spray the paper with cooking spray.
• Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder and salt into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Then add the sugar and briefly mix to combine.
• In a separate bowl lightly beat the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla. While the mixer is running on slow, add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix briefly until combined. Then add the cup of hot coffee and lightly mix to combine once more. Take the bowl off the stand mixer and scrape down the sides well and ensure all the batter is well mixed. It will be quite runny.
• Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and bake for 35 – 55 minutes until a knife when inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. If necessary, loosely cover the cakes with tin foil from about 20 minutes into the baking to prevent over-browning.
• Cool in the pans for about half an hour and then cool them on a cooling rack.

While the cakes are cooling make the icing/frosting

• Using a stand mixer or electric whisk beat the butter on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add the Icing sugar, coffee and vanilla extract and continue to beat for 3 – 4 more minutes. Add the cocoa powder slowly and when its incorporated add the cooled chocolate mixture. Carry on whipping the icing for a further few minutes and until its extremely light and fluffy.
• To ice the cake place one layer with the dome facing up on a cake plate or stand. Tuck some of the pieces of baking paper used to bake the cake under the bottom of the cake on the plate. This will be removed after the cake is iced and it keeps the edge and plate clean. Scoop a very generous amount of chocolate buttercream icing on the top and spread it to smooth it out. Add the second layer of cake, again with the dome facing upwards and use the remainder of the icing to cover the sides and top. There is enough icing to really give the cake a generous coating.

Notes

Storage instructions for chocolate cake

Unfrosted Cake:

• Cool completely.
• Wrap tightly in cling film or foil.
• Store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before frosting.

Frosted Cake:

• Store covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving for the best texture.

Servings: 12

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A huge thank you to Kitchenaid for giving me a stand mixer to give away. This post is not sponsored. 

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