Perfect Chocolate Cake recipe

Name: Perfect Chocolate Cake
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; ½ teaspoon salt; 1 cup butter, softened; 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour; 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract; ½ teaspoon baking powder; 4 eggs; 2 teaspoons baking soda; 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 cup confectioners' sugar; 2 cups confectioners' sugar; 2 ½ cups white sugar; ⅓ cup butter; 1 pint heavy whipping cream; 2 cups boiling water

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.

Step 2

Stir together cocoa and boiling water. Set aside to cool. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

Step 3

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Add dry ingredients alternately with cocoa mixture. Mix only until combined. Divide evenly between the prepared pans, and spread the batter evenly.

Step 4

Bake 18 to 22 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean and cakes pull away from the sides of the pans. Cool cakes on a wire rack.

Step 5

In a medium bowl, whip heavy cream and vanilla. When cream becomes thick, add confectioners' sugar and continue to whip until stiff but not too grainy. Divide into thirds. Spread one third onto each of 2 cooled layers. Stack the layers onto a nice plate, putting two creamed ones on the bottom. Place the plain layer on top. If there is a hump on the top of the cake, trim it off with a long serrated knife.

Step 6

Meanwhile, prepare frosting: Beat butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and cocoa until light and fluffy, 7 to 10 minutes. Frost sides of cake, leaving a ridge that sticks up over the top edge. Spread the remaining cream filling over the top of the cake.