This recipe uses and ingredient called vanilla essence. Vanilla essence
is considered in some places, such as the United Kingdom, to be the same
thing as imitation vanilla extract. In other parts of the world, it is
more thought of as a highly concentrated form of vanilla extract. They
are processed in different ways, and again, the essence is even more
concentrated. If you can't find the vanilla essence, use pure vanilla
extract - not imitation. This will make for a much more flavorful
frosting for the cake.
This is a very easy cake to make, being only one layer and not taking
too much time to prepare or bake. Additionally, it doesn't call for
ingredients that are hard to find. This may turn out to be your favorite
moist chocolate cake recipe ever!
The Most Moist Chocolate Cake
2 cups of cake flour
1 1/2 cups of white sugar
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup of butter
1/2 cup of cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 cup of buttermilk
2 medium eggs, room temperature
1 cup of water
1/4 cup of butter
1 heaping tablespoon of butter, additional
1/4 cup of buttermilk
1 tablespoon of buttermilk, additional
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
1 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C (390 degrees F).
In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the cake flour, the white sugar
and the pinch of salt.
In a saucepan, melt the butter with the water and the cocoa powder, then
let it cool.
In another bowl, mix together the baking soda and the buttermilk. Into
that, beat the room temperature eggs. Combine that mixture with the
flour mixture from above until blended well.
Pour the new mixture into a medium sized cake pan that has been greased
with butter and place it in the preheated oven for about twenty minutes.
Just like all cakes, you will know it is done when you stick in a
toothpick and it comes out clean - so check it shortly before the twenty
minutes is up. You do not want to cook it too long and lose the
moisture. After it is done baking, remove it to a rack to cool while
still in the cake pan. Give it ten of fifteen minutes to cool before
adding the frosting.
While the cake is baking, you can start preparing the frosting. To do
this, use a saucepan to heat the 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, the 1/4
cup of butter, and the 1/4 cup of buttermilk. Bring them to a slow boil
then remove from the heat. Sift in the powdered sugar and stir
constantly, then stir in the vanilla essence while continuing to stir.
While it is still hot, pour this hot chocolate icing right over the
cooled cake and put it in the refrigerator to cool down. This will help
the icing to set. Once it has set, you are ready to enjoy your very
moist chocolate cake.
If you feel like decorating the cake more, or adding more flavor to it,
you can always add bits of candy, like M & Ms or Hershey's Chocolate
Kisses to the top of the cake. Also, chopped nuts will do well here,
such as almonds, walnuts or even pecans if you like them.
