Chocolate cake

🧾 Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup cocoa powder
• 2 cups sugar
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 1½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup oil (vegetable or canola)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup hot water or hot coffee (enhances chocolate flavor)

For the frosting (simple chocolate buttercream):

• ½ cup butter (softened)
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• 2–3 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

👩‍🍳 Instructions

1. Preheat oven
   180°C (350°F). Grease and line a cake pan.
2. Mix dry ingredients
   In a bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Add wet ingredients
   Mix in eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla until smooth.
4. Add hot liquid
   Stir in hot water/coffee (batter will be thin—this is normal).
5. Bake
   Pour into pan and bake 30–35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Cool completely
   Before frosting.

🍫 Make the Frosting

• Beat butter until creamy
• Add cocoa and powdered sugar gradually
• Mix in milk and vanilla until smooth and spreadable

🎂 Assemble

• Spread frosting over cooled cake
• Add layers if you baked two rounds
• Optional: top with chocolate chips or ganache

💡 Tips for Best Results

• Don’t skip the hot coffee—it deepens the chocolate taste (no coffee flavor remains)
• Don’t overbake—this cake stays moist when slightly soft in the center
• Use room-temperature ingredients for smoother batter