Best 5 Chocolate Cake With Vanilla Buttercream Recipes

CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH VANILLA-BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in center. Butter two 8-by-2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper. Butter the parchment, and dust with cocoa powder, tapping out excess. Sift cocoa over a medium bowl; whisk in boiling coffee and milk. Let cool; set aside. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt into another medium bowl; set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix butter using a rubber spatula until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Pour in cooled cocoa mixture. Mix until fully incorporated.
• Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, stirring until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pans (about 4 cups in each pan). Bake for 20 minutes, rotate pans, and bake until a cake tester comes out clean when inserted into center of cake, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Remove cakes from oven, and transfer to a cooling rack. Allow to cool in pans for 15 minutes. Carefully run a small offset spatula around edge of cakes to loosen from pan. Invert cakes onto a wire rack. Let cook completely, about 1 hour.
• To assemble, using a serrated knife, level the top surface of each cake layer. Place four strips of parchment paper around the perimeter of the lazy susan. Place the first layer on the lazy susan. Spread with 3/4 cup buttercream. Top with the remaining layer, bottom-side up. Spread a thin layer of buttercream on the top and sides of cake, called a crumb coat. Chill until the buttercream is set, at least 30 minutes.
• Apply the final coat of buttercream. Smooth the sides with a bench scraper or large offset spatula held steady at a 45-degree angle while turning the lazy susan.

CHOCOLATE SHEET CAKE WITH VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Line bottom with parchment; butter parchment. Stir together boiling water, cocoa, and chocolate; let cool 10 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in another bowl.
• Beat butter with sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating to combine after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla, then chocolate mixture. Reduce speed to low; beat in flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream, until just combined. Scrape batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with an offset spatula.
• Bake until a tester inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs, 35 to 40 minutes (top will not spring back). Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack and remove parchment; let cool completely. Cake can be made up to 1 day ahead and stored at room temperature, wrapped in plastic.
• Spread buttercream evenly over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle with chocolate curls. (Leftovers can be refrigerated, wrapped in plastic, up to 3 days; return to room temperature before serving.)

CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Make cake layers:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 (9- by 2-inch) round cake pans and line bottom of each with a round of wax paper. Butter paper and dust pans with flour, knocking out excess.
• Whisk together hot water and cocoa powder in a bowl until smooth, then whisk in milk and vanilla.
• Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in another bowl.
• Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low and add flour and cocoa mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture (batter may look curdled).
• Divide batter between cake pans, smoothing tops. Bake until a wooden pick or skewer comes out clean and edges of cake begin to pull away from sides of pans, 25 to 35 minutes total. Cool layers in pans on racks 10 minutes, then invert onto racks, removing wax paper, and cool completely.
• Assemble cake:
• Put 1 cake layer, rounded side up, on a cake stand or platter and, using offset spatula, spread top with about 1 cup buttercream. Top with remaining cake layer, rounded side down, and frost side and top of cake with 2 cups buttercream.
• Decorate cake:
• For each color (you can make up to 5), transfer 3 tablespoons buttercream to a separate small bowl and tint with food coloring. Snip off 1 corner of each plastic bag to create a 1/4-inch opening, then spoon each color of buttercream into a bag, pressing out excess air. Twist each bag firmly just above buttercream, then decoratively pipe colored buttercream onto cake. Chill cake until buttercream is set, about 30 minutes.
• Just before serving, arrange 6 to 8 mini cupcakes on top of cake in 1 layer, then stack remaining mini cupcakes on top.
• *Wilton Paste Food Coloring available at wilton.com.

CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH AMERICAN BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.
• In a big bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the coffee, cocoa powder, and 1/2 cup water and heat it for a minute, stirring constantly. Pour the melted butter mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until well combined.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add it to the batter and mix until smooth.
• Divide the batter between the two cake pans, scraping all the batter from the bowl with a rubber spatula. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes in the pans and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Frost with buttercream frosting
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine all the ingredients. Whip the mixture on low speed for a while. When the sugar is incorporated, turn the mixer speed up and whip until the buttercream is smooth and looks right to you. If it's too cold, persuade it with a blowtorch if you have one. If it's too wet, add a bit more powdered sugar. If it's too stiff, add a bit more butter. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl once or twice to make sure everything is combined.
• Use immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for 24 hours or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Rewhip cold buttercream before using it.
• Variation: The water/coffee combo in this recipe can be switched up, but remember, coffee is to chocolate like salt is to beef. Coffee brings out the flavor of chocolate without making it taste like coffee, just as salt brings out the flavor of meat without making it taste salty. The liquid you use can be all water, or it can be a full cup of coffee for more of a mocha-flavored cake. And if you're feeling really bold, go ahead and use a cup of a dark stout beer instead. Get creative and experiment a little - after all, it is a science project.

RED WINE CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch cake pan.
• Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Combine the butter and brown sugar together in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the red wine, beginning and ending with the flour, mixing until just incorporated.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool completely on a rack.
• For the buttercream: Place the butter in a large bowl and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar in 3 batches, beating until each batch is incorporated. After adding the last batch, continue to beat until very smooth and lightened, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the half-and-half and beat until incorporated. Add more half-and-half as needed to make the icing a smooth, spreadable consistency. Keep at room temperature until ready to use.
• Spoon the buttercream onto the cake and smooth with an offset spatula. Cut the cake into squares and serve.