Cocoa Buttermilk Cake

recipe

What’s the most chocolatey and moist cake you’ve ever had? Was it a gorgeous layered cake with rich chocolate frosting? We doubt it! This week You! collaborates with founder and CEO of ‘Kitchen Crafts’ and food website ‘Happy Belly World’, Kausar Ahmed, who shares the recipe for the best chocolate cake ever!

Ingredients

Unsalted butter (softened) 1 cup

Cocoa powder 1 1/4 cups

Flour (sifted) 3 cups

Baking powder 1 tbsp

Salt 1/2 tsp

Sugar 2 3/4 cups

Eggs 3

Vanilla essence 11/2 tsp

Buttermilk 11/2 cups

Method

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8-by- 12-inch cake pans, and line bottom with parchment paper.
  
• Sift cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.
  
• Put butter and sugar into a bowl; mix using an electric beater on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add cocoa mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk.
  
• Divide batter evenly between pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted into centre comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 15 minutes. Invert cakes onto rack; remove parchment, and reinvert. Let cool completely.
  
• Trim cakes from the top and slice each cake in the centre. Spread frosting on each cake layer. Top with the final layer and spread frosting on top and sides.
  

Serve decorated with chocolate and cherries.

For Chocolate Frosting

Icing sugar 4 1/2 cups

Cocoa powder 1/2 cup

Salt 1/4 tsp

Cream cheese (room temperature) 12 ounces

Unsalted butter (softened) 3/4 cup

Milk chocolate (melted) 18 ounces

Sour cream 1 1/2 cups

Method

• Sift sugar, cocoa powder, and salt into a large bowl.
  
• Put cream cheese and butter into a separate bowl and mix on medium-high speed with an electric beater until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
  
• Reduce speed to low. Gradually add sugar mixture; mix until combined, 1 to 2 minutes.
  
• Mix in chocolate and sour cream.
  
• Use immediately.
  

Chef’s Tip: If you have any left over cake, you can make individual servings. Chop left over cake in the cups; garnish it with chocolate ganache, chocolate syrup or Nutella. Top with chocolate chunks and whipped cream. Set your imagination free and impress your guests!

Image: Maryam Ashraf of Marsha Photography