Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Instructions

Chocolate Cake Layers

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F/ 175 C. Line and grease three, eight-inch cake pans.
2. Combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups sugar, 3/4 cup cocoa powder, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp of salt in a large bowl. Whisk together until combined.
3. In a separate, large bowl, add 1 cup of warm water, 1 cup buttermilk, 1/2 cup oil, 2 eggs, and 2 tsp vanilla extract. Give the mixture a quick stir to combine the ingredients.
4. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix by hand until fully incorporated. The batter will be on the thin side, but that’s the consistency you're after!
5. Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans and bake for about 23-26 minutes. I like to use a kitchen scale to weigh the pans. It makes sure each pan has the same amount of batter and helps the cake layers bake up to be the same height.
6. Remove the cake layers from the oven and let them cool in the pans for about 10 minutes. Gently run an offset spatula around the rim of the cake pans to loosen them, then flip them onto wire racks to finish cooling.
7. These cake layers bake up pretty flat, so leveling them is optional. If you want to level them with a serrated knife, make sure to wait until the cake layers have fully cooled to room temperature.
8. If you make these in advance, wrap and freeze them at this point.

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

1. While the cake layers bake and cool, make the cream cheese buttercream frosting.
2. Beat 1 1/2 cups of butter and 1 cup of cream cheese on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a stand mixer and paddle attachment or hand mixer until smooth.
3. Add in 1 Tbsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp fine salt and beat on low until the ingredients are combined.
4. Gradually mix in 7 cups of powdered sugar on a low speed. Mix on the lowest setting for another minute to make sure the frosting is nice and smooth.
5. If the frosting seems too thick at this stage, you can add in some heavy cream (1 tablespoon at a time). If the frosting seems too thin, add in more powdered sugar (1/4 cup at a time).
6. Once it's reached the desired consistency, cover the cream cheese frosting with a piece of plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming.

Assembling this Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

1. If possible, chill the cake layers in the freezer for 20 minutes before stacking them. This will make them so much easier to frost and will minimize crumbing.
2. Stack and frost cake layers on a greaseproof cake board using a dab of frosting to help stick the first cake layer to the board.
3. Spread a thick, even layer of cream cheese frosting on top of the cake layer. Repeat this step with the second cake layer, then place the top cake layer upside down to make the cake easier to frost.
4. Carefully spread a thin coat of frosting around the cake to fully cover the cake layers with a large offset spatula.
5. Smooth with a large offset spatula, then chill the cake in the fridge (10 minutes) or freezer (5 minutes) until the frosting is firm to the touch.
6. Then add a thicker layer of cream cheese buttercream around the cake and use the back of a spoon or offset spatula to add texture to the frosting. Then enjoy!