Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Indulge in this simple, homemade, and delicious chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting. The perfect cake for any celebration!

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 40

Total Time 2 40

servings12 slices

saltyginger.comMary-Lou

Equipment

Stand Mixer
Electric hand mixer
8 Inch Round (20cm) Cake Pan (can use 9 inch/23cm round cake pans)
Mixing Bowls

Ingredients

Two-Layer Chocolate Cake Ingredients

120 grams butter (1 stick plus 1 tsp)
240 grams milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant coffee (espresso powder)
4 eggs (Size 6/Med/large*note 1)
400 grams white granulated sugar (caster/granulated)
60 grams unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-processed)
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoons table salt
380 grams plain flour (all-purpose/standard-grade)

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

150 grams butter (room temperature)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoons table salt (if using unsalted butter)
500 grams icing sugar (powdered/confectioner's sugar)
226 grams cream cheese (8 oz - block cream cheese)
6-8 tablespoons cream (or milk)
60 grams unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-processed)

Filling Options

4-5 tablespoon fruit jam/Nutella

Instructions

Two-Layer Chocolate Cake

Preheat the oven to 180°C/355°F/gas mark 4. Grease and line two 8-inch round cake pans. *Note 2
Melt the butter and milk together, either in the microwave or on the stovetop on low heat.
120 grams butter, 240 grams milk
Add the vanilla and coffee to the butter/milk mixture and stir through until most of the coffee is dissolved. Set aside.
2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons instant coffee
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar either with an electric hand mixer or with a stand mixer for 3- 5 minutes. The egg mixture will lighten to a pale yellow and almost triple in volume when done.
4 eggs, 400 grams white granulated sugar
With the beaters running, slowly add the butter/milk mixture to the eggs.
Sieve the cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and half of the flour over the egg mixture. Mix until just combined. Then sieve over the rest of the flour and mix until just combined.
60 grams unsweetened cocoa powder, 3 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoons table salt, 380 grams plain flour
Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans. Approximately 640-650 grams of batter(3 cups) per pan. Tap the cake pan on the counter a few times to bring the large bubbles to the surface. *Note 3
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean from the center. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 5 to 15 minutes before turning them out onto a wired cooling rack to cool completely. *Note 4
When they are completely cool, wrap them in plastic wrap and store them in the fridge or freezer. Frosting fridge cold or frozen cakes is easier than room temp cakes.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Cut the butter and cream cheese into blocks. Bring the butter and cream cheese to room temperature. If your bowls are cold, run the outside of the bowls under some warm water and dry off before using.
Place the butter, vanilla and salt into a large mixing bowl and start beating with a whisk attachment on a low to medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Then increase the speed to high and beat for 2-5 minutes, scraping down the bowl in regular intervals to make sure all the butter is being beaten. The butter will become soft, fluffy, and almost white in color. *Note 5
150 grams butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ½ teaspoons table salt
Sieve the icing sugar over the butter, add the salt, use the paddle attachment, and beat the icing sugar into the butter. The mixture will look fairly crumbly.
500 grams icing sugar
Add in the room temperature cream cheese and beat on low/medium speed with a paddle attachment until combined. The mixture will become thick. Start adding the cream/milk to thin out the frosting as needed.
226 grams cream cheese, 6-8 tablespoons cream
Once the cream cheese is mixed in, sieve the cocoa powder over the frosting and mix in until combined.
60 grams unsweetened cocoa powder

Frosting and Decoration

If desired, level off the tops of the cakes using a cake leveler or large bread knife.
Place a dollop (1 tbsp) of cream cheese frosting on the base of your cakestand or plate. Place the first cake layer onto the plate. *Note 6
Place ¾ cup of frosting on the bottom layer and smooth out towards the edges.
If adding any filling, use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to create an indent in the frosting. Add the filling into the indent and then smooth out.
4-5 tablespoon fruit jam/Nutella
Add the second layer, bottom side up on the bottom frosted layer.
Smooth on ¾ cup of frosting on the sides of the cake, using an offset spatula, bench scraper, or icing smoother, smooth the sides of the cakes.
Then place ¼ cup of frosting on the top, smooth to the edges, and then repeat the process to smooth over the sides. Place the cake in the fridge to allow the frosting to set up and become hard.
Place about 1 cup of frosting on the top of the cake and smooth over the top and down the sides. Use an offset spatula, bench scraper, or icing smoother, and smooth the sides of the cakes.
Use the rest of the frosting for decorative swirls.

All temperatures stated are for conventional ovens. Decrease the temperature by 20°C/25°F or gas mark 1 for "fan" or air-fryers.

Notes

New Zealand size 6 eggs are around the same size as an Australian/South African Large or a US/Europe Medium.
If you have dark cake pans, either use bake-even strips or wrap the sides of the pan with a few strips of foil. This will help the cake to rise up the sides of the pan for even layers.
I use a cake pan with a 3-inch tall side, so I like also to cover the cake pan with foil to slow down the setting of the top of the cake for flatter cake levels. After 25/30 minutes remove the foil and bake until done.
I run a plastic knife (no scratched pans here) around the sides of the pan to make sure the cakes release easily. Check 9-inch cakes at the 25-minute mark.
Making cream cheese frosting with this method results in a super thick frosting. If you want to make it a bit easier on your beaters (especially if using a hand-held electric mixer) after beating the butter, add in a third of the cream cheese and beat until smooth and completely incorporated before moving on to the next steps.
If the frosting feels a little bit stiff, soften the portions of frosting in the microwave in short bursts to help the frosting process. This will soften the frosting enough to spread smoothly. And allow it to set up nicely as well.

Storage and Freezing

Baked cakes can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 3 months before thawing in the fridge overnight and then decorating.

This cake, due to its cream-cheese frosting should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

The whole cake, or slices of cake can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Nutrition