Best Ever Chocolate Cake

Buy or find
240g plain flour
2 cups caster sugar
100g cocoa powder (unsweetened and not dutch process)
2/3 tbs bicarb soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 eggs (discard one of the egg yolks)
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup water, warm is best
1/3 cup vegetable oil (I use grapeseed)
2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Icing

220g unsalted butter, softened
150g cream cheese, softened
100g cocoa powder (I use 50g dutch process cocoa and 50g ordinary cocoa)
2 tsp vanilla extract
600g icing sugar
1/8 cup milk (approximate)

Do

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celsius (fan-forced).

Butter two 23cm spring form cake tins. Dust with flour and tip out the excess.

Mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb soda and salt in the large bowl of a cake mixer on low speed until combined.

Combine the eggs, buttermilk, warm water, oil and vanilla in a jug and lightly whisk to combine.

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until combined and smooth. Don’t overbeat and also make sure there are no powdery bits of flour left in the bowl. This will take about 3 minutes.

Divide the batter between the two cake tins. I do this using a 1 cup scoop to attempt to evenly distribute the batter.

Place the cake tins in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool on cooling racks for 15 minutes before removing the cakes from their tins and allowing to cool completely on cooling racks.

For the Icing

In a cake mixer, beat together the butter and cream cheese until combined and light and fluffy.

Turn the mixer off and add the cocoa. Mix on low speed until combined.

Add the vanilla.

Begin to add the icing sugar, 1 cup at a time until incorporated. Make sure you use the large bowl as this recipes produces a large quantity of icing. Turn the mixer to medium speed to make smooth after each addition of icing sugar.

Gradually add the milk until the mixture reaches a spreadable consistency. Beat well!

Assemble and ice as a single three layer cake.

This icing works brilliantly but you could replace it with your favourite icing. Make sure you us an icing that sets quite firm.

Three layer cake ingredients:

360g plain flour
3 cups caster sugar
150g cocoa powder (unsweetened and not dutch process)
1 tbs bicarb soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups water, warm is best
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use grapeseed)
3 tsp vanilla extract

Icing for the three layer cake

340g unsalted butter, softened
225g cream cheese, softened
150g cocoa powder (I use 75g dutch process cocoa and 75g ordinary cocoa)
3 tsp vanilla extract
900g icing sugar
1/4 cup milk (approximate)

Remember to use three cake tins not two if making the three layer version.

Serve cold or 30 minutes after being removed from the fridge.