Homemade Chocolate Cake

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 squares (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate
• 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract


• Chocoholics rejoice! Rich in cocoa flavor with a fluffy and moist crumb, this is the only chocolate cake recipe you'll ever need. With a few simple ingredients and these helpful tips and tricks under your belt, you'll be able to make a chocolate cake perfect for any celebration! Pair this cake with our homemade mocha or chocolate buttercream for a dessert that's sure to please.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9 in. round cake pans with nonstick vegetable spray. Set aside.
2. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. In large microwavable bowl, melt chocolate and butter for 2 minutes, or until butter is melted (mixture can also be melted in saucepan over low heat). Stir until smooth. Transfer to large bowl; add sugar and beat with electric mixer until combined.
4. Add eggs to chocolate mixture, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla; mix well.
5. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk to chocolate mixture, beating well until everything is incorporated. Pour into prepared pans.
6. Bake 32 to 36 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Cool cakes in pans on cooling grid for 15 minutes. Remove from pans. Transfer to cooling grid to cool completely before decorating.

JOANN HACKS:

• Don't over or under-mix your batter.
• When you're incorporating your dry and wet ingredients, you just need to mix until the ingredients are incorporated (you shouldn't see any flour in the batter and it should be nice and smooth). Once everything is incorporated, stop mixing. If you overbeat your batter, or cause gluten to develop, the cake may come out dense and flat.
• When your cake layers are done, remove them from the oven and place them, still in the pan, on a cooling grid to cool for 15 minutes. Removing the cake from the pan when it's still hot can cause your cake to stick or break.
• Once your cake layers have cooled slightly, you can remove them from the pans. Let them cool completely on the cooling grid before decorating. It should take anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes for your cakes to completely cool to room temperature.