The BEST Chocolate Cake!

Now before we get into baking the BEST Chocolate Cake recipe and you see a not so common ingredient in there let’s talk about what makes chocolate cake so delicious.  The best part about any cake is of course the flavor but just as important, the texture. Ideally your cake should be fluffy, moist and rich. In this recipe we will be adding mayonnaise. No this isn’t a sandwich cake! By adding mayonnaise, it helps the finished product of our cake achieve the best flavor and texture possible and make this a next level cake! I promise it is so worth it so give it a shot and then you’ll see just why this is the BEST Chocolate Cake ever!

As always please share your creations with us on social media and our Facebook group page, Baketivity Community!

Ingredients For The Cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/3 cups hot water

Ingredients For The Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 8 oz. package of cream cheese (softened)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 32 oz. powdered sugar (1 standard package)
• 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4-5 Tbsp. heavy cream (or whole milk)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F and line three 8″ pans with parchment paper and grease with non stick spray.
2. In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt until well combined then set aside.
3. In another bowl whisk together the eggs, brown sugar and vanilla until evenly combined. Pour the dry ingredients into the egg mixture bowl and start to whisk together.
4. As you mix the batter will become very thick, slowly pour int he hot water then continue to mix until you have a nice smooth batter with no lumps. This could take up to 2 minutes of whisking everything together.
5. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans then bake the cakes for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
6. While the cakes are baking we can prepare the chocolate buttercream. Begin by whisking together the softened cream cheese and butter until the mixture is nice and smooth.
7. Add in the powdered sugar and cocoa powder and continue to mix while slowly adding in the heavy cream. This mixture should continue to be whisked until there are no more lumps.
8. Let the cakes cool completely before decorating.
9. Once the cakes are cooled place a small amount of buttercream onto the serving dish and place one layer face down onto the dish. Add two heaping spoonfuls of buttercream onto this layer and use a butterknife or offset spatula to spread it out evenly. Check the cake from different angles to make sure that you are assembling it evenly and stacking it nicely.
10. Add the next cake layer on top of the buttercream then continue the frosting process until each layer is filled and stacked.
11. Use the remaining frosting to coat the entire outside of the cake. You can use a spoon and go around the cake to create the textured buttercream look as pictured or you can use a cake scraper or offset spatula to smooth out the sides.
12. Top with shaved chocolate, sprinkles or whatever you prefer!
13. Enjoy! :)