Competition of the year. The very, very best recipe for Chocolate Cake. One to really die for ?

Hi Bloodnok!

This is exciting! Are you really entering a competition? I took your question very seriously and thought about it for quite a while. I'm going to have to give you three recipes because I don't know for sure exactly what you're looking for. These recipes, in my opinion, are the three best chocolate cakes I have ever tasted. Incidentally, the buttercream frosting recipe on the second one is a professional buttercream from a woman who worked in a bakery.

I just discovered that I can't fit the third recipe on here. If it's OK, I'll email it to you.

THE BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE YOU EVER ATE
Courtesy of Candace Marie

2 cups white sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup milk
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9 x 13 inch pan.
Sift 2 cups white sugar and 2 cups flour together; set aside.
In a sauce pan; combine 1/2 cup butter or margarine, oil, water, and 1/4 cup cocoa. Bring mixture to a boil, remove from heat and add to dry ingredients.
Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk; add with eggs, salt, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon vanilla to cocoa, flour mixture and stir well.
Pour batter into a 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 minutes.

TO MAKE FROSTING:
Five minutes before cake is done combine 1/2 cup butter,1/4 cup cocoa and 1/4 cup milk in saucepan and bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and stir in confectioners' sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and chopped pecans. Pour frosting over hot cake. Cake remains moist and may be frozen. Serves 20.
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BEATTY'S CHOCOLATE CAKE
Courtesy of Ina Garten

Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Directions
Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING

6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

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Happy baking, and good luck!

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