The Best-Ever Chocolate Cake

2-Cups all-purpose flour
2-Cups sugar
1-teaspoon baking soda
1-teaspoon salt
1/2-teaspoon baking powder
3/4-Cup brewed coffee(cooled)
3/4-Cup evaporated milk
1-tablespoon lemon juice
1/2-Cup shortening
2-large eggs
2-teaspoons vanilla
4-ounces melted semi-sweet chocolate (cooled)

1. Heat oven to 350F
2. Grease and flour baking pan 13x9x2 or two9inch rounds or three 8 inch round layer pans

3. Measure out the evaporated milk and mix in the lemon juice. Let stand while you gather the rest of the ingredients.

4. Measure all remaining ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, baking powder, shortening, eggs, vanilla, and melted chocolate) and place in the bowl of your stand mixer. Start the mixer on slow speed to start mixing the ingredients. Add the 3/4 Cup brewed coffee to the milk mixture from the previous step. The lemon juice will have caused the milk to look slightly curdled. This is what you want. Gradually add the milk coffee mixture to the rest of the ingredients in the mixer bowl. Should be added in 3-4 additions with the mixer running.

5. Beat 30 seconds on low speed to moisten the ingredients. Scrape down bowl as needed

6. Beat 3 minutes on high speed, scraping bowl occasionally

7. Pour evenly into pan(s)

8. Bake oblong pan 40-45 min or layers 30-35 minutes. Or, until a wooden skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean

TIP: You can make this cake even more decadent by adding 3/4 Cup chocolate chips to the mix at the end of the mixing time. This cake is great for a 2 or 3 layer cake but is too delicate to use for torting layers (dividing the layers to create more layers)

Frosting and filling recipes are not included in this article. I use a Chocolate Cream Cheese Filling between the layers. For the frosting, I use a cooked Chocolate Fudge Frosting. You can find both of these recipes on my website. Really, any favorite frosting recipe you have will work well. I just like that particular combination of flavors because it gives a different taste to each chocolate used. Coffee enhances the flavor of the cake, the cream cheese adds a twang to the filling, and the frosting is a deep, rich chocolate taste. I have also used a raspberry filling with this cake and it was very good. Coffee frosting with this cake recipe is very good as well.
Preparation time: 15 minute(s)

Cooking time: 30-35 minutes for layers. 40-45 minutes for a single pan.

Number of servings (yield): 12

stand mixer reviews

---