Rich, moist three layer chocolate cake with a buttery cocoa frosting. An easy chocolate cake recipe from scratch.
Homemade chocolate cake with a story
My friend Suzanne served in the Peace Corps in Kenya for two years in the late 1980’s. The Peace Corps then published a recipe book for their volunteers that contained a recipe for making chocolate cake. It was special in that you could mix it in one pot, use vegetable oil, which was more readily available than butter, and cook in the same pot over a brazier.
Suzanne perfected the recipe, especially for cooking over the brazier, and since she had the only home for miles with a cement floor, tin roof, and good water, she often played host to nearby volunteers, serving them this chocolate cake (usually without icing).
After Suzanne returned to the States, she spent months of trial and error and several fired chocolate cakes to adapt the recipe for Best Chocolate Cake (oven baked with layers and frosting). It is now her family’s favorite cake, which they call “Kenya Cake”. A rich, easy to make chocolate cake with a great story. Thank you Suzanne!
Suzanne’s chocolate cake
ingredients
- Cake:
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3 cups all-purpose flour
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1½ tsp salt
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¾ tsp baking powder
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1½ tsp baking powder
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2 2/3 cups sugar
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1 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa
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1 cup + 2 tbsp water
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1 cup + 2 tbsp canola oil
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5 large or 4 extra large/jumbo eggs
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¾ cup of water
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1½ tsp vanilla
- Glaze:
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1 box of powdered sugar (1 pound or 454 grams)
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3/4 cup cocoa (use Van Houten, Droste, or another dark, high-quality alkalized unsweetened cocoa)
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A flavoring liquid (water, vanilla, rum, cognac, cherry, or amaretto)
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1 1/2 cup butter – firm, not cold, not too soft
special equipment
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blender
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3
10 inch cake pans -
food processor
method
Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
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In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and cocoa.
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Add 1 cup and 2 tablespoons water and 1 cup and 2 tablespoons canola oil. Mix 1 minute.
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Add eggs, 3/4 cup water, vanilla. Blend for 5-6 minutes with a whisk, 3-4 minutes with a hand mixer, or 2 minutes with a KitchenAid mixer.
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Pour into three 10-inch cake pans, bake at 350°F for 25-35 minutes (set to convection); Test by inserting a toothpick through the center and removing after 25 minutes. When the toothpick comes out clean, loosen it from the pans and then put back in the pans. Let cake cool for 15 minutes. Store in the pans, wrap in foil and place in the freezer for at least 2 hours.
Glaze:
This part is a little trickier as it’s really made to taste.
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Place powdered sugar and 3/4 cup cocoa in a food processor. Pulse until everything is mixed.
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Drizzle, to about the consistency of solid butter, several tablespoons flavoring liquid (water if you’re not looking for flavor beyond cocoa and butter). Don’t add too much liquid, but if you do, add cocoa or sugar. Taste. If taste and consistency are right,
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add 1 1/2 cup butter (firm, not cold and not too soft). A good rule of thumb is that both the butter and sugar mixtures should be a little firmer than you would like for spreading, as they will be slightly warmed up by the mixing in the food processor. Pulse until everything is mixed.
Assembling the cake:
Remove the cakes from the freezer and from their pans. Stack each layer as you go. Leave to rest for an hour before serving.
