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This black magic cake is a dark, fudgy chocolate cake recipe made with strong brewed coffee, cocoa, and buttermilk. It’s covered with fudgy chocolate ganache and the flavors are totally bewitching!
Get your chocolate fix with this rich chocolate olive oil cake, next! You might also like this chocolate cherry cake and my fudgy flourless chocolate cake.
I know there are plenty of contenders out there for the title of “Best Chocolate Cake”, but trust me when I say that this black magic cake is the most incredible chocolate cake EVER! It’s a rich and fudgy, super-moist chocolate cake made with black brewed coffee, cocoa, and buttermilk, frosted with creamy ganache frosting. But words don’t do this cake enough justice. You NEED to bake it for yourself.
Why I Love This Black Magic Cake
- Dark brewed coffee. Black coffee puts the “black” in this black magic cake! This type of cake is known for its amazingly rich, deep chocolate flavor enhanced by the coffee and buttermilk.
- Easy to make. You need one bowl and a baking pan! This cake isn’t just the best chocolate cake you’ll ever have, it’s the easiest to clean up after, too.
- Customizable. It’s easy to add crushed nuts or chocolate chips to the cake batter, or you can layer your cake with different fillings. The rich, dark chocolate layers are just the beginning!
Cake Ingredients
These are some notes on the ingredients that make the magic happen in this chocolate cake! For the full list and recipe details, make sure to scroll down to the printable recipe card after the post.
- Dry Ingredients – These are your usual baking suspects, including flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Cocoa Powder – Make sure to use unsweetened, natural cocoa powder.
- Eggs – Bring these to room temperature.
- Buttermilk – If you don’t have any buttermilk in the fridge, it’s very easy to make a homemade buttermilk substitute from regular milk and lemon juice (or white vinegar).
- Brewed Black Coffee – This can be a strong batch of regular brewed coffee (use a dark roast if you can), or freshly brewed espresso. Feel free to use instant coffee.
- Oil – Instead of butter, I bake this black magic cake with vegetable oil and the results are ultra-moist and tender. Any neutral-flavored oil will work here.
- Vanilla – You’ll want to use real vanilla extract for the best flavor.
For the Frosting
- Chocolate Chips – I use semi-sweet chocolate chips and chop them into fine pieces. You could also do the same with a bar of baking chocolate.
- Heavy Whipping Cream – For the creamiest frosting, make sure it’s full-fat heavy whipping cream.
- Butter – Unsalted is best.
How To Make Black Magic Chocolate Cake
Who’s ready to bake the most decadent chocolate cake of their life? Good. Because we’re about to get started with the steps below:
- Mix the cake batter. First, take out a large bowl and whisk together the dry ingredients. Next, beat in the eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil, and vanilla on medium speed for about 2 minutes to form a thin batter.
- Fill the pan. Now, pour the batter into two greased and floured 9-inch cake pans.
- Bake. Bake the cakes for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Afterward, let the cakes cool for 10 minutes before removing them from the pans.
- Make the frosting. While the cakes are cooling, bring the heavy cream and butter to a boil on the stovetop. Then, pour the hot cream mixture over a bowl of chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. Chill the frosting for 2 hours, stirring after the first hour.
- Frost the cake. Once the cakes and frosting are cool, assemble the cakes, frost, and serve!
Tips and Variations
- Don’t skip the coffee! While it doesn’t make this black magic cake taste like coffee, it adds depth and richness to the chocolate flavor, making it taste even more decadent.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Take fridge-cold cake ingredients like buttermilk and eggs out of the fridge ahead of time, so they come to room temperature. This way, they’ll combine more easily with the other batter ingredients.
- Sift the cocoa powder. A quick sift of the dry ingredients never hurts, to prevent any clumps in the final cake batter.
- Don’t overmix. Be careful not to overmix your batter, as this can make the cake tough. Mix just until the ingredients are combined.
- Cool completely. Allow your chocolate cakes to cool completely to room temperature before frosting. Frosting a warm cake will cause the frosting to melt and slide off.
- Add nuts. Add chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter for a crunchy texture.
- Flavor variations. Experiment with different flavors by adding liqueur or extracts, like brandy, almond extract, or peppermint extract.
- Fruit fillings. Consider adding a layer of fruit preserves or compote between the cake layers for an extra pop of flavor. Raspberry preserves would taste great here, or you can try cherry preserves for some black forest cake vibes.
How to Store
- At room temperature. Store the frosted black magic cake airtight at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freeze. You can freeze the frosted cake or the unfrosted cake layers for up to 2 months. Wrap the cake in a double layer of plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn. Thaw the cake at room temperature and then frost and/or serve.
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Black Magic Chocolate Cake
This black magic cake is a decadent chocolate cake recipe with strong brewed coffee and buttermilk. It's dark, fudgy, and the flavors are totally bewitching!
Ingredients
For The Cake
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 whole eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup strong brewed black coffee
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For The Frosting
- 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips, finely chopped
- 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup unsalted butter
Instructions
For The Cake
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Butter and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. Set aside.
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the wet ingredients. To the mixing bowl, add the eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil, and vanilla. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. You should have a thin batter.
- Fill the pans and bake. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool in the pans for 10 minutes; remove cakes from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
For The Frosting
- Prepare the chocolate. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium mixing bowl; set aside.
- Heat the heavy cream. Place whipping cream and butter in a saucepan and cook over medium heat to just a boil.
- Combine. Remove from the heat and pour the cream mixture over the chopped chocolate; whisk vigorously until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
- Chill. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Remove the frosting from the fridge and stir. Refrigerate for 1 more hour or until spreading consistency.
- Frost the cake. Spread about ¼ to ⅓ of the frosting on one cake layer; top with the other cake layer and spread the frosting on top and sides of the cake. Cut and serve.
Video
Notes
- Measure the ingredients correctly for best results.
- Have the eggs, butter, and buttermilk at room temp for better mixing and baking.
- Mix just until combined to avoid a dense cake.
- Use a toothpick to check if the cake is done.
- Let the cake cool thoroughly before frosting to avoid a messy, crumbly melt.
- Mix in chopped nuts for some crunch.
- Try new tastes with different flavored extracts or liqueurs.
- Use coffee in the frosting for a mocha twist.
- Store at room temperature for 1 to 2 days, covered. Store in the refrigerator, covered, for 5 to 7 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 476kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 309mg | Potassium: 273mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 541IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Did you make a recipe? Leave a rating
Curious if we need to refrigerate the cake? Or can it be left on the counter in a covered dish?
Hi!
I keep it on the counter for 1 to 2 days, covered – most cakes can be stored at room temperature for about that long – and then refrigerate it.
I’m not a coffe drinker. Do you think a Teaspoon or a Tablespoon of expresso powder would work? I enjoy your recipes. Always creative and tasty!!
Hi! Thanks so much for the kind words!! โค๏ธ
Yes, any amount of espresso powder will work. The coffee just enhances the flavor of the chocolate, and itโs not noticeable at all. But if it bothers you, itโs okay not to use it. You will still need 1 cup of liquid to replace it. You can use just water or milk, a dark stout beer, 1/2 cup liqueur with 1/2 cup water, or even fruit juice.
It would be a nice recipe if it had metric weights and measurements!
was wondering if you can use hot cholate to place the coffee since i dont drink coffee
Hi!
Yes, you can do that.
Hi Recipe is just fantastic for me but some of my friends wants it more sweet so How can I make more sweeter?
Hi, What can I use in place of buttermilk?
Hi! You can use milk, but it won’t be the same. If you can, get some buttermilk or you can even make it yourself. 1 cup milk + 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar; mix and let stand 15 minutes. That’s it. ๐
Buttermilk will make your cake light, fluffy and tender.
You can use milk. 1cup of milk and two table spoons of lemon juice yield 1cup of buttermilk.
Best Yummiest Cake ever!!
Thanks for sharing this delicious chocolate cake recipe..Am not that great Baker, but this cake came out so good and yummy that it’s sooo loved by my daughter and on great demand among my friends. Thanks to you for sharing the joy of eating!! ๐
Thank you so much, Reena! I am very glad you enjoyed it! ๐