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I don’t remember the exact year when I first saw people raving about Beatty’s Chocolate Cake online—it was sometime between my kids being old enough to pour their own cereal but still young enough to leave socks under the couch like confetti. I must have brushed right past it, too, because chocolate cake wasn’t really “my thing” back then. Strange, right? I was always the one who gravitated toward lemon bars or a cherry pie (my mother made the sourest cherry pies that puckered your whole face, and I miss that). But lately, maybe it’s age or just the way life sneaks up on you, I’ve been craving chocolate more than I care to admit. And this cake—this simple, famous cake that everyone insists is the one—has been stalking me like a song stuck in my head.
So when my friend Laurie (a woman who once told me she would “marry a cocoa bean if it asked”) had a birthday, I decided, alright, universe, I hear you. I’ll bake the cake. What I didn’t expect was to end up sitting at my kitchen table, fork in hand, muttering out loud to nobody—oh, this really is it.
I have baked a lot of cakes. Some lopsided, some dry enough that the dog wouldn’t even sniff the crumbs, and a few that genuinely made me proud. But this one? It belongs in its own category. Moist, deep, unapologetically chocolatey, with frosting that feels like velvet on your tongue. Laurie actually closed her eyes on her first bite, and for once she was quiet—Laurie, who narrates entire TV shows while we’re trying to watch them.
Why You’ll Love It
It’s not fussy, for starters. No twelve-step folding techniques or endless bowls to wash. The batter is almost suspiciously thin, which made me nervous at first—I thought I’d botched it—but that’s the secret, apparently. And the coffee… don’t skip the coffee. You don’t taste it, at least not in an obvious way, but it does something magical to the chocolate, makes it bolder.
And if you’re like me and grew up on boxed cake mixes (Betty Crocker was practically a member of the family in our kitchen), this cake will show you how real chocolate cake should taste. Rich but not cloying, the kind that makes you pause mid-bite to hum to yourself.
But what I love most is how it bridges gaps: my husband, who pretends he doesn’t like sweets, ate two slices; my son, who usually asks if there are sprinkles involved before committing, said, “Wow, this is like restaurant cake.” (High praise from a twenty-two-year-old who eats most of his meals from drive-thrus.)
Ingredient Notes
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Cocoa powder: Ina says “good cocoa.” I’ve used Hershey’s and Ghirardelli—both work, though the latter gives it a darker, moodier flavor.
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Buttermilk: I never seem to have it in the fridge. The old trick of adding vinegar or lemon juice to milk works in a pinch.
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Coffee: I brew mine strong, French press style. Use whatever you’ve got. My mother would’ve reached for instant coffee crystals without hesitation.
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Chocolate for the frosting: This is where quality matters more. A bar of semisweet you chop yourself melts smoother than chocolate chips.
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Butter: Real butter, not margarine. I made that mistake once in the ’90s and never again.
Instructions (My Messy Way)
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Preheat & Prep: Heat oven to 350°F. Butter two 8-inch round pans, line them with parchment, then butter and flour again. Yes, it feels excessive, but trust me—it saves you from cursing when you try to unmold later.
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Dry Mix: In your stand mixer bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. I skip sifting sometimes and just whisk them, but Ina would frown at me for saying that.
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Wet Mix: In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Slowly add this to the dry ingredients with the mixer running on low.
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Coffee Magic: Carefully pour in the hot coffee. Don’t panic when the batter looks thin—like chocolate soup. It’s supposed to.
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Bake: Divide evenly between pans and bake 35–40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then invert onto racks.
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Frosting: While cakes cool, melt the chocolate over a double boiler. Let it cool a bit. Beat butter until fluffy (3 minutes or so), then add yolk and vanilla—beat again until silky. Mix in powdered sugar. Dissolve coffee granules in 2 teaspoons hot water, stir into frosting along with the melted chocolate. It becomes glossy, almost satiny.
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Assemble: Frost the cooled cakes. I’m always tempted to eat a spoonful of frosting before it hits the cake, and sometimes I do. Life’s short.
Variations & Substitutions
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If you’re out of buttermilk, use 1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit 10 minutes.
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For a grown-up twist, add a tablespoon of Kahlúa or Bailey’s to the frosting. My sister swears by it.
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No instant coffee? Brew extra-strong espresso and stir in a teaspoon.
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Want to dress it up? Add raspberries between the layers with the frosting. The tart fruit cuts through the richness beautifully.
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Or go the opposite direction: sprinkle mini chocolate chips in the batter before baking. Over-the-top, yes, but birthdays call for that.
Storage & Reheating Tips
I’ve left this cake covered on the counter for two days and it stayed moist—probably the oil and buttermilk working their magic. Beyond that, I’d refrigerate, though the frosting hardens a bit in the cold. To soften, just let a slice sit at room temp for 20 minutes.
For longer keeping, wrap slices individually in plastic wrap and freeze. I discovered this by accident when my daughter forgot about a wrapped piece in the freezer. She microwaved it straight from frozen, and it turned into a sort of molten lava cake. Not traditional, but delightful.
Final Thoughts, Or, Why I’ll Keep Making This Cake
There are desserts you try once and never bother with again (the disastrous fig tart of 2011 comes to mind). And then there are recipes that weave themselves into your family’s story. This cake feels like it’s settling in for the long haul. I can already picture making it for my son’s college graduation, or maybe just a rainy Tuesday when nothing else feels right.
Funny thing—I almost didn’t make it at all. I told myself, “The internet exaggerates. It’s just chocolate cake.” But sometimes, maybe once in a decade, the hype is telling the truth.
If you make it, don’t rush the first bite. Sit down, take a forkful, and let it linger. And if you happen to mutter “oh my word” out loud, just know—you’re in good company.
Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cups cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup buttermilk shaken
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
- 6 oz semisweet chocolate
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules such as Nescafe
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans, line bottoms with parchment, grease again, and flour the pans.
- Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into stand mixer bowl. Mix on low speed until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Slowly pour into the dry ingredients with mixer on low. Add coffee and mix until combined.
- Pour batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 30 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool fully.
- To make the frosting, melt chopped chocolate in a double boiler. Stir until smooth, then set aside to cool slightly.
- In a mixer, beat butter on medium-high for 3 minutes until fluffy. Add vanilla and egg yolk, beat 3 more minutes.
- Reduce speed and slowly add powdered sugar. Beat until smooth. Dissolve instant coffee in 2 tsp hot water and add with the cooled chocolate. Beat until combined.
- Frost the fully cooled cakes and enjoy.
Notes