Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream

As I said a few posts back, I am trying my hand at recipe creation. I have delved into my true love- cake. For the first recipe that I wanted to try, I decided on chocolate cake. Why chocolate cake? I really don't know. I'm not a huge chocolate person. I'm a lemon person. Maybe I was feeling philanthropic and wanted to give to all my chocolate-loving friends. I don't know. Anyway, I went down the rabbit-hole of ratios again, so I will give you my measurements in both weights and American measures for the cake- this way you can see the ratios in action if you're also trying to figure out your ratio life.


Here's general information I found about cake ratios from this website:
Flour and sugar should be the same weight.
Eggs and butter (or fat- in this case I used oil) should be the same weight
Liquids (including eggs but not including fat) should be the same weight OR more than sugars
Generally 1 tsp of baking powder per cup of flour (if you have a more acidic base, sub some of that for baking soda as well)
Are you scared yet? Don't be! I swear I made a recipe with these ideas and it worked.

Okay, so let's get into what I have settled on as my chocolate cake recipe. This is enough cake for a three layer 8-inch round cake OR 24 regular sized cupcakes (plus a little extra).

For the batter:
2 c granulated sugar (14 oz)
2 1/2 c flour (11.5 oz)
1 c cocoa powder (2.5 oz - combined with the flour to make same weight as sugar)
3 eggs (5.8 oz)
3/4 c vegetable oil (5.8 oz - this is slightly over 3/4 c, but I did my best with giving an American equivalent)
2 tsp baking powder
1.5 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 c boiling water (7.3 oz) *I just put mine in a clean coffee pot.
1/2 c buttermilk (4 oz)
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease three 8-inch round pans using goop.
2. Combine sugar and vegetable oil in stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment.
3. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated. Add in vanilla extract as well.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
5. Alternate dry ingredients and buttermilk, incorporating each into the batter before adding more. Start and end with the dry ingredients.
6. Add the hot water *make sure your speed is on the lowest!* to the batter a little at a time. Once all incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and then turn to medium-high speed and whip for one minute. This batter will look really loose (see below), but that's how it should be.

7. Pour batter evenly into cake pans.
8. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
9. Let cool on cooling rack. Turn out cakes when still a bit warm. Allow to cool completely before icing.

For the buttercream frosting:
4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature *yes, this is pretty butter-heavy; trust me, it's delicious
1 c cocoa powder
4 c powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

1. Put butter into stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment.
2. Sift cocoa powder and powdered sugar together. *I don't sift unless I need to. You know this, but with a frosting, it's best to sift.
3. Pour sugar mixture into butter a little at a time until incorporated. Add salt and vanilla.

Assembly:
1. Place a dollop of frosting on your cake board to hold layers in place.
2. If the cake layers are a bit uneven, level off tops with a serrated knife.
3. Place one layer down and add a bit of buttercream to cover the layer.
4. Add second layer of cake with another layer of buttercream.
5. Add final layer of cake and cover entire cake in buttercream.