This recipe is from Six Sister's Stuff who got it from Taste of Home. It is by far one of the best chocolate cake recipes and it is my go-to recipe for chocolate cake or cupcakes. It is easy and always delicious! It is even super yummy right out of the oven with a scoop of ice cream. No frosting, just warm cake and ice cream!
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup baking cocoa (I prefer dutch cocoa)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cube (1/2 cup) butter, melted
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp good vanilla (I like mexican or Kirkland brand)
2 eggs
1 cup boiling water
Chocolate Ganache or desired frosting to go on top
(Ice Cream is also delicious if you put a scoop on top of a hot chocolate cupcake in a bowl right out of the oven. It is amazing!) So many options! There's a reason it's our FAVORITE cake! Don't overcook and it will be your favorite too.
Ganache instructions:
Heat 1 cup of heavy cream just to boiling. Pour over chopped chocolate in a bowl and allow to sit for about 5 minutes then stir until smooth with a whisk. I like to use a 4oz semi sweet and a 4oz milk chocolate Ghiradelli baking bar for ganache. Mix and match to your liking. I haven't used chocolate chips. I'm more a baking bar girl, but you can experiment if you'd like. I use 1 Tbsp on the top of each cupcake and allow to setup. Or eat right away with a fork and spoon for ooey gooey goodness. ;)
*Frosting*: (I use my cream cheese frosting recipe here) *A note: For cupcakes, you may want to do a double batch of frosting depending on if you pipe it or just spread it on. I found a regular batch only pipes about 18 cupcakes. One batch works great for a 9x13 cake. Follow recipe directions for chocolate frosting.
Cake Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put a small pot of water on the stove to boil (or if you have REALLY hot tap water, you can use that as well. You'll only need one cup but I always boil a little extra. ;)
I usually make this recipe in my Bosch, but a large bowl and a hand mixer works great as well. Just remember, you don't want to over mix.
Combine all dry ingredients. Add in the butter, buttermilk, vanilla, and eggs. Don't mix this too high. You want to just get it fully incorporated. I stay on low speed. Pour in 1 cup of hot water. Mix. At this point, your batter will seem runny, but it's going to be okay... I promise!. At this point, either grease muffin liners or a 9×13″ pan. Fill cupcakes 2/3 full (which is about 1/4 cup for a larger muffin pan). You don't want them fuller than that! Bake for 12-15 minutes. If not quite done, do 2 more minutes. Mine are almost always done right at 15 minutes. I usually set the timer for 10 minutes and peek on them and add 2 more minutes and take them out. For a cake, bake for 30-35 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean). Just don't overcook so that it isn't dry. This cake is perfection when cooked just the right length. When everything is cooled (cupcakes cool quick!), frost as desired, and decorate if you'd like.
This recipe makes about 32 cupcakes (depending on the size of your pan) or ONE 9x13" pan of cake. I use an IKEA muffin tin which is about a 1 1/2 sized cup. I use the jumbo liners for these found in the cake decorating isle at Walmart. I only fill the cups with a 1/4 cup measuring cup and it makes 27 cupcakes exactly every time. Or you can make a bundt cake (heavily buttered and floured inside in all those creases!) and then pour ganache over top and enjoy!