Perfect Chocolate Butter Cake

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup sifted dutch-processed cocoa powder, plus
• 2 tablespoons sifted dutch-processed cocoa powder (84 gms)
• 1 1/3 cups boiling water
• 2 cups superfine sugar
• 3 cups sifted cake flour, plus
• 2 tablespoons sifted cake flour (316 grams, note, the weight of the flour and the cocoa powder will equal the sugar)
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces unsalted butter, cut into chunks and softened to a cool room temperature (65 degrees f)

Recipe

• 1 boil water, measure then add cocoa powder.
• 2 whisk until smooth.
• 3 allow to cool to room temperature preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 4 grease two 9-inch x 1 1/2 inch cake plans line bottoms with parchment paper grease bottom and flour entire pan.
• 5 prepare your magic cake strips if using.
• 6 in a medium bowl lightly combine the eggs, 1/4 of the cocoa mixture and vanilla.
• 7 sift the remaining dry ingredients into you mixer bowl and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend.
• 8 add the butter and remaining cocoa mixture.
• 9 mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened.
• 10 beat for 90 seconds at medium speed to develop cake structure.
• 11 stop mixer, scrape down the sides.
• 12 add the egg/cocoa/vanilla mixture in 3 batches, beating 20 seconds after each addition.
• 13 be sure to scrape the sides and bottom before making the final egg addition stop mixer, scrape down the sides and give it a final mix by hand.
• 14 pour the batter in the prepared pans and smooth surface.
• 15 bake 25 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in center.
• 16 (the cakes should start to shrink from the sides of pans after taking them out of the oven.) cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto a buttered rack.
• 17 reinvert cakes so that tops are right side up.
• 18 cool to room temperature and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.