You might be asking yourself what the heck World Chocolate Cake Day is, or why it exists, and the truth is, I have no idea. It's one of those random days, it seems, much like World Towel Day, or Measure Your Feet Day, that exists just for fun or giggles.

I've used it as an excuse to bake something delicious, and to try out a divine chocolate cake recipe. I've got tens of chocolate cake recipes, but in search of the "best" one, I Googled "best chocolate cake", and came across one, called just that on food site Add a Pinch. Clearly that title is great for Google search purposes, but good titles aside, this cake has an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 from 820 reviews. Also, it's quite similar to a classic chocolate cake recipe I was given many years ago by my gran, so I knew I was in good hands. 

It's easy to make, with readily accessible ingredients, and my cake turned out beautifully. The only flaw, which was my own, was using silicon baking pans, and despite buttering them, my cakes still stuck to them, leaving behind not only crumbs, but chunks of cake. I was able to cover up the gaps with icing, but the cake ended up looking wonky. I made a cake a few weeks ago using a chiffon silicon pan, and I had a lot of sticking too. From now, I'll be sticking to real cake pans.

Best Chocolate Cake

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda (bicarb of soda)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder 
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence 
• 1 cup boiling water
• Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring.
2. For the cake: Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk through to combine or, using your paddle attachment, stir through flour mixture until combined well.
3. Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter. Beat on high speed for about 1 minute to add air to the batter.
4. Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely.
6. Frost cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

INGREDIENTS

• 1½ cups butter (3 sticks), softened
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 5 cups confectioner’s sugar
• ½ cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon espresso powder

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add cocoa to a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer. Whisk through to remove any lumps.
2. Cream together butter and cocoa powder until well-combined.
3. Add sugar and milk to cocoa mixture by adding 1 cup of sugar followed by about a tablespoon of milk. After each addition has been combined, turn mixer onto a high speed for about a minute. Repeat until all sugar and milk have been added.
4. Add vanilla extract and espresso powder and combine well.
5. If frosting appears too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency. If it appears to wet and does not hold its form, add more confectioner’s sugar, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.

A messy effort, but a delicious one

                                                                                                The best part of cake baking