Death by Chocolate Cake

You will never make boxed cake again.

• Ready In: 1 hr 40 mins
• Serves: 8
• Yields: 1 cake

Ingredients

• 3  ounces  semisweet chocolate, such as El Rey (or Callebaut)
• 1 1⁄2 cups brewed coffee, freshly brewed (hot)
• 3  cups sugar
• 2 1⁄2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1⁄2 cups  unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process, I use Ghirardelli)
• 2  teaspoons baking soda
• 3⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1⁄4 teaspoons salt
• 3  large eggs
• 3⁄4 cup canola oil
• 1 1⁄2 cups buttermilk, well-shaken
• 3⁄4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. If you’re making cupcakes, line the wells of your pans with fluted paper liners, or grease and dust them with flour or cocoa. If you’re making larger cakes, grease pans and line bottoms with rounds of wax paper. Grease paper.
2. Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
3. Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another (very) large bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer until thickened slightly and lemon-colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well.
4. Divide batter between pans. Bake in middle of oven 20 to 25 minutes for cupcakes, or 50 to 70 minutes for larger cakes, until a tester inserted in center comes out clean.
5. Cool cakes completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and remove cupcakes, or invert larger cakes onto racks. If making larger cakes, carefully remove wax paper. Cakes may be made one day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.