2cups (255 grams)all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled* (see note below)
1 ¾cups (350 grams)granulated sugar
1teaspoon (6 grams)kosher salt
3teaspoons (15 grams)baking soda
1cup (220 grams)water,boiling
½cup (50 grams)dutch processed cocoa powder or Hershey's special dark
1cup (230 grams)buttermilk (or 1 cup whole milk plus 1 tablespoon vinegar)
⅔cups (135 grams)vegetable oil
2largeeggs
1 ½teaspoons (6 grams) vanilla extract
For the whipped chocolate ganache
8ozchocolate chips or chopped chocolate
1cup (8 oz)heavy cream
Instructions
For the chocolate cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line two 6” round cake pans with parchment paper. Position the oven racks in the middle of the oven.
Bring the water to a boil and mix with the cocoa powder. Stir well to ensure there are no clumps. Let cool and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, kosher salt, and baking soda. Mix on low to ensure all the ingredients are incorporated and evenly dispersed.
Add the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract all at once and mix on low for 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl to ensure the ingredients are incorporated.
Add the cocoa powder and water mixture and mix for 30 seconds until combined, scraping the bowl to ensure everything is combined.
Divide the batter into two prepared 6” cake pans.
Bake for 45-50 minutes. Let cool in cake pans for 20 minutes and then transfer onto a wire cooling rack until completely cool.
For the whipped chocolate ganache
In the meantime, place the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate in a heat-safe bowl.
In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil on medium heat. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't boil over and pull it off the heat as soon as you start to see bubbles.
Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate. Do not stir. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. Then whisk the chocolate and heavy cream until combined.
Transfer the ganache to the refrigerator and let chill, stirring every 10-15 minutes. The ganache should be cool and thickened but still soft and not hard.
Once the ganache is cool, transfer to an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until light and fluffy and light brown in color, about 1-2 minutes. The ganache will continue to thicken over time. Be careful not to overmix or else the ganache will turn grainy.
For the assembly of the cake
Once the cakes have cooled, level the cakes and cut each cake in half to make four layers.
Evenly spread the whipped ganache over each cake layer.
Cut and serve immediately.
Notes
*Spoon and Level Method: To achieve a light and fluffy cake, it's important to follow the spoon and level method when using cups to measure. When measuring the flour, simply use a spoon to scoop the flour into the cup and then use a knife to level off the excess. You do not want to stick the measuring cup straight into the flour bag or container or pack the flour tightly because that will result in too much flour and a dry cake. If possible, use a scale to measure your ingredients to get the most accurate results. *Buttermilk substitute: If you don’t have buttermilk, you can substitute with whole milk plus one tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes at room temperature until curdled. *Using 8" cake pans: If baking in two 8” round cake pans, decrease bake time to 30-35 minutes.