Why I Love Single Layer Cakes
Over the past year or so I have found myself gravitating towards single layer cakes (vs the traditional double). Don’t get me wrong, I do like a towering layer cake in all its glory (for instance, my favorite birthday cake or this chocolate cake with espresso buttercream), but the single layer cake feels very different: it doesn’t need fancy piping or flowers to grace a table, it’s much easier to eat, and there is a better frosting to cake ratio.
You can also put it out in the afternoon and it is perfectly acceptable. Instead of hearing, “why did you make a giant birthday cake on a Tuesday afternoon for no reason?” friends and family will say, “Oh! A little piece of this afternoon snacking cake is just what I needed after this very long day.” (If you need a similar snacking cake for a crowd, I have my Minnesota Chocolate Sheet Cake, too.)
What Makes This Cake so Fudgy & Moist
This particular cake is inspired by several other chocolate cake recipes I make. All the usual cake ingredient suspects are there: sugar, flour, eggs, cocoa powder, vanilla, and oil, but what makes this recipe unique is at the end of mixing, hot coffee is added to the bowl.
As the coffee is gently stirred in, the batter turns into an unpromising dark sludge, but bakes up into a moist, delicious cake. Different coffee roasts can add a slightly different flavor to the cake, and over the years I’ve found I love Peace Coffee’s Tree Hugger blend. However, your favorite roast will work well.
And, instead of my regular chocolate buttercream, I have a fudgy creme fraiche buttercream. There is no messy melted chocolate to deal with, as the frosting uses cocoa powder instead. I love Guittard’s Cocoa Rogue Dutch cocoa powder in both the cake base the the buttercream, and have been using that when I can in my baking. It can be hard to find; otherwise I use Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa Powder.
Moist, Fudgy One-Layer Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate cake
- 1/2 cup [100 g] granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup [100 g] brown sugar
- 1/2 cup [120 g] crème fraîche, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup [33 g] Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup [56 g] vegetable or canola oil
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons [125 g] all-purpose flour*
- 1/3 cup [80 g] strong, freshly brewed coffee, hot
Crème fraîche chocolate buttercream
- 1/2 cup [8 tablespoons or 113 g] unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup [33 g] Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 1/2 cup [120 g] crème fraîche
- 1 1/2 cup [180 g] confectioners' sugar
- 1 tablespoon water, at room temperature
Instructions
For the cake
- Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F [180C]. Grease an 8 in [20 cm] baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated and brown sugars, cocoa powder, oil, crème fraîche, egg, yolks, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, and salt until well combined. Add the flour and use a spatula to stir until just combined. Slowly pour the coffee into the batter and mix until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles.
- Bake for 24 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out with the tiniest bit of crumb. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Turn the cake out onto the rack, remove the parchment paper, and let cool completely. Top the cake evenly with the buttercream, the slice and serve. Store the cake in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 2 days.
- For the buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until creamy. Add the cocoa powder, corn syrup, vanilla, and salt and mix again on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until light and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the crème fraîche, and mix on low speed until combined. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix on low speed until combined, then add the tablespoon of water and mix again on low for 1 to 2 minutes, until combined and creamy The more you mix, the lighter the frosting will get. Finish mixing with a spatula, making sure all the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
8 Comments
Mike
Monday, November 18, 2024 at 8:14 amWhat do you recommend as a substitute for the crème fraîche?
Millette
Sunday, November 17, 2024 at 8:45 pmLooking forward to recreating . Thank you for the recipe post, Happiest of Holidays.
Jan
Sunday, November 17, 2024 at 11:02 amI don’t like oil in cakes – is there a substitute?
Thank you
Jenna
Sunday, November 17, 2024 at 10:34 amThank you for the smaller cake recipe, with just my husband and I the larger cakes are to much.
rowan
Saturday, November 16, 2024 at 8:59 pmGreat recipe as always, I just made it today and I love the results! Very light and moist sponge. Just fyi the recipe for the cake itself mentions adding vanilla but the ingredients list doesn’t give an amount. I just added a teaspoon and it worked out fine. Cheers!
Sarah Kieffer
Monday, November 18, 2024 at 4:00 pmThank you for catching! It should have been 1 teaspoon (so you guessed correctly!) and the recipe has been updated. I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake.
Laura
Friday, November 15, 2024 at 2:26 pmsuch a great recipe! i didnt have creme freiche for the cake but substituted with greek yogurt/heavy cream and it still turned out fabulous.
Sabrina
Tuesday, November 12, 2024 at 7:43 pmahh, nice point about he frosting to cake ratio, hadn’t thought about that for a single layer cake, works for me, thank you!