I baked a lot of cakes when I was a kid growing up. I always enjoyed baking and eating both yellow and chocolate cakes, with either a white-colored or chocolate frosting. If the cake was yellow, I preferred a chocolate frosting. If the cake is chocolate, I enjoy the contrast provided by a lighter-colored frosting, but I also love the more classic chocolate on chocolate.
This recipe is for a fairly easy-to-make homemade chocolate cake, with a lighter-colored cream cheese frosting on the outside.
Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
I baked a lot of cakes when I was a kid growing up. I always enjoyed baking and eating both yellow and chocolate cakes, with either a white-colored or chocolate frosting. If the cake was yellow, I preferred a chocolate frosting. If the cake is chocolate, I enjoy the contrast provided by a lighter-colored frosting, but I also love the more classic chocolate on chocolate. This recipe is for a fairly easy-to-make homemade chocolate cake, with a lighter-colored cream cheese frosting on the outside.
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cake:
- 18 Tbsp (2 sticks plus 2 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 1.5 cups water
- 8 oz dark chocolate bar with 50-70% cacao, roughly chopped
- 1.25 cups white granulated sugar
- 2 whole eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp Hellmann’s mayonnaise
- 255 g (about 2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 5 Tbsp cocoa powder
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz (1 package) Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup white confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp Kosher salt
Instructions
For the Chocolate Cake:
- Grease a 9” round baking pan with butter.
- Line the bottom of the 9” round pan with a circular piece of parchment paper that fits snugly on the inside of the pan.
- Set the greased pan with parchment paper aside for once your cake batter is mixed.
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Heat the 1.5 cups water in a small pot on the stove until it is simmering.
- Remove the simmering water from the heat, and add the chopped dark chocolate and the softened butter.
- Stir until the chocolate and butter are melted and fully mixed with the water.
- Pour the chocolate and water and butter mixture into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the white granulated sugar, and whisk until fully combined.
- Add the whole eggs and the egg yolk, and whisk until the eggs are fully incorporated and emulsified in the wet mixture.
- Whisk in the vanilla extract and Hellmann’s mayonnaise.
- In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and Kosher salt.
- Add these mixed dry ingredients into your larger mixing bowl with the wet ingredients.
- Stir until you have mixed the flour fully into the rest of the batter.
- Pour the liquid batter into the greased 9” baking pan that you lined with parchment paper earlier.
- Bake in your preheated 350F oven for roughly 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake.
- Allow the cake to cool at room temperature for roughly 30 minutes.
- Remove the cake carefully from the pan, and remove the parchment paper.
- Allow the cake to fully cool at room temperature, roughly 60-90 minutes.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- While the chocolate cake is cooling, it is time to make the cream cheese frosting.
- To make the cream cheese frosting, use a stand mixer or electric mixer to whisk together the softened cream cheese, softened butter, confectioner’s (powdered) sugar, vanilla extract, and Kosher salt.
- Whisk until the ingredients are fully whipped and light and airy.
- Set the whipped cream cheese frosting mixture aside for when you cake is cooled.
- When your cake has fully cooled, carefully spread an even layer of the cream cheese frosting over the exterior of the cake.
- Save any leftover cream cheese frosting to make some homemade cinnamon rolls the following morning.
- Cut and serve your frosted chocolate cake when ready, with scoops of vanilla ice cream.
Notes
The chocolate cake is best made a few hours in advance of serving, as it needs time to cool down before you can apply the frosting.