One can never have too many recipes for chocolate cake ... and this is a perfect chocolate cake recipe made for a loaf. So perfect that you need to make 2! Why? Because you will definitely want to share this guilt-inducing treat, if only to assure yourself that sharing the joy equals sharing the calories. Or ... you can hoard it in the freezer for a rainy day.

Yes, the cake is rich, it is moist, it is soft and it is so satisfying, when only a chocolate cake can. Sans the frosting. But equally amazing is the fact that everything comes together in one solitary bowl. Only one bowl! And if you speak metric like me, all I did was tare the bowl on the scale and weigh all the dry ingredients into it, negating the need for multiple prep bowls. Oh ... you do need a measuring cup, but that is it. Of course, there is the unavoidable baking receptacles.



And this is why I call it Black Magic. A cake so decadently black as night, magically coming together, effortlessly. This will be my go-to chocolate cake fix. As it should be yours.




Ingredients:
150 g (1-1/2 cups) Dutch processed cocoa
360 g (3 cups) all purpose flour
600 g (3 cups) granulated sugar
3 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
350 ml (1-1/2 cups) buttermilk
120 ml (1/2 cup) vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Butter 2 9x5 inch loaf pans and coat with cocoa, tapping out the excess.
2. Preheat the oven to 325F.

3. In a bowl of a stand mixer, whisk on low all the dry ingredients: cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt, to combine, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
5. Turn the mixer off and add the eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla in the middle of the bowl.
6. Whisk on low for 3 minutes, then on medium for 1 minute.
The mixture will be quite thin, like the consistency of condensed milk.

7. Divide the batter into the 2 prepared loaf pans and place them on the same rack on the top third of the oven.
8. Bake for 1 hour or until it passes the skewer test.
9. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, before inverting them onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
10. Wrap with cling wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and fresh berries.