2-Layer Chocolate Espresso Cake

There are some really cool cooking concepts going on with this cake recipe. First, chocolate and espresso are an incredible flavor combination. Once you try it, you’ll never go back. Second, this is an oil cake rather than a butter cake. This means you don’t have to worry about the “creaming” step, but more importantly it virtually guarantees a nice moist cake when you are done. No dry crumbly cakes here! Third, because of the lower baking temperature (325F) and the cake bands (see note) these cakes come out with a virtually flat top you won’t need to trim! This makes it incredibly
easy to stack the layers without worrying about a lopsided cake. Fourth, if you follow the butter->parchment->butter->flour directions for lining your pan your cakes will always come out cleanly and you’ll have little to no sticking to the pan. Basically, if you follow this recipe you’ll get a stunning and foolproof cake that would impress absolutely anyone!

Ingredients:

• 1⁄2 cup (2 ounces) Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 1⁄2 cups (10 1⁄2 ounces) sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 3⁄4 cups (9 1⁄4 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1⁄2 cup neutral-tasting oil (Avocado is preferred. Olive oil also works)
• 1 1⁄2 Tbsp. espresso powder + 1 1⁄2 cups boiling water (or 1 1⁄2 cups freshly brewed strong coffee or espresso)
• 2 large eggs at room temperature , lightly whisked

For the whipped cream: 

• 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1⁄2 lb. fresh strawberries, halved

Equipment: 

• 2 8-9in round cake pans, or a 9x12in sheet pan
• Parchment paper
• Set of mixing bowls
• Fine mesh strainer (optional, but encouraged)
• Cake bands (optional, but encouraged. See note below.)
• Cooling racks
• Stand mixer, hand mixer, or a whisk
• Cake round (a cardboard circle for holding cakes. Optional, but encouraged)
• Cake stand (optional, but encouraged)
• Offset spatula (optional, but encouraged)

 Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325F with a rack in the center position. Prepare your cake bands*. Cut parchment paper rounds to fit the bottom of your pans. Butter your pans, place the parchment paper and press it into the butter so it sticks, then button the tops of the parchment paper and dust the entire inside of the pan lightly with flour. Tap out any excess flour. 
2. Add the cocoa powder, sugar, salt, flour and baking soda to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Sift your flour mixture into a separate bowl to make sure you’ve broken up any clumps (the cocoa powder tends to clump). Mix again to make sure the dry ingredients are homogeneous and set aside. 
3. Combine your espresso powder and boiling water in a small bowl and set aside to brew (or make your hot coffee/espresso). In a medium bowl add the vanilla extract, oil, and espresso mixture and whisk lightly. Pour one third of the oil mixture into your flour mixture and whisk until all of the liquid is absorbed. Then repeat that 2 more times until the liquids are fully incorporated into the dry ingredients. Add your eggs and whisk until fully combined. 
4. Pour half the mixture into each cake round. Pick up each pan about 3in off the counter and drop the pan straight down to knock out any extra air bubbles. Repeat this 2-3 times. Wrap the rounds with cake bands and place in your 325F oven for 35-min.
5. While your cake is baking, place whatever mixing bowl and beaters or whisk you plan to use for whipped cream in the freezer to chill (minimum of 20-min before making your whipped cream). At the end of the 35-min remove the cakes from the oven and set aside on cooling racks to cool completely before removing them from the pan.
6. Add the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract to your chilled mixing bowl and whisk on medium speed until you get soft peaks (over whipped cream turns into butter, so keep an eye on it!). If your cake is completely cooled, move ahead to decorating the cake. If your cake is not completely cooled, cover your whipped cream with plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge until the cake is cool (a hot cake will melt your whipped cream).
7. Place the flattest side of one of your cakes down on the cardboard cake round or the plate you plan to serve it on (moving an assembled cake is much harder than moving parts of a cake). Add a thin layer of whipped cream on top and spread evenly (offset spatulas are great for this). Then add a thin layer of your strawberries on top of the whipped cream. Place your second cake, upside down so the flattest part is facing up, on top of your whipped cream and strawberries and top with the remaining whipped cream. Evenly distribute your remaining strawberries along the outer edge of the cake with the narrow ends pointing outwards. Enjoy!  

 *if using fabric cake bands, soak them in cool water. If using commercial cake bands that don’t need any prep, you’re all set. If you don’t have cake bands, Take a few long pieces of aluminum foil (long enough to wrap around the sides of your pan) and crinkle them up so they make a thick-ish log you can wrap around your pans later.

Note: You can easily buy some cake bands on Amazon, but they’re equally as easy to make at home. Just take some old towels or t-shirts and cut a few 1 ¼ in wide strips and stitch the ends together so they are long enough to wrap around your cake pans at least once (twice doesn’t hurt). There you go! They’ll last you years and you’ll use them every time you bake a cake.