Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Frosting

This Chocolate Buttermilk Cake is moist, rich, and easy to make. The frosting is EVERYTHING - it spreads itself, and tastes amazing! Perfect for any occasion, or just because you want chocolate cake! 

I love old fashioned cakes. I'll always opt for skipping the boxed mixes in favor of fresh ingredients, like this Old Fashioned Carrot Cake made with real carrots. I especially enjoy cakes that include buttermilk frostings like this Lemon Cake. 

But the ULTIMATE is an old fashioned chocolate cake with a buttermilk frosting. 

What could be better? Nothing.

This Chocolate Cake is my ultimate favorite cake. It's moist, chocolaty, and just perfect for any occasion that calls for cake. Trust me, once you try this chocolate cake, it will be on your list of favorite desserts!

Why You Will Love This Chocolate Buttermilk Sheet Cake

• Quick and easy: The prep time on this is about 15 minutes. Seriously, it's so easy.
• Rich and chocolaty: The chocolate flavor in this cake is perfection. It's just what you'd expect from a cake.
• Real ingredients: No packaged mixes or frostings with all their additives and preservatives. This is the real deal chocolate cake!

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Chocolate Buttermilk Cake Ingredients

The list of ingredients may seem a bit long, but they're pretty basic to cakes. Also, the frosting contains many of the same ingredients as the cake, so don't be thrown off by what seems like a long list.

FOR THE CHOCOLATE CAKE:

butter

unsweetened cocoa

water

buttermilk

eggs

baking soda 

vanilla extract 

sugar 

all-purpose flour 

salt

FOR THE FROSTING:

butter 

unsweetened cocoa 

buttermilk 

confectioners' sugar 

vanilla extract 

toasted pecans - these are optional, but the frosting is rich. Pecans offer a balance to the sweetness.

How to Make a Chocolate Buttermilk Cake

To make cake:

• Combine butter, cocoa, and water in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until butter is fully melted. Remove from heat.
• Beat buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla extract until smooth. 
• Gradually add melted butter mixture, beating until mixed. 
• Combine sugar, flour, and salt. Add to buttermilk mixture and beat until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake.

To make frosting:

• Combine butter, cocoa, and buttermilk in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth.
• Remove from heat and stir in confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and pecans. Pour over cake while cake is still warm.

Easy as pie! Except, ya know, it's cake. 

Can you freeze a chocolate buttermilk cake?

You can make this cake ahead of time and freeze it. Whether frosted or not, wrap the cake in plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn. Write the date and cake type on the wrapper. 

You can freeze it for up to one month. When it's time to thaw the cake, loosen the wrapping and place in the refrigerator one day before frosting. 

Note: Thawing at room temperature will change the texture from frozen to mushy. Don't do this.

Recipe Notes and Tips for Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Frosting

As with any homemade cake, do not over-mix the batter. Mix only until ingredients are blended. 

The heat from making both the frosting and the cake allow the frosting to pour onto the cake. The other side is that you'll have to wait for all of it to cool before slicing it. Otherwise, the frosting will simply fill the spot where you cut the cake. Be patient. It won't stay warm forever.

You might also like these recipes:

- Lemon Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

- Old Fashioned Carrot Cake

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Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Frosting

Yield: 18

Author: Michelle Cannon

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 45 Min

This Chocolate Buttermilk Cake is moist, rich, and easy to make. The frosting is EVERYTHING - it spreads itself, and tastes amazing! Perfect for any occasion, or just because you want chocolate cake!

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 cup butter cut into pieces or pats
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Frosting

• 1 cup butter
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 (16-ounce) package confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup toasted pecans (optional but this IS a rich frosting, so you might want them)

Instructions

Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9X13-inch pan.
2. Combine 1 cup butter, 1/3 cup cocoa, and 1 cup water in a small saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until butter is fully melted. Remove from heat.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla extract until smooth.
4. Gradually add melted butter mixture, beating until mixed.
5. In a medium bowl, combine sugar, flour, and salt. Add to buttermilk mixture and beat until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until set in the middle.

Frosting

1. Combine butter, cocoa, and buttermilk in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth.
2. Remove from heat and stir in confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and pecans. Pour over cake while cake is still warm.

Notes:

• Mix batter only until ingredients are blended.
• Allow frosting to cool before slicing cake.

Calories

302.93

Fat (grams)

13.97

Sat. Fat (grams)

7.32

Carbs (grams)

42.06

Fiber (grams)

1.17

Net carbs

40.90

Sugar (grams)

29.48

Protein (grams)

3.40

Sodium (milligrams)

186.64

Cholesterol (grams)

49.93

https://www.heartofmichelle.com/2021/01/chocolate-buttermilk-cake-with-frosting.html

Michelle Cannon/The Heart of Michelle

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