Suzanne's Chocolate Cake

Rich, moist, three-layer chocolate cake with a butter cocoa frosting. An easy chocolate cake recipe from scratch.

Best Scratch Chocolate Cake
Elise Bauer

Homemade Chocolate Cake With a Story

My friend Suzanne served in the Peace Corps for two years in Kenya in the late Eighties. The Peace Corps at that time published a recipe book for their volunteers that provided a recipe for how to make chocolate cake. It was special in that one could mix it in one pot, use vegetable oil, which was more readily available than butter, and cook in the same pot over a charcoal brazier.

Suzanne perfected the recipe, especially for cooking over the brazier, and since she had the only home for miles around with a cement floor, a tin roof, and good water, she would often play hostess to nearby volunteers and serve them this chocolate cake (usually sans frosting).

Once Suzanne returned to the States, she then spent months of trial and error, and several burnt chocolate cakes, to adjust the recipe for the best chocolate cake (oven-cooked with layering and frosting). It is now her family's favorite cake, which they dub "Kenya Cake". A rich, easy to make chocolate cake, with a great history. Thanks so much Suzanne!

Suzanne's Chocolate Cake

Total Time 0 mins
Servings 16 slices
Yield 1 3-layer cake

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

  • 2 2/3 cups sugar

  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa

  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons water

  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons canola oil

  • 5 large or 4 extra large/jumbo eggs

  • 3/4 cups water

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

For the frosting:

  • 1 box powdered sugar (1 pound or 454 grams)

  • 3/4 cups cocoa (use Van Houten, Droste, or other dark, high quality alkalized unsweetened cocoa)

  • A flavoring liquid (water, vanilla, rum, cognac, kirsch, or amaretto)

  • 1 1/2 cups butter, firm, not cold, not too soft

Special Equipment

  • Stand mixer
  • 3 (10-inch) cake pans
  • Food processor

Method

Cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Mix the dry ingredients together:

    In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and cocoa.

  3. Add part of the water and canola oil:

    Add 1 cup and 2 tablespoons of water and 1 cup and 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Mix for 1 minute.

  4. Add the eggs, remaining water, and vanilla:

    Add eggs, 3/4 cup of water, vanilla. Mix 5 to 6 minutes with a whisk, 3 to 4 minutes with a hand mixer, or 2 minutes with a KitchenAid mixer.

  5. Bake:

    Pour into three 10" cake pans, bake at 350°F for 25 to 35 minutes (adjust for convection); test by placing and removing a toothpick through the center at 25 minutes. When toothpick comes out clean, loosen from pans and then put back in the pans.

  6. Cool then freeze the cakes:

    Let cakes cool for 15 minutes. Keep in the pans, wrap in foil, and put in the freezer for at least 2 hours.

    Frosting
  7. Combine the powdered sugar and cocoa powder:

    This part is a little harder as it is really done to taste.

    Put powdered sugar and 3 cocoa into a food processor. Pulse until blended.

  8. Drizzle in the flavoring liquid:

    Drizzle in, until about the consistency of firm butter, several tablespoons of flavoring liquid (water if you aren't looking for flavor beyond the cocoa and butter). To not put in too much liquid, but if you do, add more cocoa or sugar. Taste. When the flavor and consistency is right,

  9. Add the butter:

    Add 1 1/2 cup of butter (firm, not cold and not too soft). A good rule of thumb is that both the butter and the sugar mixture should be slightly firmer than you would want it to be to spread it, since the mixing action of the food processor will warm it slightly. Pulse until blended.

  10. Frost the cake:

    Remove the cakes from the freezer and from their pans. Stack, frosting each layer as you go. Let sit for an hour before serving.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
679 Calories
35g Fat
85g Carbs
6g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories 679
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 35g 45%
Saturated Fat 13g 63%
Cholesterol 98mg 33%
Sodium 498mg 22%
Total Carbohydrate 85g 31%
Dietary Fiber 3g 9%
Total Sugars 61g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 31mg 2%
Iron 5mg 27%
Potassium 51mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.