The Best Chocolate Cake (Ever)

No, your eyes do not deceive you, two chocolate recipes in a row! Recently, for my mom's birthday, I made a simple chocolate cake topped with chopped strawberries-- and it was a hit. This is hands down the best chocolate cake I have ever made. It's fudgy, rich, light, fluffy, and moist all at the same time! As I was on a pinch and didn't have cocoa powder on hand, I substituted with some melted chocolate, which made the cake even richer and delicious. Whatever the occasion may be, whether it's a birthday bash or girl's (or boy's) night in, this is sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Ingredients: (original recipe from Add a Pinch)

- 2 cups all purpose flour

- 2 cups sugar

- 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

- 2 tsp. baking powder

- 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

- 1 tsp. salt

- 1 tsp. espresso powder

- 1 cup milk (can be substituted with almond milk, coconut milk)

- 1/2 cup vegetable, canola, or melted coconut oil (preferably a non-flavored oil)

- 2 eggs

- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

- 1 cup warm water

Directions:

First, set the oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and greasing your cake pans with baking spray or butter and flouring or using parchment paper. For this recipe, I used two 9-inch cake pans, which worked out perfectly.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave or over the stove if you choose to use chocolate instead of cocoa powder. Add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder (if you choose to use it), baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder to a large bowl and whisk together until everything is well combined. Add the milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to the bowl and stir to combine. Mix in water slowly -- the batter will be pretty liquidy at this point, and that's ok! Pour the cake batter into the pans and bake in the oven for about 35-40 minutes. Set aside to cool and enjoy!

Note:

The unsweetened cocoa powder can be substituted with semisweet/bittersweet chocolate. Make sure it is cool before adding with the milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla.