What you will need:

3 large bowls
1 electric mixer (recommended, but optional)
2 9″ round cake pans
4 tbsp solid vegetable shortening (can be replaced with butter or margarine)
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup softened unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup whole milk
1 cup cream
1 cup hot coffee
1/8 cup hot chocolate liqueur
4 oz baking chocolate, melted

A good chocolate cake recipe is hard to come by. One that actually explains in depth how to make the cake, as well as everything you’ll need to do so is even more evasive. Luckily, you need not look any further! This is a recipe I guarantee will satisfy your cake needs and answer all your questions. Put on your apron, clear off a kitchen counter, and let’s get baking!

1. You’d think your first step in baking pretty much anything would be to preheat the oven. If you’d prefer to do so now, go ahead and preheat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and move the rack you’re using to middle of your oven. However, I personally find that preheating at the beginning of a recipe heats up the kitchen more than is comfortable, especially in summer, so I’d suggest preheating near the end of the recipe–I’ll let you know when. Next, grease your pans with solid vegetable shortening or one of the alternatives I mentioned and dust them with 1/4 cup cocoa or flour. Shake out any excess cocoa/flour over your sink. Set the pans aside.

2. Now it’s time to make your first mixture. In a large bowl, combine your remaining 3/4 cup cocoa with your cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set this mixture aside. In another large bowl, beat your softened butter with an electric mixer. Now, add in you white and brown sugar, and beat them with the butter with a large spoon–in case the way someone would go about this process is somewhat confusing, you’re basically just going to mash the sugar and butter with your spoon until it’s all one big sugary, buttery mess (yum!). Now you’re going to set this mixture aside and–you guessed it–get out your last large bowl. In this one, combine your eggs, yolks, olive oil, vanilla, milk, and cream. Once these are sufficiently mixed to the point where your mixture is consistent, stir in your hot coffee, hot coffee liqueur, and melted baking chocolate (I’d suggest melting/heating these in the microwave).

3. Okay, wow! Lots of steps. Finally, you’re going to combine your dry mixture, your butter-sugar mixture, and your egg-coffee mixture–quickly, so the coffee and chocolate liqueur stay hot. Pour the final batter into the prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes. After your cakes are completely cool, you can serve them plain, dusted with powdered sugar, or frosted (if you serve them frosted as a layer cake, be sure to slice off the rounded top of the bottom cake). Enjoy!