Black Magic Cake

A Facebook ad for this recipe has been mocking me for several months. It just hangs out on the side of my News Feed, repeatedly telling me that it's the "Best Chocolate Cake Ever!" I finally gave in and decided to make it for my husband's birthday. Well, I don't know about it being the absolute "Best" -- but it's definitely magical!

The secret is the use of cooled coffee as the liquid. It enhances the chocolate and adds richness but doesn't overwhelm you with coffee flavor. In fact, you don't even taste the coffee!

Use decaf coffee if you're worried about too much caffeine.

Black Magic Cake
Source: Adapted from Just a Pinch

For the cake:
1¾ cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
¾ cup cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup strong black coffee, cooled
1 cup rice milk
½ cup canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the chocolate frosting:
½ cup MSPI-friendly margarine, room temperature (See Note.) 

⅓ MSPI-friendly chocolate chips, melted and cooled

3 cups powdered sugar

3 tbsp. rice milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract 

Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Add eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Beat at medium speed for two minutes. Batter will be thin.

Pour batter into a greased and floured 9x13 pan or two 9-inch cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes for a 9x13, or 30-35 minutes for layer pans.

Combine frosting ingredients and mix with a hand or stand mixer until light and fluffy. Spread frosting on cooled cakes. Decorate as desired. ... I used MSPI-friendly chocolate chips to make it extra purty. :)

Note: You can substitute shortening for the margarine. Palm shortening is completely soy-free.

Tip: This recipe actually reminds me quite a bit of my Wacky Cake recipe, but the Wacky Cake is even simpler. Try substituting 1 cup of cooled coffee for 1 cup of water in the Wacky Cake recipe. My mom does this all the time when she makes the cake. So good!