Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I baked a lot of cakes when I was a kid growing up. I always enjoyed baking and eating both yellow and chocolate cakes, with either a white-colored or chocolate frosting. If the cake was yellow, I preferred a chocolate frosting. If the cake is chocolate, I enjoy the contrast provided by a lighter-colored frosting, but I also love the more classic chocolate on chocolate.

This recipe is for a fairly easy-to-make homemade chocolate cake, with a lighter-colored cream cheese frosting on the outside.

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Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I baked a lot of cakes when I was a kid growing up. I always enjoyed baking and eating both yellow and chocolate cakes, with either a white-colored or chocolate frosting. If the cake was yellow, I preferred a chocolate frosting. If the cake is chocolate, I enjoy the contrast provided by a lighter-colored frosting, but I also love the more classic chocolate on chocolate.

This recipe is for a fairly easy-to-make homemade chocolate cake, with a lighter-colored cream cheese frosting on the outside.

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Cake:

• 18 Tbsp (2 sticks plus 2 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 1.5 cups water
• 8 oz dark chocolate bar with 50-70% cacao, roughly chopped
• 1.25 cups white granulated sugar
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp Hellmann’s mayonnaise
• 255 g (about 2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 5 Tbsp cocoa powder
• ½ tsp Kosher salt

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 8 oz (1 package) Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
• 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup white confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp Kosher salt

Instructions 

For the Chocolate Cake:

• Grease a 9” round baking pan with butter.
• Line the bottom of the 9” round pan with a circular piece of parchment paper that fits snugly on the inside of the pan.
• Set the greased pan with parchment paper aside for once your cake batter is mixed.
• Preheat your oven to 350F.
• Heat the 1.5 cups water in a small pot on the stove until it is simmering.
• Remove the simmering water from the heat, and add the chopped dark chocolate and the softened butter.
• Stir until the chocolate and butter are melted and fully mixed with the water.
• Pour the chocolate and water and butter mixture into a large mixing bowl.
• Add the white granulated sugar, and whisk until fully combined.
• Add the whole eggs and the egg yolk, and whisk until the eggs are fully incorporated and emulsified in the wet mixture.
• Whisk in the vanilla extract and Hellmann’s mayonnaise.
• In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and Kosher salt.
• Add these mixed dry ingredients into your larger mixing bowl with the wet ingredients.
• Stir until you have mixed the flour fully into the rest of the batter.
• Pour the liquid batter into the greased 9” baking pan that you lined with parchment paper earlier.
• Bake in your preheated 350F oven for roughly 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake.
• Allow the cake to cool at room temperature for roughly 30 minutes.
• Remove the cake carefully from the pan, and remove the parchment paper.
• Allow the cake to fully cool at room temperature, roughly 60-90 minutes.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• While the chocolate cake is cooling, it is time to make the cream cheese frosting.
• To make the cream cheese frosting, use a stand mixer or electric mixer to whisk together the softened cream cheese, softened butter, confectioner’s (powdered) sugar, vanilla extract, and Kosher salt.
• Whisk until the ingredients are fully whipped and light and airy.
• Set the whipped cream cheese frosting mixture aside for when you cake is cooled.
• When your cake has fully cooled, carefully spread an even layer of the cream cheese frosting over the exterior of the cake.
• Save any leftover cream cheese frosting to make some homemade cinnamon rolls the following morning.
• Cut and serve your frosted chocolate cake when ready, with scoops of vanilla ice cream.

Notes

The chocolate cake is best made a few hours in advance of serving, as it needs time to cool down before you can apply the frosting.