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no butter 3 layer chocolate cake

(1 rating)
cookinginillinois avatar
Recipe by
Rose Mary Mogan
@cookinginillinois
Sauk Village, IL

THIS RECIPE IS VERY VERSATILE, YOU CAN MAKE IT INTO CUP CAKES, A SHEET CAKE OR A 3 LAYER AS I HAVE CHOSEN TO DO. I love the idea of basically having 2 bowls, one for the wet ingredients and one for the dry ingredients then combining the two together. It doesn't get much easier than this. I wanted to use my Ghirardelli's Sweet Ground Chocolate Cocoa , and this was the perfect recipe, I added a bit of Expresso to elevate the chocolate flavor, and the fact that there is no butter, and it is still a very moist cake, makes it a REAL WINNING RECIPE WITH MY HUSBAND. He loves layer cakes.

(1 rating)
yield 8 OR MORE DEPENDING ON PORTION SIZES
prep time 15 Min
cook time 30 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For no butter 3 layer chocolate cake

  • 3 c
    all purpose flour
  • 3 c
    sugar
  • 1 c
    ghirardelli cocoa +2 tablespoons
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp
    baking powder
  • 2 tsp
    baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp
    salt
  • 2 tsp
    expresso coffee
  • 1 1/2 c
    sour milk or buttermilk (i used sour milk)
  • 2 Tbsp
    distilled white vinegar (omit if using buttermilk
  • 3/4 c
    canola or olive oil
  • 4 lg
    eggs, room temperature
  • 1 Tbsp
    vanilla bean paste or extract
  • 1 1/2 c
    boiling water

How To Make no butter 3 layer chocolate cake

  • 1
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. YOU WILL NEED 3-EIGHT INCH CAKE PANS for this recipe. You will need two medium to large bowls for this recipe. In the first bowl for the DRY INGREDIENTS, add in the flour, sugar, expresso, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa.
  • 2
    Then stir to mix ingredients together, and set aside till needed.
  • 3
    This is the Sweet Ground chocolate and cocoa powder that I used. I ordered it from Amazon. You may use another brand of cocoa if you so desire.
  • 4
    Into the second bowl , add in the eggs, vanilla bean paste, the canola or olive oil the buttermilk or sour milk, & then add in the hot water, beat together till blended together.
  • 5
    Now add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients in three intervals, beating well after each addition. Note that the cake mixture will be very soupy looking, that is normal.
  • 6
    Spray the three 8 inch cake pans with Bakers joy or grease with butter & dust lightly with flour and divide the cake batter evenly between the 3 cake pans.
  • 7
    Bake in Preheated 350 degree F. oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until cake pulls away from sides of cake pan. Allow to rest for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
  • 8
    Add the first cooled cake onto cake platter, and top with desired frosting. I had canned frosting left over from a catered event, and decided to use vanilla frosting in the middle and chocolate on the top and sides. I only needed 2 cans.
  • 9
    Top first layer with vanilla frosting or frosting of your choice, then spread to edge of cake. Repeat with second layer. Then add third layer and frost with the chocolate frosting, over top and sides of cake. Garnish with fruit if desired or serve as is.
  • 10
    SERVE AND ENJOY. YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE HOW EASY IT IS TO MAKE THIS MOIST AND TASTY CAKE.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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