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cemetery cake

Cemetery Cake Recipe

Indulge in the rich and decadent Cemetery Cake, a chocolate lover's dream. This simple yet elegant cake is perfect for any occasion and can lift even the weariest of spirits.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Servings 6 Servings
Calories 354 kcal

Equipment

  • oven

Ingredients
  

For the cake:

  • 1 3/4 cups plain or all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup non-skim milk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup boiling water

For the chocolate buttercream:

  • 1 1/8 cups unsalted butter softened
  • 3 3/4 cups soft icing sugar or powdered sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder Dutch processed and sifted
  • 6 tablespoons milk plus more as needed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with the oven rack in the middle position.
  • Grease two 9-inch cake pans with butter, then line the bottoms with parchment paper.
  • Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda into a large bowl.
  • Add the white sugar and salt to the flour mixture, whisking briefly to combine.
  • Add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla extract to the dry mixture and whisk well until lump-free, about 30 seconds.
  • Add the boiling water and whisk to incorporate. The batter should be very thin.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans.
  • Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.
  • Cool the cakes for 10 minutes before turning them out of the pans onto wire racks.

For the chocolate buttercream:

  • While the cakes cool, place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
  • Beat the butter on medium-high speed until pale, about 3 minutes.
  • Add 1/2 of the icing sugar and 1/2 of the remaining cocoa powder and beat, starting slow and gradually increasing the speed to medium-high, about 3 minutes in total.
  • Add the remaining icing sugar and cocoa powder to the butter mixture, beating again for 3 minutes.
  • Add the remaining milk and vanilla extract to the butter mixture, beating again on medium-high speed until incorporated, about 1 minute.

To assemble:

  • Once the cakes have cooled completely, frost them to your taste with the chocolate buttercream.
  • Serve and enjoy!
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