A dark chocolate bundt cake dusted with powdered sugar on a decorative ceramic plate, with a bowl of red cherries in the background on a wooden table.

Beatty's Chocolate Cake

From the Kitchen

This recipe may sound familiar because it comes from Ina Garten and first appeared in Barefoot Contessa at Home. It has become one of her most beloved recipes over the years, and after making it for nearly twenty years myself, I understand why.

I’ve been making this chocolate cake since 2006, when I first discovered it in Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa at Home. Twenty years later, it remains the only chocolate cake recipe I use. Moist, deeply chocolatey, and remarkably dependable, it turns out beautifully every single time.

I am not actually much of a chocolate person. Given the choice, I will almost always reach for vanilla cake instead. My daughter, however, loves chocolate in every form, which means this cake has made regular appearances in our kitchen for years.

What first caught my attention was an unexpected ingredient: a cup of hot, freshly brewed coffee stirred into the batter just before baking. At the time it seemed unusual, but after the first bite I was convinced. The coffee doesn’t make the cake taste like coffee—it simply deepens the chocolate flavor and creates a richness that is hard to match.

Over the years I’ve served it with homemade whipped cream, summer berries, and even the chocolate frosting from the original recipe. But if I’m being honest, I think it is at its best with nothing more than a dusting of powdered sugar, a spoonful of macerated strawberries, and a cold glass of milk.

Some recipes earn their reputation. This one earns its place in the recipe box.

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cups good-quality cocoa powder (Ina recommends Valrhona)
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk, well shaken
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans. (I use a standard bundt pan if I don't plan on making icing and spray with nonstick baking spray).
  2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined.
  3. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ones. With the mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just until combined, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
  4. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. (If using the bundt pan, cooking time will be closer to 60 minutes). Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely. (Don't worry if the cake sinks slightly in the center- this is normal.)
  5. Once cooled completely, frost with your favorite frosting or dust with powdered sugar.