Grandma’s Chocolate Cake
Get ready for the most decadent, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate cake you’ve ever tasted! This isn’t just any chocolate cake – it’s the kind that makes people close their eyes and sigh with happiness at first bite.

What makes this cake truly special is the combination of both melted chocolate and hot coffee in the batter.
The coffee doesn’t make it taste like mocha – it actually intensifies the chocolate flavor, creating layers of rich, complex sweetness that’ll make your taste buds dance.

Ingredients

For the Cake:
- 4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate (or 1/3 cup chocolate chips)
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup boiling water
- 2 eggs
- 1 ¾ cups sugar
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup hot coffee
For the Frosting:
- ½ cup butter (room temperature)
- 2 tbs milk
- 1 ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 2 oz baking chocolate (melted)
- 1 tsp vanilla

Steps

- Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease two 8-inch cake pans.
- In a saucepan, combine chocolate and butter with boiling water. Heat over medium, stirring until smooth, then remove from heat.
- Beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until creamy and well combined. Pour into chocolate mixture and stir well.
- Sift flour, baking powder, and baking soda together in a separate bowl – don’t skip this step!
- Gradually add dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture, alternating with hot coffee. Mix until smooth.
- Pour batter evenly into prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- For frosting, beat all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Wait until cake is completely cool before frosting.

Smart Swaps
- Replace butter with applesauce (1:1 ratio) for a lighter version
- Use almond milk instead of regular milk in frosting for dairy-free option
- Sub coconut sugar for regular sugar (1:1 ratio) for a lower glycemic option
Make It Diabetes-Friendly
- Replace sugar with Swerve or monk fruit sweetener (1:1 ratio) – reduces carbs by 24g per slice
- Use almond flour instead of regular flour (1:1 ratio) – reduces carbs to 8g per slice
- Add 1 tsp xanthan gum if using almond flour to maintain texture
- Serve with fresh berries to help balance blood sugar response
- Keep portions to 1/12 of cake (approximately 2×2 inches)
Pro Tips
- Room temperature eggs create a fluffier cake texture
- Don’t overmix after adding flour – this prevents tough cake
- Cool cake layers upside down for perfectly flat tops
- Freeze layers for 30 minutes before frosting to prevent crumbs