Square Chocolate Cake (8x8 Cake)
This moist Square Chocolate Cake is baked in an 8x8 pan and topped with chocolate buttercream. A rich, easy 8 inch square cake recipe for small batch baking.
Servings 16 Squares
Calories 235kcal
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1 1/4 cups (150g) all-purpose flour, scooped & leveled
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar, how to measure brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, or natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 Tbsp instant coffee powder
- 1 cup (240ml) boiling water
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 113 g (1 stick / 1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups (210g) powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, or natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 356ºF (180ºC). Line a square 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, set aside. Note: Alternatively, if you have a non-stick pan, liberally grease it with softened/spreadable butter and dust it with a light layer of cocoa powder. This will leave your finished cake with smooth sides.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium-size mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, both sugars and salt. Whisk until well combined and set aside.
- Sift cocoa powder: In a separate large mixing bowl, sift in the cocoa powder.
- Add coffee powder: Whisk the instant coffee with the cocoa powder.
- Add boiling water: Pour in boiling water and whisk until the cocoa dissolves. Set aside to cool slightly for 10 minutes. If it’s still too warm to the touch, leave it for a further 5 minutes, you don’t want the eggs to curdle when added.
- Add wet ingredients: Pour in olive oil, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk for 40 seconds until well combined.
- Combine wet and dry: Add all of the flour mixture and whisk gently until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, stop as soon as no streaks of flour remain. The batter will be thin.
- Pour into pan: Pour batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake: Bake for 28–30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs.
- Cool: Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Carefully remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before adding the frosting.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Beat Butter: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter for 2 minutes until creamy.
- Sift Sugar & Cocoa: In a separate bowl, sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder to remove any lumps and combine evenly.
- Add Sugar & Cocoa Gradually: Gradually add the sifted mixture to the butter, half a cup at a time, beating well (about 15 seconds) after each addition.
- Add Milk, Vanilla and Salt: Add the milk, vanilla extract and salt, then beat for 1 minute until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Frost Cake: Once the cake is completely cooled, spread the chocolate buttercream evenly over the cake.
- Serve: Cut into squares and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
Store: Keep your cake in an airtight container at room temperature, where it will stay fresh for up to three days.
Freeze: For extended storage, wrap the cake well and freeze it for up to three months.
Thaw: When ready to serve, thaw the cake in the refrigerator overnight or for several hours at room temperature until soft.
Nutrition
Calories: 235kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 86mg | Potassium: 151mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 209IU | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg