A Great Chocolate Cake

We celebrated Daughter Sarah's birthday last Friday and there is nothing better to celebrate birthdays with than a chocolate cake. She's way past the 10 candles on the cake and once attaining the age of 18, we stop putting a candle on for each year. Except for those special birthdays of 30, 40, 50 and up!
Surprisingly, Daughter Sarah does not have a favorite cake although she does have favorite desserts -- tiramisou is one -- cheesecake another. But chocolate cake is good and goes so well with ice cream (vanilla bean, please). And this chocolate cake recipe is great!
Another recipe from the Barefoot Contessa, this one from Barefoot Contessa At Home. It's called Beatty's Chocolate Cake. One of those recipes that's given a name and as it is passed from one to another the name sticks.

Whatever it is called, it is one great chocolate cake.

BEATTY'S CHOCOLATE CAKE

Butter for greasing the pans
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus
more for the pans
2 cups sugar
¾ cup good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
½ cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Chocolate Frosting (recipe follows)


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, the butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With the mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place one layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake