Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream

The BEST rich chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream ever!! 

Ingredients:

Cake:

2 cups white sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water OR 1 cup brewed coffee 

Buttercream:

3/4 cup butter (room temperature)

1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

5 1/3 cups powdered sugar

2/3 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cake pans generously with cooking spray. Don't use butter or the cakes will stick.

Combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add the milk, eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla extract and beat with electric mixer on medium for 3 minutes. Add the cup of boiling water slowly while beating with the electric mixer for another couple minutes until smooth. The batter will be very liquidy and soupy. Pour the batter evenly into the pans about 2/3 full. Don't over fill or the batter may overflow in the oven! Bake for 30 minutes, and test with a toothpick to see if they're done.

In another bowl, cream the butter with the electric mixer until it's light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract and beat with electric mixer until smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Cover if not using immediately.

Let the cake cool completely before taking them out of the pans. They are extremely soft so they will break if you don't let them cool enough. Turn the cakes out onto a plate and then frost when completely cool.