Chocolate Cake with Mini Chocolate Chips

Steps

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 350°F (180 °C) (175°C (350 °F)). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Lightly flour the sides or coat them with baking spray.

2. 2

   In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined and no cocoa-colored streaks remain.

3. 3

   Add the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Beat with a hand mixer or whisk until the batter is smooth and uniform, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

4. 4

   Pour in the boiling water gradually while mixing on low speed. Continue mixing just until incorporated. The batter will be quite thin; this is expected and helps produce a moist cake.

5. 5

   Add the mini chocolate chips and fold them through the batter with a spatula until they are distributed evenly. Do not overmix.

6. 6

   Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Tap each pan gently on the counter once or twice to release large air bubbles.

7. 7

   Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through if they are on the same oven rack. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, and the tops spring back lightly when touched.

   Start 35-minute timer
8. 8

   Let the cakes cool in their pans for about 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edges, turn the cakes out onto a wire rack, remove the parchment, and cool completely before frosting or serving.

   Start 10-minute timer