The best chocolate fudge cake ever.

Well, at least we thought it was so good that it became Middle Girl's wedding cake when she recently married her Fisherman. I honestly think the secret to chocolate goodness is adding some coffee to it. (Ina Garten taught that to me...and her zillions of other worshippers...er...viewers) It really adds richness to the flavor. Ina would call it "depth of flavor". This is a chocolate cake for real fans of rich chocolate decadence. 

We tweaked a couple of recipes and then kind of combined them. First, the cake. Now remember, it became the layers for the wedding cake so this recipe was baked several times and then frozen until ready to frost and assemble the morning of the wedding.

CAKE INGREDIENTS

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil 
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup brewed hot coffee

CAKE DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Butter & flour two 9 inch round cake pans.
2. Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
3. Using a mixer on high speed, mix the buttermilk, oil, room temperature eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients with the mixer on low. Add the coffee. The batter will be thin.
4. Pour the batter into prepared baking pans and bake for 21-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before freezing or frosting.

FUDGE FROSTING

• 10 Tablespoons butter
• 1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 5 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-2 teaspoons of espresso powder

FROSTING DIRECTIONS

1. In a saucepan, over low heat, melt butter. Stir in cocoa powder and espresso powder. Mixture will resemble a thick paste. 
2. Transfer chocolate mixture to a large mixing bowl. With mixer on low speed, add in powdered sugar and milk, alternating the two. Reserve a few tablespoons of milk. If frosting is thick, add in remaining milk. Add vanilla extract. 
3. Turn mixer to medium high speed and beat about 5 minutes, until frosting is smooth and creamy. Frost cake. I had to make this recipe a couple of times to cover the whole wedding cake. I'm of the mind that cake is a vehicle for frosting.

I had to make this frosting recipe a couple of times to cover the whole wedding cake. I'm of the mind that cake is a vehicle for frosting.

Finally, we used blackberries and blueberries for garnish. It's summertime and berries just seemed right. But feel free to garnish to your heart's content...I'd seen a Pinterest cake photo that became my inspiration. Lil' girl made a simple blackberry syrup to drizzle down the cake for extra yumminess.