Chocolate Cake

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🥄 Instructions:

1. Preheat & prep:
   Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour your baking pan, or line with parchment.
2. Mix dry ingredients:
   In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Add wet ingredients (except coffee):
   Add eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Mix until combined.
4. Add hot coffee:
   Gradually stir in hot coffee. Batter will be thin — that’s okay! It’s what makes the cake extra moist.
5. Bake:
   Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Cool:
   Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

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🍫 Optional Chocolate Frosting:

Ingredients:

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ⅓ cup cocoa powder
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 2–3 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:
Beat butter and cocoa until creamy. Add sugar, milk, and vanilla. Beat until fluffy. Add more milk if needed for spreading.

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🍰 Tips:

• Add a handful of mini chocolate chips to the batter for extra richness.
• For layers: Double the recipe and bake in two 9-inch pans.
• Want it dairy-free? Use almond milk + lemon juice instead of buttermilk and vegan butter for the frosting.

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Would you like a super-easy blender version or a one-bowl “melt-and-mix” chocolate cake next?