Skip to content

Robert St. John

Restaurateur, author, enthusiastic traveler, & world-class eater.

The Ultimate Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

Cake
1 ¾ cake flour
¾ cup cocoa (preferable Dutch processed)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
¾ cup melted butter
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup brewed coffee, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling
1 1½ cups semisweet chocolate pieces
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
¾ cup powdered sugar

Frosting
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter 2 (8-inch) cake pans and line with parchment. Butter the parchment and flour pans, shaking out the excess. 

Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Reserve. 

In a mixer with a whip attachment, beat eggs and sugar until thick and lemon-colored. Beat in the melted butter. Alternately add dry ingredients with buttermilk, scraping the bowl once or twice. Add the coffee and vanilla to form a thin batter. Divide between prepared cake pans. 

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Invert onto cooling racks, peel off paper and cool completely.

When cool, split each cake in half with a serrated slicing knife. Freeze the layers for 1 hour before assembling the finished cake. Make the filling and icing while the layers are freezing.

Place the first layer on a cake serving dish and spread a thin layer of the filling evenly over the cake. Repeat this process until you have the layers assembled, spread the icing over the top layer and around the sides.

Serve with Caramel Ribbon Ice Cream.

Filling

Place the chocolate in a double boiler and heat until completely melted. While the chocolate melts, use an electric mixer with a wire whip attachment to beat together the cream cheese and powdered sugar. Beat until it is light and fluffy. Allow the melted chocolate to cool slightly, then drizzle it into the cream cheese mixture and continue beating until the filling is cool. This spreads best if used immediately.

Frosting

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler. Use an electric mixer with a wire whip attachment to cream together the butter and powdered sugar. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla extract and beat until light and fluffy. As with the filling, this spreads best if used immediately.

Recent Recipes

Grilled Tripletail with Lump Crab and Chive Beurre Blanc

Tripletail has always been my favorite Gulf fish. The old-timers used to say, "If you can see a tripletail, you can catch a tripletail." They have this peculiar habit of floating near the surface around buoys, crab traps, and other floating objects, often lying on their sides and appearing almost lifeless. This behavior makes them easy to spot and, if you're quick with your cast, easy to hook. The meat is mild, white, and flaky—perfect for grilling. Pairing it with lump crab and a chive beurre blanc elevates this dish to something truly special.

Read more

Potato Gratin

Potatoes are the one vegetable I could never give up. Fried, roasted, mashed, or scalloped—doesn’t matter, they’re always on the table in one form or another. This gratin is my favorite way to make them feel a little more special. It’s rich, creamy, and just decadent enough to make it feel like you’re putting in some extra effort. There’s a good bit of cheese in this recipe, but that’s exactly how it should be. The combination of sharp white Cheddar, gruyere, and Parmesan gives it the perfect balance of nuttiness, creaminess, and tang. And using Yukon gold potatoes instead of russets makes a big difference. They have just the right amount of starch to get creamy without getting mushy. This dish is a showstopper on the holiday table, but I’d eat it on a random Tuesday without hesitation.

Read more

Orange Cranberry Muffins

These muffins are like Christmas morning in a bite—bright, citrusy orange paired with tart, bursting cranberries. The combination feels like something you'd find in a festive basket dropped off by a thoughtful neighbor. Perfect for Christmas gift giving or to have on hand for guests throughout the holiday.

Read more