Spicy Chocolate Cake

A hand spreading frosting onto the top of the stacked cake layers.

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5 from 1 vote

A rich and decadent chocolate cake spiced with cinnamon and cayenne.

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: slices

Calories: 712kcal

Author: Liz Pollio

Equipment

medium mixing bowl
small mixing bowl
stand or hand mixer
2 9" cake pans if you only have one, you can make one layer at a time

Ingredients

Cake

2 sticks butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt Diamond Crystal
¾ cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon espresso powder
2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon cayenne
1 cup milk

Frosting

2 sticks butter melted
1 ½ cups cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cayenne adjust to taste
1 teaspoon cinnamon adjust to taste
4 cups powdered sugar
½ cup milk

Instructions

Cake

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Spray two 9" cake pans with non-stick spray, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, then spray the parchment with non-stick spray.
Beat butter and sugar.
Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour through cayenne (the dry ingredients).
Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk to the egg mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.
Divide evenly between the two cake pans and bake 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Cool in the cake pan for approximately 5 minutes, then move cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting

Combine butter, cocoa powder, vanilla, and spices.
Alternate adding in powdered sugar and milk until icing is desired consistency.
Continue adding cinnamon and cayenne until desired heat level is achieved.
Place one of the cake layers on your serving dish, then pipe or spread a layer of frosting on top of the cake.
Place the second cake layer on top of the icing layer, and pipe or spread another layer of frosting on top.
Cover the sides of the cake with frosting if desired, then cut, serve, and enjoy!

Notes

For cupcakes, replace the cake pans with lined cupcake pans. This recipe will make 24 cupcakes.

For cake pans larger than 9", reduce your bake time. For cake pans smaller than 9", increase your bake time. For much smaller cake pans, bake a few extra smaller cakes and make this a layer cake. The batter should not be too deep in the cake pans.

Two 8x8 baking dishes can replace the two round cake pans.

The provided nutrition facts are an approximation.

Nutrition