One Bowl Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Frosting

Direction :

Preheat oven, prep pans, and combine dry ingredients:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 8-by-2-inch round cake pans; dust with flour, tapping out excess. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add wet ingredients:
Whisk in eggs, buttermilk, water, vanilla, and oil.
Move batter to pans and bake:
Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake until tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 30 minutes.
Cool cakes on rack:
Transfer pans to a wire rack; let cool 15 minutes.
Remove cakes from pans and cool:
Invert cakes onto rack, remove parchment, then turn top-side up (to prevent sticky tops from sticking to rack); let cool completely.
Trim top layer:
For a more refined look, trim the domed top of the cake so it is flat before layering and frosting.
Combine sugar, cocoa, and salt for frosting (optional):
Sift together sugar, cocoa, and salt.
Mix cream cheese and butter:
Beat cream cheese and butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth.
Add sugar-cocoa to butter mixture
Reduce speed to medium-low; gradually add sugar-cocoa mixture, and beat until combined.
Add chocolate:
Pour in chocolate in a slow, steady stream.
Mix in crème fraîche:
Add crème fraîche; beat until combined.
Fill cake with frosting:
Spread 1 1/2 cups frosting over top of one cooled cake layer.
Assemble cake:
Top with remaining layer.
Add crumb coat:
Spread a thin coat (about 1 cup) of frosting over top and sides of cake to create a "crumb coat."
Frost cake:
Refrigerate about 20 minutes, then frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting.