Pineapple Chocolate Cake

A vintage two-layer chocolate cake that earns its fluff the old-fashioned way. Cake flour gets sifted three separate times with baking powder, salt, and soda so the batter bakes up feather-light instead of dense.

The secret is the shot of boiling water at the end. It thins the batter just enough to bloom the unsweetened chocolate, dissolving any stubborn cocoa solids and giving the crumb that deep, fudgy color you only get from scratch baking. A full cup and a quarter of sugar balances the bitter bite of the chocolate, while egg yolks alongside a whole egg push the cake closer to silk than sponge.

Beat the butter and sugar until they look pale and almost whipped, add eggs one at a time so the emulsion holds, then alternate flour and milk in small additions. Stop stirring the second the batter smooths out. Overmixing after the flour goes in builds gluten, and gluten is the enemy of tender cake.

Pro Tips

• Bring butter, eggs, and milk to room temperature before starting. Cold ingredients seize the batter and leave streaks in the bake.
• Tap the filled pans on the counter to knock out air pockets before they go in the oven.
• The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter. Residual heat finishes the bake as it cools.
• Cool in the pans 10 minutes, then turn onto racks. Fully cool before frosting or the icing slides right off.

Variations

• Split the layers and fill with whipped cream and fresh raspberries for an easy summer dessert.
• Frost with classic chocolate buttercream or a salted caramel ganache.
• Bake as 24 cupcakes instead, checking at 18 minutes.