Italian Chocolate Cake

Instructions

1. First things first, let’s get everything ready. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and gather a 9-inch round cake pan. Grease it lightly or line it with parchment paper. We want to make sure nothing sticks.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Give it a good whisk to make sure it’s all well mixed and there’s no pesky lumps.
3. In a separate bowl, beat together the sugar, milk, olive oil, and eggs until it’s nice and smooth. Then, stir in the vanilla extract.
4. Now, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined. You don’t want to overmix here; just enough so you don’t see any dry flour.
5. Here’s where it gets a bit special. Carefully add the boiling water to the batter, and mix gently until it’s all incorporated. The batter will be quite thin, but that’s what makes the cake so deliciously moist.
6. Pour the batter into your prepared pan. It should look smooth and ready for the oven.
7. Bake your cake in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs.
8. When done, let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely. This is a great time to make a cup of coffee and relax for a bit.