Cake is a delicious dessert, which many people love and is used in many celebrations. It is stated that if a cake is not cut, the celebration has not been completed. There are many ways to get a cake; either purchase one, or in this case, bake one. There is nothing better than the smell of a freshly baked cake. 
Even though making cake is common, many people choose to use box mixes; however, with a few simple steps, a delicious homemade cake from scratch “will always take the cake.” There are many ingredients and many steps that are involved in making one. To begin the process, gather the ingredients: three eggs, one cup of sugar, half a teaspoon of buttermilk, a cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, a single stick of unsalted butter, a quarter teaspoon of salt, and a three-quarter cup of flour.
After everything has been gathered, combine all the wet ingredients into a mixing bowl and use a hand mixer, set on low-medium, to combine them. Now, grab a second mixing bowl and combine all the dry ingredients. Use a whisk to slowly mix them up. After mixing both the dry and wet ingredients in their separate bowls, it is now time to combine them. Take the bowl that has the dry ingredients in it and slowly add it to the wet ingredients; now use the hand mixer on low each time a small portion of the dry ingredients are added. Continue this process until both batters have been mixed. 
After mixing all the ingredients, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Next, grab a 13x9 baking pan and spray it down with non-stick cooking spray; this makes sure that the cake will not stick to the pan when it is done. After that is done, combine all the wet ingredients into a mixing bowl and use a hand mixer, set on low-medium, to combine them.
By this point, the baking process is almost done. Now, slowly pour the batter into the non-stick pan. To make sure that the cake bakes evenly, pick the pan up just half an inch from the countertop and carefully drop it back down. This will ensure that the cake batter evens out.    
After putting the batter in the pan, it is now time to place it in the oven. The cake will need to bake between 30-35 minutes. Be sure to check on the cake every five minutes to make sure it does not burn. To test if it is done, simply stick a toothpick in the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, then it is ready. If needed, bake for two more minutes. After it is taken out of the oven, let it cool for five minutes in the pan. Once it has  
cooled, remove the cake from the pan and place it on a wire rack so it can completely cool.  
Now it is time to give this cake a makeover. Some people prefer buttercream icing, but cream cheese frosting is more stable, gives more coverage and it makes it easier to decorate. Whipped cream icing needs to be refrigerated and can have problems with separation. With buttercream, be careful about how much butter is added. If too much is added, it can become too thick, and if too little is added then it will not mix correctly. To make the frosting, gather sixteen ounces of cream cheese, one stick of unsalted butter, half a cup of powdered sugar, half a teaspoon of salt and two teaspoons of vanilla extract. Using a stand mixer, combine the cream cheese and butter until they are smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar until the mixture is smooth. Then finally mix in the salt and vanilla extract. Add milk if the frosting is too thick. 
Here comes the fun part: decorating. This will happen after the cake has cooled, and the frosting has been made. Take the cooled cake and place it on a serving platter. After it has been placed on the platter, grab a metal decorating spatula and dip it in the frosting. Now, to get an even coating on the cake start at the top and work down to the bottom. While doing this, do not put globs of frosting on it and just messily decorate it. No, start by putting medium-sized amounts of frost in it, while slowly spreading it around. This way the frosting is spread out evenly and the cake looks amazing. 
Because of this, you are now officially an expert baker in making a chocolate cake. Even though the process was long, you now can make or create your own desserts. The ingredients, capability to monitor many elements, and devotion are all you need to make a delicious cake.