Salted Dark Chocolate Cake Recipe (with Video)

Make the Dark Chocolate Cake Batter and bake the cake
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and position a rack in the center of the oven
2. Lightly grease an 8-inch round cake pan with cooking spray, then line the bottom with parchment paper and lightly grease the paper
3. Whisk together the coffee and cocoa until there are no lumps remaining and set aside to cool to room temperature
4. Whisk together the flaxseed meal and water in a medium bowl and chill in the fridge until the mixture firms up, about 5 mins
5. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl
6. In the bowl with the flax egg, add the vegetable oil, vanilla, oat milk, and brown sugar, and whisk to combine
7. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until smooth
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake the cake for 35-40 mins, until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean, with a few moist crumbs attached
9. Allow the cake to cool for about 30 mins in the pan, then invert it onto a wire rack and allow it to cool completely, at least 2 hours
10. Note: Cake can be made ahead up to 2 days in advance and kept in the fridge, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, until ready to use
Frost and finish the cake
1. Once the cake is cool, top with as much frosting as you would like, and spread the frosting evenly over the cake
2. To make the decorative swirl in the images above, I used a rotating turntable: first spread the frosting in an even layer over the cake, then, starting at the outer edges, firmly press an offset spatula into the frosting to "dig" a spiral, working inward until you finish in the center
3. Sprinkle the flaky sea salt around the edge of the cake; focus the large flakes in 3-5 clusters and fill in the gaps with smaller flakes
4. Serve the cake at room temperature
5. Note: Frosted cake keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days covered tightly in plastic wrap; allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving