Jessica Lacombe’s Chocolate Cake
Jessica has been using this recipe for the Erin Fair since 2005, taking first prize three times and third prize once in the Chocolate Layer Cake with Icing competition. She…

Jessica has been using this recipe for the Erin Fair since 2005, taking first prize three times. Photo by Pete Paterson
Jessica has been using this recipe for the Erin Fair since 2005, taking first prize three times and third prize once in the Chocolate Layer Cake with Icing competition. She uses the same recipe to enter the Chocolate Cake with Date Filling and Chocolate Icing competition, which she has also won three times, as well as coming in second and third on two other occasions.
Jessica started entering the Erin Fair baking contests when she was 10 years old. Now, as an adult baker, she wins 25 to 30 ribbons each year. In 2010, she won the Gladys Keeler Silver Platter for best baker, and has won the Gladys Keeler Queen of the Fair bakers’ plaque for seven years running.
Jessica Lacombe’s Chocolate Cake
Type
Dessert
Ingredients
Chocolate cake
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk or soured milk
- 1 cup strong coffee
Chocolate butter cream
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 4 cups icing sugar
- 1⁄3 cup half-and-half cream
- 2⁄3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Mix together with your hands until all the lumps are out of the sugar and cocoa powder.
- Set aside.
- In another bowl mix eggs and oil well.
- Add the buttermilk, then slowly add the strong coffee.
- When combined, add to the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Pour into a 10" springform pan.
- Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- For the Chocolate butter cream
- In a mixer, cream butter, then add 2 cups of the icing sugar, combine until well mixed and smooth.
- Add half the cream and blend.
- Sift the cocoa powder with the remaining 2 cups of icing sugar and add to the mixer.
- Once combined add the rest of the cream and 1 tsp of vanilla.
- If you want it a little thinner, add a bit more cream.
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