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Moist Potato Chocolate Cake

This is a rich chocolate cake with mashed potato to make it moist! It goes great with your favorite chocolate cream cheese frosting.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Course lunch/dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 8 people
Calories 3364 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Electric Mixer Stand or hand-held for creaming and mixing.
  • 2 8-inch Round Cake Pans Ensure they are well-greased and floured.
  • 1 Large Mixing Bowl For preparing the cake batter.
  • 1 Fine-mesh Sieve For sifting dry ingredients to prevent lumps.
  • 1 Wire Rack For cooling the cakes evenly after baking.

Ingredients
  

Main

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 1 ounce squares bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 ½ cups white sugar
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • ¾ cup mashed potatoes
  • ⅓ cup milk room temperature

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
  • Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Melt the bittersweet chocolate in a cup or small bowl in the microwave, stirring every 15 seconds, until smooth. Warm mashed potatoes in microwave until room temperature (or cool freshly mashed potatoes).
  • Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Mix in the mashed potatoes and melted chocolate. Pour in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing until just incorporated. Pour the batter into prepared pans, smoothing the surface if needed.
  • Bake in the preheated oven until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on a wire rack.

Notes

For optimal results, ensure all dairy, eggs, and mashed potatoes are at room temperature. This helps create a smooth emulsion and prevents the batter from curdling, leading to a more uniform and tender crumb. When melting bittersweet chocolate, use short microwave bursts (15-20 seconds), stirring in between, to prevent scorching. Avoid overmixing the batter once the dry ingredients are added; mix only until just incorporated to prevent gluten development, which can result in a tough cake. A meticulously greased and floured pan is crucial for easy release of this moist cake. Consider adding a teaspoon of espresso powder to the dry ingredients to deepen the chocolate flavor without imparting a coffee taste.