Buttermilk Chocolate Bar Nut Cake

This is the kind of chocolate cake you find in a church cookbook from 1972, complete with a bar-of-chocolate-by-name shortcut. The melted Hershey-style milk chocolate bars and bottled chocolate syrup create a soft, brownie-like crumb you can’t replicate with cocoa powder alone.

Buttermilk is the secret behind that tender, almost squishy texture. Its acidity reacts with the baking soda for lift, while the milk solids keep the crumb moist for days. This cake actually tastes better on day two.

Low and slow is mandatory. The 300°F (150°C) oven and 90-minute bake are deliberate. Higher heat gives you a dry edge and a gummy center. Patience pays off here.

Baking it in a tube pan creates that classic ring shape with a tall, dramatic slice. A simple dusting of powdered sugar is all you need, though a chocolate ganache drizzle takes it over the top.

Serve with cold milk or strong coffee. Vanilla ice cream on a warm slice is a small miracle.

Pro Tips

• Line the tube pan with parchment as the recipe says. The dense batter loves to stick.
• Test for doneness with a long skewer. A toothpick won’t reach the center of a tube cake.
• Cool 20 minutes in the pan before inverting, then cool fully on a rack.
• Wrap tightly in plastic and store at room temperature for 3 days, or freeze whole for up to 3 months.

Variations

• Swap chopped walnuts for pecans or toasted hazelnuts.
• Add 1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder to the batter to deepen the chocolate flavor.
• Drizzle with chocolate ganache and top with flaked sea salt for a modern finish.