Thanks for this great recipe. Husband is on a single layer cake (he calls them sheet cakes, even though the ones I make at his request, are not) bender right now. Id LOVE any advice you have. i got 12 standard size cupcakes plus one bigger one, made in a custard cup. I use it so much more often than I ever thought I would. I love the rich chocolate flavor. Confetti sprinkles: I got mine from New York Cake on 22nd Street but, of course, Amazon sells them as well. I halved the frosting but I really liked it. Thank you! My fiance, who was weirdly unenthusiastic about my plan to make it, was on his way to the kitchen for a second piece before he had even finished the first. p.s. I felt bonded to this woman Id never met through your cookbook. Very best wishes from the UK, Jo :-) We had one at Tilth up here in Seattle this last weekend- it had buttermilk, browned butter, hazelnuts and currants and I want to eat there everyday just for this one scone! However, I did substitute a glaze of orange marmalade instead of the buttercream frosting, since I was fresh out of butter, so maybe that sugar balanced it out. Deb- Yes! If you give a cook some frosting. I used KAF Triple Cocoa Blend, which worked well. The color of my baked cake is a lighter brown but the flavor is fantastic. 1.5 Years Ago: Key Lime Popsicles (still a favorite!) Any tips for a frosting I could make with a whisk or does that just not work for frosting? Did freezing work well?? Im not sure which on the bars are but can I use them for the frosting or does it definitely have to be unsweetened chocolate? Glad you enjoyed the cake in the end. Then I went to Copenhagen, staying in a strangers apartment through Airbnb, and your cookbook was in this Danish womans kitchen! Cake I made cupcakes for my daughters birthday. Ive made this a few times and it always seems a little on the dry side. I bought a six inch cake pan last year, and thought Id try halving this recipe to make one six-inch layer. Every time I saw, chocolate, my mouth goes to water. Completely organic and perfect. I halved the sugar in the icing. Simply meant to say I dont have Dutch cocoa, so just used standard. Joining the gym after New Years so this is the week for this cake again. Mmmm yum. I made the cakes in two 6in pans and it took a lot longer than what was written for one 8in square. Then I put the cake in the fridge for 3 hrs until dinner, and when we had it for dessert the frosting had turned it ganache. Letting the batter sit hasnt been a problem for me. Followed the recipe exactly and made 14 cupcakes (baked for 19 minutes). I asked him if we wanted to make the small cake or double it for leftovers and he looked at me like I had 2 heads. My favorite kind of cake is chocolate. Deb, in a very saturated social media food scene, you are one of the OGs and my absolute favorite. I usually melt half of the chocolate (chopped) and stir in the rest until melted. I also included the pinch of salt in the frosting highly recommend. Thank you! My little pregnancy book chimed in, asking if I was craving sweets. My son is attending college on the opposite coast from mine. Made this last night great timing as the boyfriends 35th was yesterday and usually my desserts are too fancy for him. Cake was good too, even though Im not a die hard chocolate lover. Finally made this cake for my mother-in-laws birthday last weekend. In thinking about cutting and layering..? I just made your best birthday cake with the addition of chocolate chips for my fiances birthday, and he requested a chocolate buttercream frosting. I will use this again because it was so creamy and smooth and didnt have that powdered sugar chalkiness or ultra sweet after taste. Divine! Yes, thats totally normal here. I put little chocolate rainbow sprinkles on it which were very charming and made me happier than I expected they would. Made this cake last night. :D. I love all your recipes so when my 4 year old boys asked for chocolate cupcakes this morning (at breakfast none the less) I came right here. In any case, it is excellent. Youll have more icing than you need, but of course, need is relative. Step 4. New baker here. Mainly, you need an acidic ingredient and beer seems to be acidic, from what Ive read. At around 25 weeks with my son, I suddenly craved chocolate after many months of guac, almonds and popsicles. Your recipes are so easy and relate-able, and yet so novel, and your photography is scrumptious. Too late. I dont recommend trying to speed the cooling of the melted chocolate by putting it in the refrigerator though, things can change fast! At 11 weeks, mine are fish (every kind except the rare tuna salad sandwich), risotto or risotto-like creations, and chocolate in most forms. My daughter wishes for a chocolate layer cake filled with chocolate chip ice cream for her birthday next week, and 6 cakes are my familys favorite size. When I went downstairs, I heard my oven timer beeping. The sugar is a bit much so the salt balances the sweetness a bit and enhances the chocolate flavor. 1 Easy Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting 2 The Best Smitten Kitchen Recipes, According to Eater Editors 3 Classic Chocolate Loaf Cake by smittenkitchen | Quick & Easy Recipe 4 Smitten kitchen on Twitter: "My family has been making this 5 S'more Layer Cake - Perry's Plate 6 Everyday Chocolate Cake | Punchfork Directions. Im definitely going to try this recipe! But now I want to make this cake again and again I am in a chocolate cake loop. So easy, and a perfectly chocolate-cake-hankering cake! For once the internet has failed me and I would love to see a video of your technique!!! Hi Deb, Made this cake GF for our babysitter (our policy is to always have something freshly baked for a sitter) by subbing out regular flour for Pamelas all-purpose GF flour. They touted it as something like WORLDS BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE so I saved it and figured wed make it this weekend for our weekly baking project. Have a great one Deb! Made this cake this afternoon when an intense craving for chocolate cake with chocolate frosting hit. I used King Arthur Double Dutch Dark cocoa, which gave the cake wonderful color and flavor. I have extra and my kids dont care for pudding so trying to figure out what to do with it. fatty fat fat. Super hit! Looks amazing, making this today (because quarantine). Baby # 2! Could I make the frosting a raspberry buttercream by putting in raspberry pure instead of chocolate? I also have a non-standard oven (AGA). As it should be.). So tummy and satisfying. Stir one-third of egg-white mixture into chocolate mixture. I needed a piece of chocolate cake so badly that I began to regret every cupcake shop Id ever walked past and not gone in during the height of the mid-aughts cupcake craze. Love that you include the alternatives for the liquid moisture. Exact same pregnancy cravings, as I sit here eating another PB on English muffin. My kids loved it! It actually tasted like chocolate, unlike most bakery cakes that just taste brown. Not sure if you still think this would be worthwhile, but if you were to do it, I would -totally- use it. I upped the amount of chocolate in the frosting to approx 80grams by accident but it tasted delish. Yes, but it is not needed to make this cake tender/plush. If you suggest it, I make it. see? Thoughts on a little white vinegar in regular milk to make buttermilk? Like eat-one-square-in-two-bites perfect. Or have them page by page. I am looking for a chocolate cake to make with raspberry filling, because your double chocolate layer cake has inspired me. I backed it 28 min because 20 min wasnt enough and it became a bit dry. Made with my daughter while snowed in yesterday. Divine- super moist and deeply chocolatey! I have leftover red wine that i thought i would use to make this cake. Things like humidity and elevation can even factor in. :) Yes, that was what I meant by uneven. I baked for exactly 22 minutes in two little pans. Except for the recommended 16-small-square servings, which she thought were deprivingly undersized. It is so not fair that you gave me this craving this late in a very long day. Delicious! Congratulations! Im so surprised. So I added some whole milk until it was smooth enough to spread and then baked it for 25 minutes. I dont change a thing about the recipe. As was my springform. I decided to divide my cake in to two 9 round pans. Whisk . Great cake! Enquiring minds want to know. 2. Four-year-old grandson adds the rainbow sprinkles and heartily endorses it. And as the cake was baking in the oven, I discovered I did not have any unsweetened chocolate. The combination of butter, sugar, sugar, cocoa, buttermilk, cream, and sea salt all in quick list read effectively slayed my weak will power. This is the Cake! I made a berry compote to go with it which paired super well. Could also yield: 1 generously frosted 8-inch or 9-inch round cake, 12 very generously frosted cupcakes, or it could be doubled and baked in a 913-inch pan. Could I have just put everything in with the previously mixed mixture? Did in a 9.5 pie pan, which alters the edge texture a bit, but that was what was on hand! Would you suggest this cake or the fudgy chocolate sheet cake as the cake substitute? The frosting is out of this world amazing, but I thought the cake was not that great. I have been really successful in recreating this recipe( without a mixer too Infact). How much should I decrease the sugar if I use the semisweet chocolate I have? Both work, so it wont matter. Making the coconut cake from your second book, which, like this, has one egg + one yolk. Ive made it in an 8-inch round pan two years in a row for my husbands birthday. I have a fave friend who doesnt make a baking move without you. I have a question about the amount of sugar. Hope that helps and works! For a summer party I baked triple the amount on a large tray, with mascarpone raspberry topping. Dutch-process cocoa (the standard in European brands) differs from natural cocoa (what you have if your cocoa isnt labeled Dutch, or if its an American brand) in that its acidity has been neutralized to form a darker, nuttier cocoa that I prefer. My 13 yo son baked this for our Sunday dinner dessert. Hi Deb I actually found your blog while searching for Apple Tart recipes and accidentally clicked on this Chocolate Cake recipe instead. your salted peanut butter cookies won me a baking competition at work last month, so I thank you for that too :-D Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Now Im craving chocolate cake! Thank you! Thanks for posting- I love your recipes, and especially enjoy the baking ones :) I keep running into the same problem with cake baking though, and I wanted to ask for your advice. Just enough for one ;) Quick question can I use light brown sugar instead of the dark brown? Ive been reading that one shouldnt use Dutch processed cocoa with recipes that contain baking powder or baking soda; apparently recipes with those ingredients use the acidity of natural cocoa to react with and the alkalinity of Dutch process will mess with the product. This cake was fantastic and was so easy to put together. Ill add a note. thanks. Seriously, $4. I adjusted to the 115 g of butter without adjusting for the extra heavy cream. Is there a cream cheese frosting that you would recommend, to go with this cake? Yield Serves 8 to 12 Prep time 10 minutes Cook time 25 minutes to 35 minutes Show Nutrition Ingredients 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch-process 1 cup granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon Thanks, Deb! I cooked a lot back home and im getting nervous starting my cooking adventures here! Are you at high altitude? I used a bit less coconut oil (maybe a big 1/3 cup) and it was perfect. I have one of these babies in the oven right now, perhaps the 6th one in a month. I cant find her recipe anywhere and am excited to try yours to see if I can make the dreams stop! This is a seriously good cake. They baked for about 20 minutes. It might have needed less baking time; it can happen. If it wasnt 8PM right now I would make this cake. also, i love stout in a cake as an option as well. Can I halve this recipe to fit a round six inch cake pan? Thanks! I saw the title and that you started yours really late in the day too. (easier to mix oil batters by hand than to cream butter and sugar properly). . This frosting is HEAVEN. I substituted 1/2 cup of buttermilkkept 1/4 cupfor a Terrapin Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter beer. Its 10pm otherwise Id get it started right now. I have a similar chocolate cake from a post-wartime austerity recipe (only 18g cocoa and a single egg) which assumes 30-35 minutes cooking time. Love the photos of this oneI can smell it and taste it! I really wanted chocolate cake but it was so late. while at target i found star sprinkles for a buck as part of an easter baking end cap display. Looks amazing! However, the frosting saves the day here! How would you adapt this frosting for other flavors? Cake notes: I didnt have buttermilk so I used 3/4 cup thinned (with water) whole milk yogurt. :). File > Print on a Mac Is it wrong that I have that MUST HAVE CHOCOLATE CAKE feeling most nights and Im not even remotely pregnant?! Would this be enough frosting for three layers? I also did simple chocolate ganache instead of buttercream frosting. Its funny I wasnt a cake person (blasphemy, I know donuts were my thing) until I got pregnant, and then one day I was like CAKE. Im the only one here! It was rich but not overwhelming for little mouths and got rave reviews from the grownups too. Aarthi I havent, but it sounds really good. The cake crumb is satisfying, yet really light, and so easy to eat I could imaging scoffing a few slices before realising what had happened! We used m&ms instead. In your opinion, is there a great deal of variation in the taste of the different brands available? Take Care -Iva, Im not going to make this cake right now because its 80 degrees in my house already, but I am filing this recipe away to be used later. Coconut oil works great here so I hope this helps someone else in the making. So good! I loved it! Youll want the full yield of frosting for each layer, especially if youre covering the sides. Not too rich. big apple crumb cake. And we ate this delicious cake, marking time and friendship. Its a very busy page, even with my ad blocker, so itd be nice if you could put up a Print Recipe link or some other manner to make it more legible. and not sure how difficult/easy it is to do. At seven weeks (for the third time), I both totally understand these intense cravings and cant tell if I actually want this cake or not. . This is so totally the wrong place for this, but I will ask anyway. And it is not smack-upside-the-head sweet. Will try a better quality cocoa powder next time tho I used Ghiradelli. I also used cocoa and a little extra butter, with a dash of instant-espresso powder, in the frosting, and did not find it particularly sweet at all, just a good chocolate flavor. Hi Deb. Make these for someone you love today! I decided to look at a recipe anyway. Pizzas, red wine and, to finish off the carb load, this chocolate cake. My question with brown butter in baked goods is always the same: can you taste it? Possible to use oat milk in the frosting instead of cream/whole milk? Thank you so much for sharing!!! In the recipe it states that 1/2 teaspoon sea salt is equivalent to 1/2 teaspoon table salt. Thanks in advance!! 1 large egg yolk SOS i have my boyfriends bday coming up and I know thats what hed love! You and your blog bring me great joy! I cut the 913 into 4 pieces, frosted 3 pieces with only minimal fighting. For the frosting can you throw all the ingredients into a bowl and use an immersion blender? I also used dark chocolate cocoa powder (not Dutch processed) because its all I had it tasted great and gave me that same dark chocolate color. Red wine chocolate cake, mocha chocolate cake: You could replace the buttermilk in full with yogurt or sour cream thinned with a little milk or water, with red wine or replace 1/2 cup of it with strong coffee. And so, my absolutely wonderful husband made it for me! I add new plugins and make changes here all of the time.) I go through a lot of butter I love baking and cooking and its expensive so whenever I can take a shortcut I will. Recently made your Valerie chocolate cake with this frosting. Is it my oven or did something get lost when transferring the Fahrenheit to Celsius degrees?Anyway. Ill use this frosting recipe again too: whizzed up this easily in the blender. I used golden brown sugar and non-Dutch cocoa powder because I had them on hand. are the measurements the same? *head smack*. Made this cake last night. Its very forgiving as well, we are moving (hence stressed-out me really needed cake immediately!) This coming from a girl raised in NJ, just outside the City, and whose standard is Juniors! . I hope to try it at some point, but we still have piece of your NY cheesecake in the fridge! Thank you. Total score, thank you! Chocolate Cake. Scoop batter into prepared pan and smooth flat. Would it be possible to switch the frosting to vanilla? Bonus: I saved buttermilk last time I bought it by freezing it in ice cube trays 2 tbsp per cube so that made impulse cake making that much easier. Do it.) This looked insanely good when I saw it first and didnt disappoint in the least when I made it. I plan to make this for a birthday party, and do a double layer 913. Now I need a glass of wine to round out my palate. Better the same day. Special equipment: A pastry bag fitted with a star tip. The five-year-old said, as I was cutting, make sure that I dont just get a sliver!. So I was making this cake and I was mixing in the dry ingredients and I thought Wow this is a dry mix and I thought there is no way this is going to spread. The ingredients & method are straightforward. I made this frosting with SKs best birthday cake. I am not a fan of frosting, but this was delicious and has a silky texture. I make it all of the time (like, embarrassingly often) in the FP and hadnt run into this, but it definitely sounds like something that could happen that would be no fun at all. The frosting was also too sweet for me and the kiddo, but my sister and brother-in-law didnt think so. This was DELICIOUS! In my defense, I ate most of it over the course of a whole weekend, standing up with nary a fork or plate in sight. Its a problem, I hear you loud and clear! Ummm, yum! I just checked and it was working for me. I believe its acidic as well, which youll need when using baking soda. Required fields are marked *. Thanks for the birthday prompt! http://www.highergroundstrading.com/blog/38/coffee-acidity:-the-science-and-the-experience, My cake took almost 30 minutes to bake?! Thanks for the craving, Deb! There are others like us. ug that looks amazing!! Raspberries & chocolate- what could be bad? So I never have any luck with Chocolate cake, and I had exceptionally high hopes since Ive made a few of your other cakes, but I actually found this to be fairly dry..we devoured it, and I even made a second one for a party tomorrow but with vegetable oil instead if butter fit the batter. Jennie. BTW, I often use buttermilk powder because its easier to keep on hand; it works very well. Has it been six years? I added a heaping teaspoon of expresso powderDELICIOUS AND EASY. The frosting was miles high, pillowy, gloriously swirly, and of course perfect with sprinkles. This looks wonderful! You see, we recently moved to a new house and i do not have everything in stock yet. Previous post: spaghetti pangrattato with crispyeggs, Next post: cornmeal-fried pork chops + smashedpotatoes, cornmeal-fried pork chops + smashedpotatoes. and tastes great. These, with the addition of the 66% baking chocolate chips will be my go to chocolate cupcakes from now on. What do you use? Any suggestions for cooking times for cupcakes? Thanks! I love how reliable your recipes are- I always know if I make something it will be really delicious and exactly as you describe it. I made this about two hours ago, substituting normal chocolate for arabica-infused chocolate in the frosting and honey Greek yogurt in the cake because it was in the fridge. Every recipe I have made has turned out delicious and has brought a smile to his face. Adjusted the cake for high elevation (extra 1 Tb flour, 1 Tb less of sugar, and 2 eggs instead of the 1+yolk) and it was perfect. The cake is in the oven! Its possible the book version has a tiny bit more airiness to it, but nobody has ever complained here. Start with 25 mins, then check every couple of mins, depending on the done-ness of your cake. This was fun to make and eat for my first gathering with a friend post-vaccination. Thats the tradeoff for me, at least. I love this cake basically my platonic ideal of what chocolate cake should be. Hi Deb! Follow. Thanks yet again, Deb! I added chopped walnuts instead of the sprinkles . I assume it will be shorter? Total bake time was over 22 min for me. http://www.youtube.com/sparklesandsuch26, Jenny Yes, you can make 2 6-inch round layers from this cake; the layers would be ever-so-barely-slightly thicker than the 8-inch square would be, but not a bad thing, as you can see the 8-inch square is very thin (maybe .75). I made this with a mix of yoghurt and single cream, light brown sugar instead of dark, and caster sugar instead of granulated. A chickpea flour cake? & again the perfect cake to make again the next night when youve been asked to bake it for a friend. Thanks for a perfect chocolate cake recipe! I had to make one change to the frosting. For the posts that have multiple recipes is it possible to break up the recipes in the post, so that you can print only one (of say 3?) When I warned the batter might look uneven, this is what I meant. I decreased the icing sugar and added a titch of cocoa to compensate. I am enjoying cupcakes for breakfast this week! :). Deb- Thx for the speedy reply. Looks yummy. I also did a messier job of splitting the egg than usual, and got a bit of the (second) egg white in there along with the yolk is that likely the source of fluffiness, and doing a cleaner job of egg-splitting next time will take care of it? It took about 32 minutes baking time. Because baking soda (not baking powder, which has cream of tartar as an acid) needs an acidic ingredient to activate it, there is some concern that the using Dutched cocoa in a recipe only leavened by baking soda will be a problem. Also, I used a lightly sweetened cream cheese frosting and it was amazing together. It ended up being about 2.5 inches tall, which was the perfect height for a small birthday cake. This one looks just absolutely perfect! The only change I had to make was baking it for an extra 4 minutes (total 26) and really should have continued baking it because it was still somewhat underdone. I agree that a salad dressings index would be great. and that suited nicely. I like the size. If so any specific recommendations? ), and had complete faith in the recipe. I made it yesterday for my husband for Valentines Day. This is more of a 3/4-height layer. This is the third time Ive made this cake since you posted this recipe. I recently tested this doubled in one cake pan it works but it will go over the top a bit which can be unnerving. Not that I wont eat it :-D. Thanks so much Deb! One year ago: Morning Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel (you should totally make it this weekend) Burnt to a crisp: Did you use the longest baking time? I decorated mine with Smarties! Hypothetically, if you wake up early in the morning to make this cake for a co-worker celebration and, in a sleep deprived state, add two cups of flour instead of oneyou can convert this recipe into chocolate cake cookies! So rich, moist and CHOCOLATEY! Is it possible for the machine to heat up just enough to melt the butter? I love the pasta and chocolate dietJust add wine and espresso and Im all set! For a cake like this, thats flexible, you can use either what you get in volume (from your 1/2 cup) or weight (145 grams) and youll be fine. These were absolutely delectable! Hi! But Deb, thats how much you inspire me! One should never taunt the idea faeries, of course.) As luck would have it, my husbands birthday is tomorrow, so Im using this occasion as my excuse! Ive been reading your blog since before he was born and have cooked my way through a lot of what youve written about. Joy Yes, it gets more moist as the days go on. I riffed off your frosting to make rocky road frosting by adding mini marshmallows and chopped toasted pecans. Regarding the time this can be kept: Since my 3-month-old is not ready for cake and my husband was away but I NEEDED to make this I worried it would go bad too soon on the counter (frosting) or get too stale (in the fridge). In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, graham-cracker crumbs, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. anyway I came here looking for the fudgy chocolate cake recipe, that I used for cupcakes a couple months ago. You cant beat chocolate cake and this one looks incredible, Deb.