Not fancy or perfect, but just right for the occasion. :). Topped with your chocolate sour cream frosting (a half recipe together they use 1 smallish sour cream container) which is the real star, I think. Turns out, the 41 grams of butter I used was from the cake recipe instead of the needed 115 grams. As every Italian woman knows, if a pregnant woman does not get the food she craves, the baby is in danger of having a birthmark in the shape of said item. I was a little worried as Im a beginner baker but it was a total hit!! It was 10 and I had worked hard all day. This will replace the chocolate cake from the I Hate to Cook Book as my go-to chocolate cake. I have saved the recipe and make it some time soon, for the moment I am enjoying some chocolate covered digestive biscuits to cure my chocolate cravings. Ok the cake itself is delicious :-) Next time Id cut out the granulated sugar and cut the brown down to 100g or even 80g (I find less than the flour is generally a good amount) to make it a little less sweet. Ive put it in an 8 inch round, cut in half and created a half layer cake. We used m&ms instead. Lucy Im sorry to hear that. In terms of leavening power, 1 teaspoon baking powder is equivalent to 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. I do know that I want this cake RIGHT NOW! My mind is blown! 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract Any thoughts?? This cake is delicious and a great size if someone does not want to make large cake. (Ive mostly cut out eating sugar but this cake looks like it has little enough of it that it would be good when I want a treat!). Theres a note under the instructions about swapping the two types of cocoa, which I hope helps. 1 tablespoon / 13 g granulated sugar Do I still need to mix dry ingredients separately first? We were supposed to grill kabobs for birthday, but a thunder storm started so we needed to change the oven temperature for the kabobs and not the cake. Thanks. At grocery stores, I find Droste to be very solid for a dutch-process. . weight gain which I finally lost, literally, three weeks before this second pregnancy. Beautiful Deb! My (Italian) mother also used to say that if a woman craved a certain food during pregnancy the baby might end up having a birthmark in the shape of that food. Thank you! Cool slightly. Yes, I could have made it myself, but Id have had to get out of the bath tub. Haha, Deb, I love your enthusiasm and urgency for cake in this post. -made an orange cranberry filling You can find it under Sugar and Sprinkles > Assorted Shapes. i got 12 standard size cupcakes plus one bigger one, made in a custard cup. Must purchase metal 88 pan ASAP. Can you tell me what size is your strainer in the picture? Your cake recipe is divine. Just found out were having a second boy. Turned out delicious! Thank you, for this recipe! Thank you for a spectacular cake. When I first saw the title, I thought you might be referencing this http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/how-chocolate-cake-helped-capture-mexicos-most-wanted-drug-lord/2015/03/02/8a2316fa-c068-11e4-a188-8e4971d37a8d_story.html. if you double a 9-inch round or 8-inch square in a 913, its a pretty good match, but the cake will be ever-so-slightly thicker but close enough. Delicious! I think another eight minutes after that and the testing knife finally came out clean enough that I was prepared to take the thing out of the oven. At 30 mins the top had cooked and closed over and not till about 40 mins did the skewer come out clean and the cake stop making that bubbling noise. Oops! The ratio of cake to frosting is the icing on the cake (SEE WHAT I DID THERE??) Deb- Yes! Melissa Yes, double the ingredients, including the frosting if youre looking to cover the sides as well. That doesnt sound good at all. blueberry crumb cake. Im in week 11 and only the thought that morning sickness is about to end keeps me going! I dont often write but I want to express my gratitude for Smitten Kitchen, Deb, and this cake. No extra dish, too. No bears there then? 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. Thank you for posting the time you cooked the cupcakes! Yet another reason to get a food processor! Everyone, Deb is right, get that small offset spatula. The frosting recipe I made as is, with the addition of about 3/4 cup of left-over coconut cream I had. I just bought Dutch process thinking, I dont know how this cake could be any better, but Im in! to make a rerun on Sunday. My head isnt working for conversions right now: will this make a 6 round 2-layer cake as is, or would that require halving the recipe? Truly next level. Just wondering if you use brands that are commonly available in grocery stores (US) or if you use more of a speciality chocolate. It turned out so beautifully. My Significant-Something-Or-Other, the theatrical sound-and-lighting tech, had a birthday was this week, but he was buried under two show openings and an over-the-top Sweet Sixteen birthday party (can you believe a $200,000 budget????). Seriously, $4. Can the frosting be made a couple days in advance and refrigerated or is it better the same day? I made this with regular cocoa powder from Trader Joes and it turned out amazing!! P.P.S I have the rainbow confetti sprinkles on order as I write because, well, rainbow confetti sprinkles.! Your recipes are so easy and relate-able, and yet so novel, and your photography is scrumptious. Marble Bundt Cake Recipe | Epicurious I also piped in seedless raspberry jam before frosting. not sure what I was thinking) and spent a bunch of time probably twenty minutes until I realized my mistake. Looks yummy. I think you could go as far as to triple this but as quadrupled, it would be crazy tall. I deviated ever-so-slightly by topping it with a cream cheese frosting, simply due to the vibe I was feeling. I love everything Ive made from your recipes especially the rapini and pasta! Its so beautiful! Generally, once you add your dry ingredients, only mix until its only just combined. Here, Ive slimmed the base and dropped a little sugar to make a thin chocolate cake layer and topped it with an unholy, unapologetic amount of frosting. Just made these as my son (5), was keen to make cupcakes today. Ive loved every single Smitten Kitchen recipe Ive tried, and these are no exception. I will use this again because it was so creamy and smooth and didnt have that powdered sugar chalkiness or ultra sweet after taste. Thanks DEB!!!! So yummy! I added slightly more salt just to bring out the flavour of the chocolate but all in all perfect! Mmmmmmmm. For softening butter, what anne said (I like to cut it in pieces first, so theres no melty spot in the middle of a big stick). Simple, rich, delicious, perfect. Thanks for the craving, Deb! So tummy and satisfying. What did I do wrong? Also subbed 1/2 coffee 1/2 yoghurt for the buttermilk. Also, such an epic amount. I will be making a mid-afternoon trip (through the snow!) So easy to make, this is my forever birthday cake. Mel For a whiskable frosting, well, its all about how strong your arms are. Just finished frosting the cake and Id recommend adding the salt. ;), THANK YOU for this recipe I made it yesterday its delicious. How much sugar can I reduce in this cake? Your suggestion to cut it into 16 pieces was hard to obey, but I did. THIS CAKE LOOKS SO YUMMY!!!!!! The frosting is also wonderful! . I heeded the note about acidity required to wake up the baking soda, and so also added a splash of white vinegar. I have steadily leaned on SK since I started baking and cooking 15 years ago. the wet stuff, not dry cake crumbs), its not done. Its the perfect little chocolate cake! Im using a Williams-Sonoma Gold Touch 88 here. Put all in the freezer to flash freeze and called it a night. The batter was so good I didnt want to bake it, and the resulting cake is very rich but still so fluffy and light. Definitely going into the rotation. About six weeks ago, around 9 p.m. on a day I had consumed mostly air and maybe a slice of toast because I couldnt for the life of me imagine how food had ever tasted good, without any warning, I wanted a slice of chocolate cake with swirls of chocolate frosting and probably some sprinkles and the sprinkles, so help them, better be rainbow. I felt bonded to this woman Id never met through your cookbook. How well do you think it would hold up in a totally round pan (like the Wilton Sports Ball pan)? chocolate olive oil cake - smitten kitchen Ill use this frosting recipe again too: whizzed up this easily in the blender. The cake is dense, rich, and not super sweet and the sugary, buttery icing balances it out beautifully. To the second batch I added guittards 66% chocolate baking chips. Youre the best. This looks so delicious, and I cant wait to try this recipe out. So, I made the cake. But I am living in a country free of baking powder (Switzerland!). Because of you, my family eats cabbage/slaw, fritters, and more vegetarian. It sounds like Natron is indeed what baking soda is sold as in Germany. After dinner, I whipped some cream, tossed some drained pitted cherries over it, and Add the cooled chocolate and whisk until smooth. This resulted in thick, tall slices of cake with still a substantial but not ridiculous amount of insanely rich frosting. Love the frosting. (I might as well admit that I lost my train of thought a few times while writing that sentence and just thought I want chocolate cake. I think youre rubbing off on me :) ). I.e. This looks amazing! Really wanted to like this cake but it was dryfollowed the recipe exactly but I knew right when we cut into it that it was not going to be as amazing as I had hoped. Was that the culprit?!? Gah!!! I know better than that. Weve made it dozens of time as an 88, but Id like to make it as a 913 sheet cake for my daughters birthday. When you call for 3/4 of packed brown sugar (or 145g), if I am using a scale can I just dump the brown sugar until it reaches 145g? My BFF still uses one, and I find it charming. Would this be enough frosting for three layers? Do you think it would work if I cut the two tablespoons of granulated sugar? The salt in the frosting is the perfect touch. I just want a few slices of cake, enough to last in our house for two or three nights, even when there is no birthday or holiday or cause for celebration in sight. And I regretted that when I asked my husband why we didnt have any chocolate cake, he said because you havent made any? He was correct Id made them dinner, instead and the great unraveling of all that had once been right and good but failed to lead me to chocolate cake continued. Thank you for always inspiring me! Can I halve egg in the recipe by just omitting the yolk from the cake base? 8-inch squares and 9-inch rounds have roughly the same bottom area, and roughly double that of a 6-inch round. I made it yesterday and it was easy and excellent! I made this yesterday, for Chocolate Cake Day, but had no buttermilk handy, and was loathe to go out in the cold to buy some. I have this leftover buttermilk, so clearly I need to make the cake again, right? Thanks! So, here is the promised Oh My God, Is That Chocolate Cake? Hi. I loved this cake. When I click Print Recipe I am directed to another website, which requires me to do I dont know what. I made this recipe into cupcakes, doubled, 3 times today. and the flavour oooft! So easy and so quick (was supervising 10yos homework as well). These, with the addition of the 66% baking chocolate chips will be my go to chocolate cupcakes from now on. Looks amazing! Was there a brown butter-sugar glaze on it too? I am doing everything exactly as you prescribe and my cake has some larger-than-desired pockets of airI wonder now if I am not mixing the baking soda and baking powder in thoroughly before adding the dry ingredients? I am definitely making and eating this on the weekend. I made these a cupcakes tonight. HIGHLY recommend a mix of strong coffee and yogurt in place of the buttermilk, per the notes. YUM!!! Pinch of fine sea salt (optional) Id start checking at 15 to be safe. Aarthi I havent, but it sounds really good. I love that I dont have to go to five different grocery stores to find the ingredients. Thanks for the recipe! Deb this cake looks great and just the type of thing I want to make, but dont want my husband to realize I am capable of making, lest the requests come non-stop! Id use flour or cornstarch instead of cocoa (or half of each) and white instead of brown sugar. Category Chocolate. I have to leave in 50 min!! I will try this recipe with coffee :) Im excited to experiment with unsweetened in place of bittersweet chocolate- I hadnt thought of that before! 2. I like this site; I generally like or want to try the recipes. nevermind. 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 You made it a Sweet! the frosting is SO GOOD and i am not a frosting person and In thinking about cutting and layering..? Its wonderful. This is the easiest; its quite chocolaty, a little fudgy, not firm but holds together well. And as the cake was baking in the oven, I discovered I did not have any unsweetened chocolate. Looks absolutely heavenly, making it today!! -I used regular cocoa powder and absolutely missed the Dutch cocoa powder, so go for the gold here Would aquafaba work to replace eggs (vegan version)? And so easy in the food processor a first for me! Because I need an excuse to make chocolate cake. Easy to make, took about 25 mins in a 9 inch tin, is chocolatey but not too rich or heavy the way a cake made with melted chocolate is, and just really soft and comforting. Are you saying this is not normal? I want it to taste good, but the birthday girl (a 6 year old) wants a very specific design. I was brought to tears. Thanks for such a beautiful site Deb. Definitely an amazing chocolate cake and its not even one of my favorite flavors but one look at this cake and I HAD to make it! I questioned the need for unsweetened chocolate vs. one of the many choices I already had in my pantry and am certainly glad I went and got some. The cake didnt look too overbaked, though. Thank you for the cake recipe, the sprinkles really catch the eye! I recently doubled a recipe that was originally a 88 or 99 pan and put it in a 913 pan. I kinda wish I had seen this last night, I was looking for some easy, yummy, recipe to make on the quick, where I actually had the ingredients on hand already, and this totally would have fit the bill. This was so delicious and easy to tweak to my weird idiosyncratic preferences. Coffee does rank about 5, making it an acid. The frosting was delicious but I didnt find using a food processor to be convenient powdered sugar clouds poofed out and it was difficult to wipe down the bowl to get everything evenly incorporated. salted butter chocolate chunk shortbread . Well, it is a sign from above, so now this cake is definitely getting made today. I might have eaten what was left straight out of the bowl with a spoon, but we wont ask too many questions, right? I know it tastes quite different. Im sorry this will sound similar to a comment I posted on another recipe (marshmallow frosting), but how does this chocolate cake compare with the other chocolate cakes on your site, especially the ones in the double chocolate layer cake and the peanut butter chocolate cake? You can also type CTRL or + P from any recipe post to get to the same print template, or use the Print option in your browser, usually under the File menu. My husbands birthday is this week. I also went to NY Cake Shop on 22nd st and they were really nice, helpful and had hundreds (no exaggeration) of sprinkle choices- will definitely be going back. Sometimes it comes back for an afternoon but its not like it was. I made this for my daughters 4th birthday and it was awesome. As luck would have it, my husbands birthday is tomorrow, so Im using this occasion as my excuse! Thank you! Lovely cake though, one of my faves! 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter 1/2 cup half and half Instructions CAKE DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. You think it might have anything to do with the 20 tabs of different chocolate cake recipes I have open on the computer? Made this cake last night. I love the sweeping shapes in the frosting. Quick question: my cocoa is not lumpy at all. I just made this with gluten free 1:1 replacement flour for a friend for her birthday and it was so good and so moist. Hello form the Corona days! Its kept quite well in the fridge for a week. I didnt even notice. Re, the sweetness of the frosting: I think its relative. Now, I need to make this cake recipe Thanks. Sometimes the classic simple recipes really are the best :) Simply meant to say I dont have Dutch cocoa, so just used standard. Is that the route we need to take in order to PIN a recipe? My husband is back in NY right now (he speaks german) and im lost with a 2 year old and google translate on my phone at the grocery store (getting ingredients for this cake as a surprise)! Your writing is awesome, the photos are perfectly approachable and I love the process photos. Good lord, cake. Its a recipe like this that makes me want to brave the snow and go to the grocery store to get the ingredients. Delicious ! I assume it will be shorter? And I really really love the frosting. Trace the bottom of the pans onto wax paper or parchment with a pencil and then cut out the circles. Also I only made 1/2 the frosting (good gravy, so much butter!) My baking tome was slightly less, but I always consider baking times rough estimates. (I did not add the meringue powder, which was optional.) I made this cake this weekend for a friends birthday. Thank you! I made it in a regular cupcake pan. The intensity from the smallest amount of unsweetened chocolate is surprising; plus, its so bitter, it really helps offset the sugar-assault that butter-powdered sugar icings usually are. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Must have been the chocolate. Im salivating on my keyboard here. Its my goal as a parent to make cake often and large cakes take too long and end of going to waste (very sad!). I will never go back to regular. What a fantastic recipe! Who files stuff under THE? I need to get some to keep them in reserve for when I want cake (which is today and always). Hi! One should never taunt the idea faeries, of course.) Also, can you bake this in a round cake pan instead of a rectangular one? big crumb coffee cake. Thanks for the delicious chocolate butter cream recipe! Quick question! Thank god for that frosting, because it turned out the ratio and the richness of the frosting balanced with the sturdy, deeply chocolate-y cake that was barely almost a smidge over but not too badly. Deep chocolate flavor, not too sweet, very easy to mix up and bake. Thank you for not making this any harder then it needed to be, I could not have handled it. Chocolate cake, with rainbow sprinkles, is simply the best thing ever. I need chocolate cakeNOW!! Hope that helps and works! I may have taken it out a bit early, the rise went slightly down. and not sure how difficult/easy it is to do. Then after that i could eat more (though not meat of any kind, or greens), but the only thing i really wanted to eat was your chocolate brownies. I wanted to eat it all. Sometimes Im like Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when it comes to chocolate. Congratulations on your wonderful news, and I cant wait for your next cookbook! :;>, I actually made this last night and frosted it this morning for a 20-yr-olds bd. Even my pregnancy-addled, not-right-tin-having self didnt mess it up. Im a big baker so I know how to bake. Woah Nelly do I ever feel you with the chocolate cake craving. Its weirdly labourous but worth the time. I made this in two 6 rounds and it was a perfect little layer cake. And I love the suggestion of sour cream thinned with coffee sounds like my kinda cake!! It was a hit! :). ;). I want that cake with peanut butter cream cheese buttercream frostingright now! . Rebecca Here you go. -replaced the buttermilk with red wine Me: Wow, how did she know I would think this?) Finally, a SK cake! Any reason I need to pack it first and then weigh? It is the kitchen tool that will make spreading cake batter, especially in round pans (among many other spreading chores) and icing a cake so much easier! Right now, theres a limitation because the Index is based on titles, and the title is rarely the name of the dressing, but that could change. Thanks! Oh my goodness! Youre kind of my hero. The sugar is a bit much so the salt balances the sweetness a bit and enhances the chocolate flavor. (I dont like super sweet cakes, so I often leave the sides unfrosted.). Oh Deb. Hi Deb, There is a print icon that leads to a print template at the bottom of each recipe, where it says DO MORE: You can also click CTRL or + P [on desktop] from any recipe post and it will take you to a streamlined print template. And, you know, now. I want it. Ive had my eye on this for a long time, and when I caught my 11 year old son watching chocolate cake how-to videos, I knew the time had come. 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. Chocolate Cake. OXO Good Grips Large Offset Spatula $10.94 Amazon Buy Now Save to Wish List I mean, us. Thanks! Im sorry if all this compare and contrast reminds you of high-school essays (eek!) THanks! I made this twice for 2 dozen cupcakesafter making the 1st dozen and seeing how DELICIOUS they are, theres no way 1 dozen would be enough!! Going to make this this weekend for my nephews birthday. A combination of too much flour, too little cocoa and too much heat or time in the oven will certainly dry out baked goods. He and I made it this morning and it is so delicious, even my cake is meh husband is a fan. I riffed off your frosting to make rocky road frosting by adding mini marshmallows and chopped toasted pecans.