I got back from work at 8pm without a plan for my husbands birthday and managed to bake, cool, make a bodega run for confectioners sugar, decorate, make cacio e pepe, and open a bottle of wine within 90 minutes! Thanx For Sharing this recipes. 1 / 4 teaspoon baking powder Thanks Deb! Might just need more time? This is one of my favourite recipes from my mom! Ye gods all I want is that chocolate cake now (hello final month of pregnancy, so lovely to finally meet you). Wild rice, roasted sweet potatoes and broccoli and a miso-ginger-tahini dressing all piled into one bowl make this one of my favorite everyone-approved weeknight dinners -- use any kind of rice or combination of vegetables you've got; the dressing is the star. Obviously, I had to test a spoonful or two. Category Chocolate. Hi Deb, Here I am, all alone in my studio apartmentwith this damn scrumptious cake. Smitten Kitchen's cake, which is baked in a single layer in a square pan, met a similar fate. Deb, the worst thing about this recipe is that at the drop of a hat you can make a delicious chocolate cake (for those of us who do not need more cake!). In the book, I have a section with different flavor cakes and frostings built off of this one, including a vanilla-vanilla. It only took about 20 minutes to bake, and it fell in the middle, but that may have been my own fault for checking on it too soon. They love it and I love that its simple and doesnt leave me with heaps of dishes! No one goes without at least a two layer cake for their birthday now. Thank you! I used the old lemon juice+milk trick as a buttermilk substitute and it came out great. ps Rebecca @ DisplacedHousewife, i didnt see your reply until now (i am excited for the eventual SK revamp that includes replies :)) but i have indeed learned that esp with a gas stove again i can leave the butter there when the stove is off and it gets to room temp perfectly! It turned out so beautifully. Could it be made in a sheet pan? 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. Still, much better by then. Made this tonight and shouldnt have, but am so very glad I did. I made the chocolate buttercream with 2 tbs of melted butter and 6 tbs of unsweetened cocoa powder to sub for the unsweetened chocolate and it worked beautifully. I find it milder (especially at the proportions suggested for a swap, usually 1T per cup if I remember correctly) and more buttery (yum) but it should work here. FWIW, I first peeked at the cake at 20 min, then it took three more 3-minute timers till finished. The combination of butter, sugar, sugar, cocoa, buttermilk, cream, and sea salt all in quick list read effectively slayed my weak will power. I am off to the store to get the ingredients I need right now. Hi! Deb: Dont worry if it looks lumpy! Thanks for your wonderful blog and mazes tov on your pregnancy! this frosting is even *better* cold! ;) But, I whip whipped cream by hand all of the time. You want to make sure this gets really blended/whipped, so youll probably want to scrape down the bowl and blade a lot. This also worked well when I took some to my parents house since it was easy to transport separately. Just use one egg? Thanks for so much deliciousness! It came out and was amazingly not burnt (I suspect my oven is a bit underpowered.) Yay! We ate cake outside and in the rain because thats how it goes in quarantine. Love your Im pregnant recipes! Fewer bakeries this time, but more baking in the kitchen. I know someone have asked about multiplying this recipe, 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? Fran You can use coffee for most of the buttermilk and Ive heard good things about mayo too. Just so happens I made the everyday chocolate cake in the loaf pan over the weekend for my dads birthday. P.S. Thanks! Burnt to a crisp: Did you use the longest baking time? No bears there then? Looks amazing! Meanwhile, you should make this one; its not very sweet and quite moist. Thank you! $5.50; 200 . Not sweet-sweet, as in my younger kid will eat it, but I would like a lesser amount to suit adult (our) tastes. 1 1/2 cups (180 grams) powdered sugar (sifted if lumpy) But OMG the icing is fantastic!!! Depending on the recipe, you can melt the butter or shortening and mix in the cocoa until smooth, or just add it to the ingredients as is if it works (like in frosting). The 'I Want Chocolate Cake' Cake | Smitten Kitchen with Deb Perelman - YouTube 0:00 / 8:11 Intro The 'I Want Chocolate Cake' Cake | Smitten Kitchen with Deb Perelman smitten kitchen. Great texture! I had to test the recipe and it is incredible! Plus, if its sitting under frosting the whole time, the frosting will slowly soak into the cake. 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. I swapped the icing for dark chocolate ganache with whisky, and topped it all with toasted hazlenuts. Great cake for V-day!! Good luck with Elmo! Must purchase metal 88 pan ASAP. That extra 1/2 cup of powdered sugar didnt really hurt the flavor, its still very chocolaty, just not as bitter. Which means that its time for me to actually make it instead of just admiring the photos. I really hope I can replicate that crazy looking icing. Can I frost them while they are still frozen? So much so, that I think I might name a few of my extra pounds after you . Fantastic chocolatey goodness. Ive been halving bundt cakes for years (very easy to do as all ingredients are easy to cut in half and bake in my junior bundt pan), and Id like this smaller chocolate cake (I halve to halve it :) ) but am at a loss. This is the fudgiest, most delicious chocolate cake Ive ever experienced. Im making this for my book club tonight and wanted to time it so I could ice the thing and then hop in the car and head out, only my icing is not fluffy but oily!!! My main purpose in commenting, however, is to commend you on your perfect parenting skills. Im not normally a chocolate cake person, but Ive been crazy for it this week. Aarthi I havent, but it sounds really good. Yes, thats totally normal here. I made it yesterday for my husband for Valentines Day. This cake worked WONDERFULLY! 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. I regret to tell you that this cake is nothing exactly new, and its not because Im out of ideas (I hope not, at least! The cake came out fine, but the batter was just that pourable batter, not the spreadable, brownie batter-like kind in your photo. My BFF still uses one, and I find it charming. Great recipe. Hi, I plan to give this cake a whirl for an upcoming family birthday for 3 chocoholics. First time I made this cake (huge success, by the way) I used natural because thats all I had. and were talking been on the counter for days. The cupcake-in-a-can birthday present was a big hit! had no chance of melting the butter, when you mixed it in? :). It came out slightly dry. Just made these as my son (5), was keen to make cupcakes today. I see many, many of these as birthday cakes in my sons future. It smells like heaven, and is exactly the kind of evening we needed. If round, you can probably 1.5x it. . @stephanie#133- You can also substitute 3 tablespoons cocoa and one tablespoon butter or shortening for one ounce of unsweetened chocolate. The baking time was a bit of a problem! :/. (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 just tasted one of the chunks (for research, clearly, not as an excuse to have cake for breakfast ;) ) and its sugar!! xo. Not sure how much it holds, but probably. Any idea if you can sub baking soda for Natron and baking powder for backpulver? P.P.S I have the rainbow confetti sprinkles on order as I write because, well, rainbow confetti sprinkles.! Equal parts using the coffee to thin out the yogurt? Thank you! Im here to tell ya, the frosting totally makes the cake! Jenny I havent tried it but it might work. I looked at your lighter than air cake, but 4 layers is too intimidating for me Thanks! Chocolate cake, with rainbow sprinkles, is simply the best thing ever. :) This looks amazing; cant wait to try it! This is my go-to for most of my recipes now, since my friend turned me onto here! Soft and moist. -cut down the sugar in the frosting to 1 cup, which was more than enough frosting for the people I fed it to, and it tasted very buttery, which is my preference. I suggest a warning label: You will not be able to lay off the cake slices, nor will anyone else who sees/smells/tastes it. Thank you eight thousand times. I think you might mean 185 grams of butter rather than 85g? Thanks again! several times a year) and if anything, its on the sweet side. 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. :). The frosting was fantastic, creamy and smooth using the food processor. I literally said 2 minutes ago I think we will just have leftovers for dinner, but I could really use a chocolate cake Fate brought me and this recipe together! Hmm.). This cake looks so incredibly delicious and I adore the rainbow colored sprinkles thank you for sharing:). Thanks Deb!!! For anyone who, like me, likes their frosting darker chocolate-y and less sweet, I melted an additional 1 oz of unsweetened baking chocolate and added that to the frosting. So moist and chocolatey. Hi Deb: Otherwise, it would be much easier to make them less sweet! Also, the when you make a cake, they will come rule totally applies to this cake. Just made this amazing cake for myself for my birthday and want to thank you for the gift the most foolproof recipe ever. Neutral on the pH scale is 7, not 5. Your email address will not be published. The frosting was miles high, pillowy, gloriously swirly, and of course perfect with sprinkles. Thank you! (!!!) (Also a ridiculous amount of red dye and a little fondant because we used a 9 circular pan and made Elmo.). I just want to say thanks for speaking my language! No, the recipe is correct and what youve written is not. Brisa I havent tried it but I feel like this recipe should be okay with the adjustment. However, just a small critique, the instructions re: eggs is very confusing and actually ended up leaving me short. OMG. Chocolatey, soft-textured but not crumbly, sweet but not overpowering. Its just the right size for when you dont want a larger sheet cake sitting around all week. Im going to make it for my kids fifth bday party. So good! and it isnt that difficult to make with that machine. Free shipping for many products! I made the cakes in two 6in pans and it took a lot longer than what was written for one 8in square. Gathering the ingredients now, I need chocolate cake! Thank you! Made this cake last night. Thanks! I made this (in a Transformer-shaped silicone cake pan) for my sons 6 year old birthday party last weekend. Jane M Ugh, I give up. I love this cake! Love love love it! Id use flour or cornstarch instead of cocoa (or half of each) and white instead of brown sugar. I just dont have the room (or the energy!) I think that sounds delicious. Thanks. Even if your batter is too thin and your frosting takes forever to thin to the right consistency dont lose heart. I made it in a regular cupcake pan. Do I still need to mix dry ingredients separately first? I have some too-ripe bananas hanging around, and Id like to throw them into this recipe. This was exactly what I was craving! 2. 3. Next time, Ill try your cake recipe, too (only remembered I wanted to try this when the other one was in the oven!). I compared the recipe to your fudgy chocolate cake recipe in my copy of Smitten Kitchen Everyday, and I was happy to see theyre essentially the same (and the comments here are giving me extra confidence I can pull this off!). Looks incredible. I Made thr cake w/out the frosting. Cost to Make: $6-$8 Calories: 275 Servings: 12 cupcakes Ingredients 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 3 cups confectioners sugar 1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder 3 to 4 Tbsp heavy whipping cream 2 tsp pure vanilla extract 1/4 tsp salt US Customary - Metric Instructions Speed this up by placing it outside for 10 minutes (thanks, winter!). So simple and so perfect. Well, my healthy lunch of last nights leftovers seems utterly unsatisfying now. 2.5 times the recipe? Stir on low until just combined; scrape down bowl a final time. It baked in 20-25 minutes. Did not have the right size pan so baked 6 delicious cupcakes. Sorry so late to respond to this comment; no reason you cannot. (Im an exile from New Mexico living in Vermont and I need my chilies.) Distilled water would be a 7. What did I do wrong? Many of the older cakes and almost all in the last couple years are one-bowl or at least each component is. Unfortunately I cant tolerate buttercream, though I love it the taste and texture it makes me sick for days. Also, such an epic amount. . Had to bake a lot longer than called for, but still yummy! This recipe is a keeper! It cooled nicely and didnt fall apart when I turned it out of the pan onto the rack, a perennial fear of mine, but the outside was so dry and solid I could pick the whole thing up in one hand like a discus. Yummy! Hello Jen, sometimes I avoid cake recipes like this that require creaming the butter and sugar, because Ive heard that its actually tough to get that step exactly right. Probably need to stick to 20 min. Best chocolate cake ever. Your cake recipe is divine. Cake was good too, even though Im not a die hard chocolate lover. I still use your Double Chocolate Layer cake every year for my husbands birthday. And then I had to tell my mother that it is better than The Family Recipe for chocolate cake. Leti My favorite is from Valrhona. Thank you! Much tastier and more fun than the box mix I was about to do instead. Hi Deb I actually found your blog while searching for Apple Tart recipes and accidentally clicked on this Chocolate Cake recipe instead. Joy Yes, it gets more moist as the days go on. This this will work as the filling for a wedding cake? Congrats! The frosting is awesome as well! No one wants a dry cake! 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. Doesnt have to be a quick buttercream but I would prefer not to do a ganache. Every time I saw, chocolate, my mouth goes to water. I had just about everything I needed to make this in my pantry, but I could only muster half the frosting but it was still excellent. Do you think it would work as 2 6 rounds?? NO- Im at work right now and cant immediately make and eat this. Its cooling but Im so nervous its going to be dry, *swoon* How hard was it to take those gorgeous pictures of the finished and then sliced cake without pouncing on them first?? :). The batter (just made a single batch this time) filled three 6 rounds perfectly and baked for about 18 minutes. Darn! Its 2023 and this cake is still very important to me! Delete the baking power and increase baking soda to 3/4 teaspoon. It was still speckled. I want that cake with peanut butter cream cheese buttercream frostingright now! Maybe tonight?! I want chocolate cake! i made the cake! Thoughts? 1/2 teaspoon baking powder This was fun to make and eat for my first gathering with a friend post-vaccination. Thank you for the lovely idea, just in time for the weekend :). Just made this cake tonight and as I have a milk allergy I replaced the buttermilk with 1/2 cup strong coffee and 1/4 cup red wine!! I upped the amount of chocolate in the frosting to approx 80grams by accident but it tasted delish. It just didnt have the depth of flavor I had hoped for. Cake is moist and light with a very tasty frosting. I just checked and it was working for me. I dont often write but I want to express my gratitude for Smitten Kitchen, Deb, and this cake. What is you favorite kind to eat? Hi, I used microwave chocolate mug cake when I had this craving, 5 min crave to product time. NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER A BON APPETIT and EPICURIOUS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR The long-awaited new book from the best-selling and beloved author of The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook and Smitten Kitchen Every Daya collection of essential recipes for meals you'll want to prepare a. Hosted by Pressable. I was skeptical that such a simple recipe could produce such an amazing cake BUT IT DID. Ive made it now about 1/2 dozen times and the recipe has held up well over time. 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. Hi, I am baking this for the second time now and there is no way for it to be done in 22 minutes. Six Months Ago: Strawberries and Cream with Graham Crumbles (It says it on this package.) .). But I am living in a country free of baking powder (Switzerland!). I made the same cake recipe with their dark chocolate salted pudding buttercream, and it was UNBELIEVABLE. 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? Is this the chocolate frosting that was on the Monkey Cake, because that was amazing, and got rave reviews at my sons birthday party! I just wanted to chime in and say this recipe is perfect for 1/2 birthday celebrations. It was great. chocolatey without being overwhelmingly rich (and thus, every excuse for a second slice ;-)). I subbed joghurt for the buttermilk and reduced sugar to 100 g (sorry my German taste buds cant handle the original sweetness ) and used white spelt flour instead of wheat flour. I had to add another 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. but this cake is such a nice size, with a good frosting-to-cake ratio. With lots of sprinkles, of course! And eat it too.!! Where did you get your large glass canisters/jars? Dear hubs just made me two flower beds where I was hoping he would so I can plant morning glories and sunflowers I started from seedhe deservs this cake! This is the easiest; its quite chocolaty, a little fudgy, not firm but holds together well. This will definitely be in my regular rotation of dessert recipes. Mine came out fluffier than I wanted what should I adjust to get it fudgier? I need enough frosting for a three layer cake 8 inch rounds. If you give a cook some frosting. blueberry crumb cake. Ive made the peanut butter one several times (with and without the frosting+ganache) and love how moist it is, although I do reduce the sugar quite a bit and almost double the cocoa powder. Same for apple cinnamon cake good luck with pregnancy! Deb, re: your comment to me above, I may have been a little hasty in my judgment as the first taste while mixing hadnt had time to settle in with all the sugar and butter so the flavor was still overwhelmingly bitter. Checked it at 22 minutes and then after 5 more and 5 more after that so next time Ill likely check it at 33 minutes. P.S. Erin Was the chocolate completely and totally cool, i.e. I cant see the notes regarding the buttermilk options. I will try this recipe with coffee :) Im excited to experiment with unsweetened in place of bittersweet chocolate- I hadnt thought of that before! Just did it in a 913 and working on the frosting now! In short, this is EXACTLY the cake I need when the chocolate cake craving hits :-). At grocery stores, I find Droste to be very solid for a dutch-process. I decorated mine with Smarties! I made this a few weeks ago, and made the frosting as written whereas normally I use powdered cocoa. Check your oven settings too! Absolutely delicious it is now my go to birthday cake! These, with the addition of the 66% baking chocolate chips will be my go to chocolate cupcakes from now on. I would like to order it. Thanks, Deb. also, i love stout in a cake as an option as well. Thanks for sharing! How would you adapt this frosting for other flavors? I found it in March, around when quarantine started and for a couple of months, I made it every Saturday to celebrate another week of quarantine. Love the looks and sounds of this cake! Thanks a lot Deb! Hello, Deb. He and I made it this morning and it is so delicious, even my cake is meh husband is a fan. The first time, I left out half the flour, so the cupcakes arent very cake-y, but they are delicious (and there are few sins frosting wont hide). It was a small miracle when I received your weekly newsletter including small celebration cakes on the same day as my partners birthday. Ive often had more success with the oil-water chocolate cakes than with the butter-based ones (in general I mean; I havent tried your butter-based chocolate cakes). I just made it for our sons birthday and if the batter is any indication this is one of the most delicious chocolate cakes I have ever eaten. [kisses]. Its fabulous and the husband pronounced it the best chocolate cake hes ever eaten. Baking this cake in NZ and looking forward to eating it tonight. Space Station Mir Hilarious. Im not saying how many I had. They know what they did is killing me right now. I thought it wasnt quite chocolately enough (mightve been the quality of my chocolate, to be fair), so I ended up adding a scant 1/4tsp of almond extract and 1/4 tsp of espresso powder, and that livened it up a little. I could easily see this being a go-to recipe for last minute parties its fast, easy to make, and a definite crowd pleaser. 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour I think I could eat this frosting by itself. Its my goal as a parent to make cake often and large cakes take too long and end of going to waste (very sad!). On the third round I added a 1/4 cup additional buttermilk to the batter. How much should I decrease the sugar if I use the semisweet chocolate I have? The batter was so good I didnt want to bake it, and the resulting cake is very rich but still so fluffy and light. I was hoping it would work with the quite sweet yellow cake my husband requested but I was to worried about it to wait and see. I followed the directions, and the butter and eggs were at room temperature. It will need to be softened and re-whipped, i.e. This was so delicious and easy to tweak to my weird idiosyncratic preferences. I learned this the hard way :). To make the homemade version I used this recipe with sour cream, 1/3 cup coffee liquor, and added chocolate chips to the batter. deb, i made this frosting again last week (underneath i confess i made the hersheys chocolate cake recipe as boyperson wanted a more box-mix-like cake), and we ended up not being able to eat the cake right away so we stuck it in the fridge. Came out perfect! I also did simple chocolate ganache instead of buttercream frosting. We used m&ms instead. Its the favorite of my family and friends though, so Im trying to create a chocolate cake recipe that both they and I will enjoy. This cake fed 6 adults and 4 children with two small slices left over, perfect for breakfast the next morning with strong coffee :P. Crystal Im not sure how is the temperature control in your toaster? I only had bittersweet chocolate, but I made the frosting as written and it was perfect. RW x. my friend this cake is gorgeous! I am also trying to prep for a busy birthday weekend.. (twin boys who want DIFFERENT cakes. I thought Id try a different blogs cake this year, dumbest idea ever! Proudly powered by WordPress. I wish I could reach in a try a slice! That frosting is to die for!! Esp the frosting. Chocolate stout cake - smitten kitchen tip smittenkitchen.com Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Want to make this for my husbands birthday and he is a big fan of cream cheese frosting! Thank you for a spectacular cake. This morning, in search of a chocolate cake recipe to make for Fun Night at my childrens school (Cake Walk is a big deal), I felt it was meant to be that this recipe was front page news! I frosted it with a chocolate Swiss butter-cream and fresh strawberriesI even dusted it it with confectioners sugar just to make it a little more beautiful. 2. Deb, seriously why do ever try another cake recipe that isnt from your site? Out of buttermilk can I add a bit of vinegar to some slim milk.think I will wait until I get the buttermilk hate to tamper with a great recipe. Hi Deb, love your blog and it is my go to for everything cooking-related. happy days all the way from Ireland. I find it can easily get lost in cakes but in a vanilla or brown sugar cookie, is easy to taste. Hi- Do you think whole wheat pastry flour would work in this recipe? 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? (Okay, I see that you had already changed to doubling the eggs back at the red wine version. Definitely a keeper, thanks! This is the Cake! I mean EVERYONE commented on it. Update: went ahead and tried it anyways it was definitely enough for the naked cake look, ie just inside and on top! Hi Deb! 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. (easier to mix oil batters by hand than to cream butter and sugar properly). Also, for the buttermilk, I mixed 1/2 cup black tea with 1/4 cup yogurt, and that worked really well. 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar I prepped all the ingredients for cake and frosting, got the butter, eggs and buttermilk at room tempIm mixing the butter and sugars together, add eggs, buttermilk, and rather than adding the flour mixture next, add the powdered sugar and have to start all over again! Its hard from the fridge and would need to be warmed up a little and possibly re-whipped. I finally made this cake today (despite having seen the recipe many times) after being enabled by the Cup of Jo post. Nomnomnom! In terms of leavening power, 1 teaspoon baking powder is equivalent to 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. Pizzas, red wine and, to finish off the carb load, this chocolate cake. Love your strawberry cake, so I was excited to try this one. 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature Im totally making this cake for his first birthday. The icing is just divine.