:) Do you have a suggestion which of your fabulous chocolate cakes might best survive the two-day mailing across country? I substituted 1/2 cup of buttermilkkept 1/4 cupfor a Terrapin Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter beer. Congrats you just made brownies.. really? It will be harder to get butter/sugar fluffy, though not impossible. Your food aversions made me smile. 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. 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). Thank you for an awesome cooking blog! blood orange, almond and ricotta cake. Jennie. The icing was fluffy goodness perfectly spreadable, delightfully lickable. ANd they way you swirled the chocolate is perfect! I baked it in a 8 square glass pan for 25 minutes. For the frosting can you throw all the ingredients into a bowl and use an immersion blender? I love this cake. No one goes without at least a two layer cake for their birthday now. It wont have the same texture defrosted. I used a bit less coconut oil (maybe a big 1/3 cup) and it was perfect. . Super hit! This was one of the all time best chocolate cakes Ive ever made. If I dont have unsweetened chocolate on hand but have a 70% cacao (or higher) chocolate, will this work? If round, you can probably 1.5x it. This frosting looks deliciouscould it be piped, or will it not hold its shape? Im going to stack some to make a birthday cake: Id freeze the cake layer, but not the frosting. However, I am making a cake that has to be white. Does it give a tighter crumb for it? How I like to swirl frosting: I always use a small offset spatula (have I convinced you to buy one yet? Standard cupcakes usually bake 16 to 18 minutes, but check in a minute or two early to be safe. The first time I doubled the recipe and baked it in a 913 pan baked for about 30 minutes. 1 1/2 cups (180 grams) powdered sugar (sifted if lumpy) The cake came out fine, but the batter was just that pourable batter, not the spreadable, brownie batter-like kind in your photo. Really, I tried to come up with a less cumbersome title, but chocolate cake with chocolate frosting doesnt connote the central urgency here. Chocolate cake was a frequent visitor to my kitchen in those days. What say you, Guru of the Kitchen? I may be making it (again) for our Faculty heads birthday next week, as a quick have cake! morning tea Im thinking about using little DINOSAUR sprinkles as well as Stars (my usual go-to sprinkle) because they would just be too CUTE. Im reading this recipe for Emergency chocolate cake while filling my mouth with your Cocoa Brownies from a couple of years ago. I made this while snowed in during the blizzard and Ive been sneaking bites throughout the day, I just cannot stop eating it. Thanks! It worked, and the toddlers had no problem with it. (I also made it once with peanut butter frosting winner.) Delete the baking power and increase baking soda to 3/4 teaspoon. Small cakes? In the recipe it states that 1/2 teaspoon sea salt is equivalent to 1/2 teaspoon table salt. It is delicious! This is happening tonight. Hey Deb! And I still got this on the table at a reasonable hour. Theyre about the same area (63.6 vs 64 square inches) but will it affect the baking time at all? No bears there then? :). We have an egg allergy in the family has anyone tried making this recipe with an egg substitute? First published February 26, 2015 on smittenkitchen.com |, Morning Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel, Fried Egg Sandwich with Bacon and Blue Cheese, Strawberries and Cream with Graham Crumbles, http://www.the36thavenue.com/2013/10/birthday-cake-tutorial.html, http://www.highergroundstrading.com/blog/38/coffee-acidity:-the-science-and-the-experience, http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/10/god-of-cake.html, 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, https://instagram.com/p/z8VQVBy55B/?modal=true, http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipe/high-altitude-baking.html, http://sweetnessandbite.com/2014/10/how-to-ganache-a-cake/, http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00Y2QHY02/ref=s9_top_hm_b3rSILn_g79_i13, https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/prevent-dry-dense-cake/. Im making a double layer cake for my daughters birthday with 8 inch rounds. The second batch was even better than the first. Thank you for this recipe, it was PERFECT and so easy. Frosting in the food processor?!!! . As soon as my daughter took a bite she said Mom, can we make this cake again? The only change we made was using regular non-Dutch cocoa because that is what we had on hand not sure how it changed the flavor because I have only had it this way, which was excellent. Delicious! A button to press? Deb, Ive just noticed you forgot to mention the buttermilk when adding ingredients. I have steadily leaned on SK since I started baking and cooking 15 years ago. No extra dish, too. If I double the recipe, would a bunt pan be appropriate? I can relate, as I was dry sick when growing each of my two little people. Ive made this version and the red wine version and both are moist and perfectly chocolatey delightfully eat-em-up good! But Deb, thats how much you inspire me! And I was vegetarian. For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat two 9-inch round cake pans with oil and dust with flour. Deb: Dont worry if it looks lumpy! I think you could go as far as to triple this but as quadrupled, it would be crazy tall. Followed the recipe exactly as written. Yes, will double the powder. All my friends at work will love me though- if it doesnt make a believer out of me, as they will profit from my experiment. I have made this several times and absolutely love it! You can also bake it as a lovely loaf. If you follow the instructions TO THE LETTER and mix in the drys just until everything is wet, you end up with a thin batter with tiny butter/sugar capsules distributed throughout. I guess Ill just have to give this cake a go at the next family birthday (which, thankfully, is in barely two weeks). Made it with a plainer dark baking chocolate tonight (OK OK it was Cadburys!!) I made this yesterday and it was delicious! I am having trouble printing the recipe. I have bittersweet baking bars and cocoa powder. You rock, Deb! The frosting turned out great! but this cake is such a nice size, with a good frosting-to-cake ratio. I made it and it was so yummy.Everyone loved this delicious peanut butter brownies with chocolate,your cake looks so wonderful, so yummy, and I will be making this again! This is heaven and all my friends love me now. . What is you favorite kind to eat? Deb, would this frosting make enough for two stacked round cake layers, if youre someone who prefers a thin layer of the stuff? RW x. 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. I used non-Dutched cocoa, your coffee tip, and another commenters very helpful recommendation for subbing the unsweetened chocolate (i.e. This cake lives up to the title! And in case anyone who ever reads this comment wondered the same thing as me, I actually used two whole eggs, as I didnt want a random egg white floating around that Id have to account for. I read other reviews by people who found it dry; I thought it was incredibly moist for a cake thats not too dense. Alexandra You probably can, but I think youll be surprised at how not terribly sweet this cake is, despite the seemingly large amount. For a summer party I baked triple the amount on a large tray, with mascarpone raspberry topping. Deb, I am a fan of Smitten Kitchen and have your newest cookbook. You are a baking, cooking goddess. First. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes (updated, based on feedback) 25 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. You mention that the frosting is generous for an 88, but is it enough to cover a 913 (to satisfaction)? I have been really successful in recreating this recipe( without a mixer too Infact). 9 by 13 it is!!! The frosting turned out a bit too sweetsolved by beating in an oz or two of cream cheese to mellow it out. If anyone is like me and has a Costco sized version of coconut oil theyre all too eager to use (vs expensive organic butter), use coconut oil! -replaced the buttermilk with red wine Its ludicrously easy and not over the top sweet. I decided to divide my cake in to two 9 round pans. 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. Like eat-one-square-in-two-bites perfect. If you suggest it, I make it. The knife comes out with chocolate on it. I dont want to make too much. Made this twice! I feel like Im talking to a celebrity!! I rescued a broken buttercream Id attempted for a friends birthday and added freeze-dried raspberry powder to it. 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). Ive made it twice in the last few weeks. Have just put this in the oven. Its so rich and silky smooth I wanted to just forget the cake and eat the icing. This is the first time Ive heard someone else refer to this saying. I made this again using dutched cocoa and even a friend who doesnt like chocolate cake (yeah, I know, right?!!) I dont like a lot of icing on my cake. The cake turned out very moist, really delicious. It reminds me of childhood parties and I can just imagine how it tastes my mouth is watering just looking at the pictures! Thank you for your generosity and for this cake in particular it helped us support a friend who needed it. Just enough for a big swirl on 12 cupcakes and even tastes good made vegan with earth balance buttery sticks. I feel like something went wrong because it shouldnt seem heavy; rich with chocolate and not terribly sweet, yes, but I make it for almost every birthday layer cake and its always just delightfully tender and moist, especially, like most cakes, on day two. Add the cooled chocolate and whisk until smooth. But either way, the cake turned out great. My 8yo made this today. 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. Admittedly, I dont have a thermometer inside my oven, nor do I know if its perfectly calibrated, but my bake times are usually pretty close to the recipe, and it seemed like a lot of extra for a small cake. Hi Deb! I may treat myself to your cookbook for my birthday. This was just what I was looking for. I made this and I just wanted to say that it was so good. Not that I wont eat it :-D. Thanks so much Deb! Can you file it under I at least? 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? Any tips for a frosting I could make with a whisk or does that just not work for frosting? After dinner, I whipped some cream, tossed some drained pitted cherries over it, and Hope thats an ok combo. This morning, however, it has settled down some and is more balanced and its firmer. Should the butter quantity for the frosting be 1/2 cup or 4 oz? Do you mean other chocolate flavors or the style of frosting, in a food processor? Thank you so much Deb. I wanted to eat it all. Must try! miso sweet potato and broccoli bowl. This coming from a girl raised in NJ, just outside the City, and whose standard is Juniors! xx. Erin Was the chocolate completely and totally cool, i.e. Thanks. 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. WOWjust made this for my oversize cupcake cake. Im making this for my friends birthday which is tomorrow so this is kind of urgent haha. Since you said you were generous with the amount of frosting (I am not going to get between a pregnant woman with an offset spatula and her bowl of frosting) I sliced my cake into two layers and put a third of the frosting inside and the rest on top. I used self-raising flour and half a tsp of baking powder. It turned out rather thick, but spreadable, and so delicious. 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. Is it round or square? Now, I need to make this cake recipe Thanks. Hi Deb, love your blog and it is my go to for everything cooking-related. This looks amazing! 1 / 8 teaspoon baking soda I was looking for a quick and easy chocolate cake recipe, so finally I tried this one and I am thrilled! A few weeks ago I was laying around feeling sorry for myself and my all-day sickness (morning sickness is a very inaccurate name!) The recipe is a favorite of our Editor-in-Chief, Faith Durand, who described these squares as a "solid tablet of butter and sugar." With a recommendation like that, it had to go on the list. I didnt even notice. Sad but true. You can drop the sugar a little, but too much and it wont be thick enough as a frosting. ), YES YES YES! Im planning to make this into cupcakes for a birthday party, but Ill need to make at least 4 dozen, and have only one pan. How did it taste in the end? Thank you for the cake recipe, the sprinkles really catch the eye! I regretted not licking every beater of chocolate buttercream that had ever crossed my path when I worked at a bakery in high school. Ive also just made it as square. 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. Everyone raved about it. Every time I saw, chocolate, my mouth goes to water. I upped the amount of chocolate in the frosting to approx 80grams by accident but it tasted delish. This is the most reliable chocolate snack cake recipe! Does the baking time need to be adjusted? None of these are a dealbreaker, of course, just good to know going in. THanks! Thanks a lot Deb! Hi- Do you think whole wheat pastry flour would work in this recipe? I made the cake the other day for my sons birthday. I am so thankful for a smaller cake recipe. Cupcakes Usually bake for 17 to 20 minutes. 1. You may have answered this elsewhere, but I cant seem to find it. Wow, just wow. I only got ten cupcakes. I have to say, however, that the part about cutting it into 16 pieces made us laugh and laugh and laugh! Also, I have to say we had a slice last night and my husband remarked that it may even be better the second day. This cake worked WONDERFULLY! Also melted chocolate for a chocolate buttercream frosting?! Help!! On the third round I added a 1/4 cup additional buttermilk to the batter. Deb Question about measuring. This was so delicious and easy to tweak to my weird idiosyncratic preferences. Unfortunately I cant tolerate buttercream, though I love it the taste and texture it makes me sick for days. I doubled the cake recipe and it made a perfect amount of cake in a buttered, bake and serve 9 x 13 glass pan. We were sitting around with a bit of wine and a roasted cauliflower tonight, thinking about what to do for the night; we are homebodies, Friday basically is equal to Tuesday in my mind and CAKE! Stat! Your one-bowl chocolate cake is PERFECTION. I have some red wine to use and i would try making this cake with it. It took about 28 mins to bake the cake and my batter was a thin due to being overly enthusiastic w/ vanilla and coffee extracts (I always add coffee extract to chocolate cakes). Reading this blog right now brings back so many memories. But if youve been there, youve felt this, this is for you. My husband promised my kids dessert last night, and it was up to me to fulfill this promise. This is soo going to get made tomorrow! 3 times? I am definitely making and eating this on the weekend. Please, please tell me this doesnt mean you were still nauseous in week 16? That doesnt sound good at all. In my house, we are, most regrettably, gluten free, dairy free, soy and egg free. 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. A little more butter / less flour? Oh, and the offset spatula makes the frosting swirls so easy. Making your classic brown butter cake for a last minute wedding this weekend was thinking of using this for the bottom middle layer. 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? It was pretty powerful at first while mixing, so I wont go by first taste ever again!). Making this for Mothers Day, and an 88 is too much cake for two people on the pandemic meal plan. handfulofshadows I dont think theyll be automated because I dont think theres a way to do it the way I want them to look. Thank you for this quick and delicious recipe! You can find it under Sugar and Sprinkles > Assorted Shapes. Or eaten. thanks! Its weirdly labourous but worth the time. However, the frosting saves the day here! Any suggestions or ideas you might have would be much appreciated! 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. The results were excellent. I wanted to take this to the next level though so I doubled the recipe for 2 layers and then spread a layer of salted caramel in the middle and drizzled some more on top of the frosting. ). Worked perfectly. having major third trimester chocoholic cravings and this is on the agenda for tonighthopefully this wont derail my glucose test next week (pray for me!!!! Turns out, the 41 grams of butter I used was from the cake recipe instead of the needed 115 grams. Close ad . Same temperature. Is it supposed to be like that? Special equipment: A pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Thank you! Thank you!! I hope I can get to the bottom of it. Yay! Megan 10-inch round or square? ), Adrienne 913 isnt the wrong pan for doubling an 88, in fact, its about as close as youll get to doubled from a standard pan. I wonder if you weighed your dry ingredients? It was great. Im not saying how many I had. Do I need to double the recipe and how long should I bake them for? We found this disappointingly dry and bland. 1/2 cup butter is 8 oz not 4 ozs! Charlie Not on my 2nd floor balcony in Manhattan, I hope! I liked your frosting a lot, but the chocolate didnt fully emulsify. Also, can you bake this in a round cake pan instead of a rectangular one? No need to sift if you cocoa isnt lumpy; I think the brand I use just fairly consistently is. I usually make it in an 88 square. 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! Well, it is a sign from above, so now this cake is definitely getting made today. cannoli pound cake. All in all, not a problem. Nope, way too dry so I added an extra Tablespoon or so of heavy cream. [Dont have a food processor? Mine came out fluffier than I wanted what should I adjust to get it fudgier? It was a little dry around the edges. Despite not having quite the right ingredients (had to use salted butter, 2% milk, and messed up the eggs and did all whole instead of one yolk and one whole) it turned out perfect. I used gluten free flour (King Arthur general purpose is my favorite), subbed coconut oil for the butter and coconut milk with a little vinegar for the buttermilk (to make it dairy-free). My baking tome was slightly less, but I always consider baking times rough estimates. dulce de leche chocoflan . Ive made several recipes from your blog, so I knew the kind of quality I could expect, but still, I wasnt expecting to be wooed into buying another cookbook when I have plenty that dont receive enough attention as it is. No need to butter the inside or outside of cupcake liners. In 2008, when Smitten Kitchen was still an infant in blog years, I shared a recipe for my mom's apple cake. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon over the top, then stir. I recently warned (threatened?) I also just oiled the pan well (no parchment), and I got lucky and it dropped out onto a plate after a couple seconds of patience (also my first time trying to get a cake out of its pan whole.) There are others like us. This is getting pawned off on my coworkers as soon as my office reopens because I cant take it anymore. I tend to use double what is recommended of the powder, due to the mildness. And the frosting is superb and so quick. I would halve the sugar in the frosting for next time-I havent tried the cake itself so do not know if it is equally as sweet. I made this last night and it was delicious! This is the easiest; its quite chocolaty, a little fudgy, not firm but holds together well. Made with a shot of espresso (double strength). Seven years ago: Escarole and Orzo Soup with Meatballs My whole 10 month long pregnancy plus these 3 postpartum months have been filled with with the desire.. no OBSESSION with finding the perfect chocolate cake. & again the perfect cake to make again the next night when youve been asked to bake it for a friend. As it was, I managed to stop after one so thered be plenty left when my peeps come home from school and work. I ended up snagging a more squared-off metal 88 while out running errands today, so thin-cake crisis averted. But after tasting the cake batter with the slightly tangy taste of buttermilk, I know it will be well worth it. Aarthi I havent, but it sounds really good. boyperson also always complains that our apartment is coldi hadnt noticed until i realized the butter on the counter wasnt soft. Put the chocolate, butter, and salt in a large microwave safe bowl. I made these a cupcakes tonight. Me: Wow, how did she know I would think this?) Thanks for all the great recipes! I will force feed it to my colleagues tomorrow. I doubled this recipe using the weights instead of volume measurements and it turned out great. I bought a bundt cake pan (9/10 inch I think), how can this recipe work with the pan?!?! My question: my daughter wants a chocolate-strawberry cake for her birthday. and then your post came to my email box. I will also add that the cake batter is delicious by itself so I enjoyed risking a bit of salmonella and licking my spatula during the clean up. I cant wait to make this. 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. It made 24 minis plus one regular cupcake. In short, this is EXACTLY the cake I need when the chocolate cake craving hits :-). Thanks. Great texture! 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.