Bitter Chocolate Cake Recipes

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven and prepare the pan: Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare a rack in the center of the oven. Place a baking sheet in a rack below it (to catch any drippings or spill-overs). Generously butter the sides and bottom of a 9-inch or 10-inch springform pan. Add a few tablespoons of the sugar and gently shake so that all the sides and bottom of the pan are coated with sugar. Tap out the excess sugar.
• Serve: When ready to serve, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

GHIRARDELLI® MINI BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Line with parchment paper. Grease and flour the paper; set pan aside.
• In a small saucepan, place 3/4 cup of the dark chocolate baking chips with the shortening. Heat over low heat until melted and smooth; set aside to cool.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat 3/4 cup butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar and beat 2 minutes more or until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low after each. Beat in chocolate mixture and vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk into butter mixture, beating on low after each addition. Spread batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.
• Meanwhile for the frosting: Melt the remaining 1 cup dark chocolate baking chips and cool. In a very large mixing bowl, beat 3/4 cup butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Beat in melted chocolate, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 cup of the powdered sugar until combined. Beat in milk and vanilla. Gradually beat in the remaining powdered sugar. If necessary, beat in enough additional milk until smooth and spreadable.
• Cut rounds of the cake using a 3-inch round cutter or heart cutter.* Halve the cakes crosswise to form 2 thin layers. Spread frosting over each round (both layers). Stack one frosted round over the other. Sprinkle with mini baking chips.

SKINNY BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH BERRIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. In a medium saucepan, stir together sugar, the water, and espresso powder. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves and mixture almost boils. Stir in the chocolate until melted. Remove from heat. Place egg yolks in a small bowl. Gradually stir the chocolate mixture into egg yolks; stir in vanilla (mixture may appear slightly grainy). Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the 1/2 cup cocoa powder, the flour, and baking powder. Stir in chocolate-egg yolk mixture until smooth. In a large bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Stir a small amount of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten. Fold chocolate mixture into remaining egg whites. Spread in the prepared pan.
• Bake about 30 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen and remove side of pan. Cool completely. (Cake may fall slightly but evenly during cooling.)
• To serve, cut cake into wedges. If desired, sprinkle dessert plates with additional cocoa powder. Transfer cake wedges to dessert plates. Top with whipped topping and berries.

DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13-inch pan.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the eggs, coffee, milk, oil and vinegar. Mix until smooth; the batter will be thin. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

BITTER CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 320F.
• Butter a 9 inch springform pan.
• Sprinkle bottom and sides with sugar.
• Tap out excess.
• Wrap foil around bottom and 2 inches up around outside of pan.
• Combine butter and chocolate and melt, stirring until smooth.
• Whisk eggs and sugar in a large bowl to blend.
• Mix in flour.
• Stir in warm chocolate and pour into pan.
• Set springform pan into a larger baking pan and pour enough boiling water in baking pan to come ½ inch up sides of cake.
• Bake until top is firm and toothpick inserted in center come out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 1 hour.
• Remove from water and cool completely.
• Transfer to platter; release pan sides.
• Serve with whipped cream.
• (a few choice raspberries wouldn’t be totally out of place here either.).

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour an 8-inch springform pan.
• Place a large heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bowl. Put the butter and chocolate in the bowl, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate melts. Take the bowl off the heat; set aside.
• Whisk the sugar into chocolate mixture, then whisk in eggs, coffee, and salt until combined and smooth. Sprinkle on the 1/4 cup flour and fold it in with a rubber spatula until flour is incorporated.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan; place it on a sheet pan. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until the top puffs and cracks and cake doesn't wobble when you jiggle the pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. (The cake will deflate as it cools.) Run a small knife around edge of cake and remove sides of springform pan. Cut cake into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature with Sweetened Whipped Cream. If desired, garnish with additional chocolate. Serves 8. Sweetened Whipped Cream
• Pour 1 cup cold heavy cream into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and beat on high until the cream forms soft peaks. Makes 2 cups.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Line bottom of 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides with waxed paper. Butter sides of pan and paper. Dust pan with flour. Melt chocolate and butter in top of double boiler over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Cool slightly.
• Whisk yolks and sugar in large bowl until pale yellow. Mix in flour, then chocolate mixture. Using electric mixer, beat whites in another bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold into chocolate mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, about 25 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack. Run small sharp knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Turn cake out onto platter and cool. (Can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover with cake dome and let stand at room temperature.) Sift powered sugar over cake and serve.

DENSE BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter the sides and bottom of a 10-inch springform pan and set aside.
• In the top of a double boiler, combine the butter, chocolate and coffee and melt slowly, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla until frothy. Whisk the eggs into the melted chocolate until combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and cool on a wire rack until it reaches room temperature.
• Remove the sides of the pan, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, before serving.

BITTER CHOCOLATE SOUFFLé CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bring a pan of water barely to a simmer. Place the chocolate and butter in a double boiler or metal mixing bowl and place over the pan of hot but not simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has melted but is not too hot. Stir until smooth.
• 2. In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and 1/4 cup of sugar together until thickened slightly and lighter in color. Whisk in the flour and then the chocolate mixture.
• 3. Place the egg whites in a metal bowl and place over hot water until warmed slightly. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar and whip with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1 1/2 tablespoons more sugar. Turn the speed to high and add the last 1/2 tablespoon of sugar, whipping the whites to firm peaks.
• 4. Stir a third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Fold in the remaining whites. Divide the batter among the tins. (The recipe can be made to this point up to 1 1/2 hours before serving; refrigerate).
• 5. Place the tins on a baking sheet and bake until the tops are puffed and feel firm to the touch but are very liquidy in the center, about 8 minutes (or a few minutes longer if they were cold).
• 6. Meanwhile, sift a little cocoa lightly over 8 dessert plates. Three minutes after the cakes are done, run the tip of a knife around the sides to loosen, and unmold the cakes onto the plates, rinsing the knife with hot water between each one. Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream or chocolate sorbet.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE GLAZE

Steps:

• Place the chocolate in the bowl of a food processor and process just until finely ground (leave the chocolate in the processor).
• In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil.
• Remove from the heat and add the chocolate to the pan.
• Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the glaze is smooth.
• Stir in the vanilla extract.
• Transfer the glaze to a small bowl; cover the surface of the glaze with a piece of plastic wrap and let cool for about 10 minutes before using.
• To glaze a cake, place the cake on the wire rack over a wax-paper- or foil-lined baking sheet.
• Slowly pour the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides.
• Let glaze set for about 30 minutes before slicing the cake.

MOLTEN BITTERSWEET-CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Butter and flour six 6-ounce (2-inch-deep) ramekins.
• Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Meanwhile, whisk together eggs and sugar until pale and thick, about 4 minutes. Sift flour and salt into another bowl.
• Fold egg mixture into chocolate mixture. Immediately fold in flour mixture. Divide batter evenly among ramekins, filling each three-quarters full. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake until just set, 14 to 16 minutes. Let cool for 3 minutes. Turn out cakes onto plates.