Emergency Chocolate Cake Americas Test Kitchen Recipes

EMERGENCY CHOCOLATE CAKE - AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degress; lightly spray an 8-inch square cake pan with oil spray.
• Whisk flour, sugar and baking soda together in large bowl.
• In separate bowl, whisk cocoa and water trogether until smooth. Whisk in the mayonnaise and vanilla. Stir the mayonnaise mixture into the flour mixture until combined.
• Put into pan; smooth the top. Bake until toothpick tests clean but with a few crumbs attached, about 35-40 minutes.
• Let cool in pan on rack 1 - 2 hours May top with confectioners sugar sifted over top.

OLD-FASHIONED CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE (AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN) RECIPE - (3.8/5)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350*. Grease and flour 2 round cake pans. Combine chocolate, cocoa, & water in medium heatproof bowl; set bowl over saucepan with 1 inch simmering water and stir with spatula until chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes. Add ½ c. sugar to chocolate mixture and stir until thick and glossy, 1-2 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and set aside to cool. Whisk flour, baking soda, & salt in medium bowl. Combine buttermilk & vanilla in small bowl. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whisk eggs & yolks on medium-low speed until combined, about 10 seconds. Add remaining 1 ¼ c. sugar, increase speed to high, and whisk until fluffy & lightened in color, 2-3 minutes. Replace whisk with paddle attachment. Add cooled chocolate mixture to egg/sugar mixture and mix on medium speed until thoroughly incorporated, 30-45 seconds, pausing to scrape down sides of bowl with spatula as needed. Add softened butter 1 Tbsp. at a time, mixing about 10 seconds after each addition. Add about 1/3 of flour mixture followed by 1/2 of buttermilk mixture, mixing until incorporated after each addition (about 15 seconds). Repeat using half of remaining flour mixture & all of remaining buttermilk mixture (batter may appear separated). Scrape down sides of bowl and add remaining flour mixture; mix at medium-low speed until batter is thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds. Remove bowl from mixer & fold batter once or twice with spatula to incorporate any remaining flour. Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans; smooth batter to edges of pan with spatula. Bake cakes until toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 25-30 minutes. Cool cakes in pans 15 minutes, then invert onto wire rack. Cool cakes to room temperature before frosting, 45-60 minutes. FROSTING: Melt chocolate in heatproof bowl set over saucepan containing 1 inch barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat & set aside. Meanwhile, heat butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat until melted. Increase heat to medium; add sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, & salt and stir with heatproof spatula until sugar is dissolved, 4-5 minutes. Add melted chocolate, butter mixture, & cream to clean bowl of standing mixer and stir to thoroughly combine. Place mixer bowl over ice bath & stir mixture constantly with spatula until frosting is thick & just beginning to harden against sides of bowl, 1-2 minutes (frosting should be 70*). Place bowl on standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until frosting is light & fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Stir with spatula until completely smooth.

EMERGENCY CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Put it all in a small microwave-safe dish/mug.
• Microwave for 60 seconds.
• Turn out onto a plate. Devour.

TRIPLE LAYER CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN RECIPE - (3.8/5)

Steps:

• To make the bottom layer, butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. (I lined the bottom of the pan with a parchment round for easy removal later.) Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 325˚ F. Combine the butter, chocolate, and espresso powder in a large heatproof bowl set over simmering water. Stir occasionally until the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla and egg yolks. Set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and salt on medium speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. Crumble half of the brown sugar into the mixing bowl with your fingers to remove any lumps. Beat until incorporated, about 15 seconds. Add the remaining brown sugar and continue to beat on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 1 minute more. Using a whisk, mix one-third of the beaten egg whites to the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining egg whites gently with a rubber spatula until no streaks remain. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake until the cake has risen, is firm around the edges and the center has just set but is still soft (should spring back after pressing gently with a finger), about 14-18 minutes. Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely, at least 1 hour. Do not remove the cake from the pan. (If not making the second layer right away, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to proceed.) To make the second layer, whisk together the cocoa powder and hot water in a small bowl; set aside. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Once melted, remove from the heat and let cool slightly, 2-5 minutes. In the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream, sugar and salt on medium speed until the mixture begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when the whisk is lifted, 30-60 seconds. Whisk in the cocoa powder mixture until smooth. Using a whisk, mix one-third of the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining whipped cream gently with a rubber spatula until no streaks remain. Pour the mousse into the springform pan over the cooled cake and tap gently on the counter 3 times to remove air bubbles. Gently smooth the top with a spatula. Wipe the inside edge of the pan to remove any drips. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes while preparing the top layer. To make the top layer, sprinkle the gelatin over the water in a small bowl and let stand at least 5 minutes to soften. Place the white chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring ½ cup of the cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat, add the gelatin mixture and stir until dissolved. Pour the hot cream mixture over the white chocolate and let stand about 1 minute. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool to room temperature, about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. In the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the remaining 1 cup of cream at medium speed until it begins to thicken. Increase the speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when the whisk is lifted, 30-60 seconds. Using a whisk, mix one-third of the whipped cream to the white chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining whipped cream gently with a rubber spatula until no streaks remain. Spoon the white chocolate mousse into the pan over the middle layer. Smooth the top with an offset spatula. Return the cake to the refrigerator and chill until set, at least 2½ hours. (Note: Do NOT cover your pan with plastic wrap unless you are completely sure you can do so without it touching the top of your cake during placement or removal. If it does touch the cake, it will smudge the perfectly pristine top, forcing you to make an excessive amount of chocolate curls. I speak from experience.)