The Quintessential Chocolate Cake Recipes

TOP SECRET CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 10-cup Bundt pan with baking spray.
• Mix together the cake mix, milk, butter, eggs, chocolate chips and vanilla in a large bowl until completely combined. Pour into the prepared Bundt pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
• Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes before turning it out onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely, an additional 20 to 25 minutes.
• For the simple chocolate ganache topping: Meanwhile, heat the cream in a small pan until just bubbling. Add the chocolate chips to a small bowl and pour the hot cream over the top. Let sit for 1 minute, then mix until smooth.
• Transfer the cake to a cake stand or serving platter and pour the ganache over the top, allowing it to drip down the ridges. Sprinkle with rainbow sprinkles and serve.

BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line three 9-in. round baking pans with waxed paper; grease and flour the pans and paper. Set aside., In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and baking powder; add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition., Transfer to prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For frosting, in a small heavy saucepan, melt chips and butter over low heat. Transfer to a large bowl; cool for 5 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Spread between layers and over top and sides of cake. If desired, top with chocolate curls. Refrigerate leftovers.

THE BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE YOU EVER ATE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9 x 13 inch pan.
• Sift 2 cups white sugar and 2 cups flour together; set aside.
• In a sauce pan; combine 1/2 cup butter or margarine, oil, water, and 1/4 cup cocoa. Bring mixture to a boil, remove from heat and add to dry ingredients.
• Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk; add with eggs, salt, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon vanilla to cocoa, flour mixture and stir well.
• Pour batter into a 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 minutes.
• To Make Frosting: Five minutes before cake is done combine 1/2 cup butter,1/4 cup cocoa and 1/4 cup milk in saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Remove from heat and stir in confectioners' sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and chopped pecans. Pour frosting over hot cake. Cake remains moist and may be frozen. Serves 20.

THE BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Grease and line three 8-inch (20 cm) cake tins with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
• In a large glass measuring cup, combine the stout, vanilla, and espresso powder. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides occasionally to ensure all the ingredients are being evenly creamed together.
• Beat in the eggs, one at a time, ensuring each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next.
• Add the mayonnaise and beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
• Preheat oven to 325˚F (160˚C).
• Alternate adding the prepared dry and wet ingredients to the batter. Starting with about ⅓ of the dry ingredients, beat until incorporated. Then add ⅓ of the liquid ingredients, mixing until the batter comes together. Continue until all the wet and dry ingredients have been incorporated.
• Using a rubber scraper, fold the dark chocolate chunks into the batter.
• Distribute the batter evenly between the 3 prepared cake tins.
• Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Place the cakes on a cooling rack and leave to cool for about 10-15 minutes, until the outside of the pan is cool enough to touch.
• Once the cakes have cooled, loosen the edges using a butter knife. Then place a large plate over the tin and invert to release the cake from the pan. Remove the parchment paper from the bottom of the cake and slide the cake back onto the cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat for the remaining two layers.
• While your cakes are cooling, prepare the buttercream.
• In a large bowl, beat together the butter and vanilla.
• Gradually add in the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and milk, continuously beating until all the ingredients have been incorporated and the frosting is light and fluffy.
• Frost and decorate to your liking.
• Slice and serve.
• Enjoy!

EXTREME CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans.
• Use the first set of ingredients to make the cake. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 3 minutes with an electric mixer. Stir in the boiling water by hand. Pour evenly into the two prepared pans.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.
• To make the frosting, use the second set of ingredients. Cream butter until light and fluffy. Stir in the cocoa and confectioners' sugar alternately with the milk and vanilla. Beat to a spreading consistency.
• Split the layers of cooled cake horizontally, cover the top of each layer with frosting, then stack them onto a serving plate. Frost the outside of the cake.

THE QUINTESSENTIAL CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• 1. For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350*. Grease and flour 2- 8-9" round cake pans. Sift (or whisk) all dry ingredients in a bowl. Beat together the eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients, and beat for two minutes. Once well combined pour in the hot coffee and mix well. Pour into the cake pans and tap each pan on the counter a few times to remove any large bubbles. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes, then use the edge of the pan as a guide to cut of the round top. This makes a great mid-cake-baking snack! Run a knife around the edges and flip out onto a cooling rack. I like to "slam" the cakes out of pan to (hopefully) insure they come out in one piece! Once totally cooled, carefully slice through the middle to make 4 thin round disks. Stack with wax paper in between, then wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze, until ready to assemble. Frozen cakes are SO much easier to handle while frosting. It also helps to keep the frosting from getting crumby!
• 2. For the ganache: Place the chocolate chips in a glass bowl. Heat the cream, butter and sugar in a small pan. Once the cream is just barely simmering, pour it over the chocolate and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Then whisk until perfectly smooth. Allow the ganache to cool another 10-15 minutes before assembling layers.
• 3. For the frosting: Heat the cream in the microwave until hot to the touch, then add the instant coffee to it and mix. Place the cream in the freezer for a few minutes to cool rapidly. Using an electric mixer, mix the melted butter, vanilla and cocoa powder until well combined. Alternate, adding the cooled coffee-cream and powdered sugar until smooth. Add a little more cream or powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached.
• 4. To assemble: Take the cakes out of the freezer. Slather 1/3 of the ganache in between each layer, until all four layers are stacked. Press the top of the cake to level it. Using a large spreader, smooth the frosting around the sides. Then frost the top and re-smooth the edges. Use a damp paper towel to clean up the edges of the cake stand. Place the last bit of the frosting in a piping bag to "fancy-up" the edges, if you want!
• 5. Leave the cake out, at room temperature so the insides can thaw. Cake taste better when the frosting and filling are room temperature and soft!

BROOKLYN BLACKOUT CAKE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk together the ¼ cup whole milk and the cornstarch until smooth. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining 1¾ cups milk, sugar, dark chocolate, dark Dutch-process cocoa powder, vanilla extract and sea salt. Heat over medium-low heat, whisking, until the chocolate is melted.
• Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the chocolate mixture until fully incorporated.
• Reduce the heat to low, and continue to stir briskly with a wooden spoon or a heatproof spatula. The mixture will come to a simmer and will slowly begin to thicken.
• Continue to cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the pudding coats the back of the spoon and slowly drips off. It will be thick and will just be starting to bubble. Remove the pudding from the heat and pour into 4 serving ramekins or bowls. Let cool.
• Cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate the pudding until it sets, and serve.
• Cut the cold butter into ½-inch pieces. Let it come to room temperature.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter, 3 cups of the confectioners' sugar, ½ cup dark Dutch-process cocoa powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¾ cup Salted Dark Chocolate Pudding, and mix on low until just incorporated. Then beat on medium-high until the mixture is creamy and ingredients are incorporated, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
• Add more confectioners' sugar, 1 cup at a time, and mix on low until the frosting is thick but spreadable. Beat for 1 minute after each addition. You may not need to add all the remaining sugar. Once you have your desired consistency, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Raise the speed to medium-high, and beat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until very light and fluffy. The buttercream should be thick but spreadable. If the buttercream appears too thick, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time. If it appears too thin, add more confectioners' sugar, 1 heaping tablespoon at a time.
• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease two 9-inch cake pans with butter and dust with flour. Line with parchment rounds and grease the rounds.
• In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring the stout and unsalted butter to a simmer. (You can also melt the butter in your oven or in a large, microwave-safe bowl in a microwave oven and then whisk in the beer.) Remove the stout-butter mixture from the heat, add the Dutch-process cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes.
• While the stout-butter mixture cools, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
• In a separate large bowl, whisk together the sour cream and eggs.
• Add the stout-butter mixture to the egg mixture and whisk to combine. Then add the flour mixture, and combine with a rubber spatula until all the ingredients are incorporated and the batter is smooth, with no lumps. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to incorporate any dry flour bits.
• Divide the batter equally between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each layer comes out clean. Transfer to a rack to cool.
• Frost the cake with the Dark Chocolate Pudding Buttercream.

THE QUINTESSENTIAL CHOCOLATE CAKE!

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 F.
• Grease and flour two 9-inch round pans or one 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
• Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.
• Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of electric mixer 2 minutes.
• Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).
• Pour batter into prepared pans.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes for round pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks.
• Cool completely.
• (Cake may be left in rectangular pan, if desired.) Frost with One-Bowl Buttercream Frosting.
• To make One-Bowl Buttercream Frosting: Beat butter in medium bowl.
• Add confectioners' sugar and cocoa alternately with milk, beating to spreading consistency (additional milk may be needed).
• Stir in vanilla.