smitten kitchen best chocolate cake

I dont have any dutched cocoa but used regular ghiradelli coca and it came out just fine (threw in a handful of extra chocolate baking chips for good measure). Magda I dont have the functionality at this time, but Id love to get it if possible. Other ways to print: Finish with rainbow sprinkles; dont even fight it. And why I dont have half of these ingredients in the house, RIGHT NOW, I do not know. Any tips for a frosting I could make with a whisk or does that just not work for frosting? This looks so good. Thank you so much for sharing!!! RW x. Really, I tried to come up with a less cumbersome title, but chocolate cake with chocolate frosting doesnt connote the central urgency here. Thank you! I have a question about the frosting. 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. Going to make this this weekend for my nephews birthday. SUCH a successful recipe!! 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! Whipped this up during nap time, adding a handful of chocolate chips to the batter. Thanks for sharing! For vanilla, I prefer 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar and a full teaspoon of vanilla extract. Note: when I do pack it and weigh it, 145g actually comes to a little over 1/2 a cup of brown sugar. Lovely cake though, one of my faves! I had to add another 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. So, I remade it, but I was so scared I was going to ruin it again, that I didnt whip it enough and it wasnt as creamy as its been all the other times Ive made it. I have made the recipe three times now. One of those great Smitten Kitchen recipes that encourages me to make something I wouldnt have otherwise made, and turns out great, even though I was sure I messed it up! I made this and I just wanted to say that it was so good. I am allergic to dairy what substitute do you recommend for the buttermilk? I switched out the AP flour for a gluten free flour mix and it turned out very well. You read my mind! Delicious! it is the number one thing boyperson asks for, half in jest but i know he really wants it, but im not going to bake a whole giant two layer cake, and scaling down baking recipes is something i havent wanted to try. Thank you for your recipes, despite being fussy, they have (for the most part) been delicious. Not that I havent eaten what I wanted the whole time, and that want has mostly been chocolate (and frozen mango pieces lately, so good!) I love the pasta and chocolate dietJust add wine and espresso and Im all set! Thanks for the delicious chocolate butter cream recipe! I processed the next batch just until fluffy and spreadable looking and it turned out great. Thanks! Even bought the special spatula. 1/2 teaspoon table or fine sea salt, Frosting Did you watch the clock and take out the cake when it was barely finished? So, push and then make an S-swirl, push and S-swirl, repeat and always quit while youre ahead (hard, because its so fun). Now Im craving chocolate cake! Tried to read most of the comments but mostly the conversions were for 913 or cupcakes. I decreased the icing sugar and added a titch of cocoa to compensate. Just made this. The only edit I would make is to halve the amount of frosting. Thank you for a spectacular cake. I found you last year, bought the book, and have since made at least a dozen cakes and more. I think i am going to try to make it myself!!! Thank you for this simple and deliciously chocolaty recipe! Thank you! This was the perfect amount of batter for 12 cupcakes. Everyone raved about it. It still looks pretty and the thought that counts :). This is something that a chocolate lover should try! Hi. Insanely perfect timing since its my boyfriends birthday in two weeks and his only request for his cake was chocolate, chocolate and chocolate. It actually tasted like chocolate, unlike most bakery cakes that just taste brown. So easy to make- love that its one bowl, since that always makes me more inclined to make it in the future. Definitely a keeper, thanks! This morning, however, it has settled down some and is more balanced and its firmer. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Thank you, for this recipe! Toni Yes, same as the Monkey Cake. 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. Think I might have to healthify and recreate! I thought Id try a different blogs cake this year, dumbest idea ever! Have a great one Deb! Melting and cooling is an annoying process. It was delicious. It was moist, but still firm, and tasted even better after a day or two in the fridge. First time I made this cake (huge success, by the way) I used natural because thats all I had. 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. It is the kitchen tool that will make spreading cake batter, especially in round pans (among many other spreading chores) and icing a cake so much easier! No one wants a dry cake! Or the book! 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour Worked fine. It looks so generous. Its one of the only ingredients I splurge on; I ruined myself by trying it in the first place. :). This will definitely be in my regular rotation of dessert recipes. I ordered one for an upcoming birthday party cake, and the instructions say to use a dense cake such as a pound cake. Its perfect. the frosting is SO GOOD and i am not a frosting person and . What a great idea. Thank god for that frosting, because it turned out the ratio and the richness of the frosting balanced with the sturdy, deeply chocolate-y cake that was barely almost a smidge over but not too badly. I did not double the cake this time, I just baked it in an 88, but I have before to make a layered sheet cake.). (The cake is good too, dont get me wrong.) Allyson No reason at all to pack before weighing; packing wont affect weight. However, the book has a slightly different amount of baking powder (3/4 tsp). I only got ten cupcakes. I added slightly more salt just to bring out the flavour of the chocolate but all in all perfect! It was good but not knock your socks off good, which has been my experience with everything else Ive made from SK. I made this and it was so delicious! Is that the route we need to take in order to PIN a recipe? This is kind of like a cross between a brownie and chocolate cake, but not like a cakey brownie, if that makes sense. So easy to make, this is my forever birthday cake. And now youve posted the cake I have dreamed of. Help!! Can you tell me what size is your strainer in the picture? Deb, I love your recipes and we just made this cake delicious!! No, sorry, I dont have a tag for it. ). Thank you. Seriously. I always love your recipes. I am not a baker and yet this turned out perfectly. I have 2 teenage boys. Thanks! I noticed in the comments you said you upped the amount of eggs in this from the original recipe what does that actually do to the cake? Baking time It sounds like its taking up to 5 to 10 minutes extra for everyone. :) xx. Stir on low until just combined; scrape down bowl a final time. Delicious and quick. The ingredients & method are straightforward. I dont like a lot of icing on my cake. I used closer to 2/3 cup of cocoa and I made it with gluten free flour. Next time, Ill add those adorable confetti sprinkles! Deb- Thx for the speedy reply. sunken black forest cake. The sugar is a bit much so the salt balances the sweetness a bit and enhances the chocolate flavor. Thank you Deb for another amazing recipe! The cake didnt look too overbaked, though. ;), THANK YOU for this recipe I made it yesterday its delicious. I love your recipes! The cupcakes stayed moist and were flipping delicious. How could you switch the cake to a vanilla cake? I mean, just look at this cake!! My sweet son made it for me, sprinkles and all. I wanted to eat it all. I may have taken it out a bit early, the rise went slightly down. I noticed Mels comment, but was wondering if you have any ideas about making this frosting without a hand/ stand mixer. Best chocolate cake ever! Yes. Ill try it again without the modification. Thanks! Deb, the cake sounds fabulous, but I have to tell you, your introduction had me laughing out loud. Me: Wow, how did she know I would think this?) The frosting is sweet and pairs very nicely with the not overly sweet moist light cake! Raspberries & chocolate- what could be bad? I wish I could reach in a try a slice! Just buy the biggest ones they have. Ive made it twice in the last few weeks. We made this with your caramel chunks idea for the brownies sprinkled in, and added a whipped frosting with cream cheese, walnut, and chocolate chopped in. I actually wrote about making it that way over here. Divine! I NEVER comment, but this hit me right in my stress-baking sweet spot and I made it yesterday with a three year old and a baby underfoot. Especially how there was so little to clean up, and how all the ingredients came nicely together :) My friends all enjoyed it immensely too and they all said the icing went really well with the cake. Boyfriend is allergic to wheat, so I used brown rice flour (he found out two weeks ago so Im pretty new to this) and I couldnt tell the difference! Cake notes: I didnt have buttermilk so I used 3/4 cup thinned (with water) whole milk yogurt. Keep it in the fridge. How did it taste in the end? Im new to receiving your blog, and I have (hopefully) two quick questions: 1. It turned out rather thick, but spreadable, and so delicious. Whisk . And I still got this on the table at a reasonable hour. This coming from a girl raised in NJ, just outside the City, and whose standard is Juniors! 1. Today its the first time Ill make it since I bought your new book and I noticed that there is a difference in the baking powder quantity (1/2 tsp in the recipe above, 3/4 tsp in the book). I decided to divide my cake in to two 9 round pans. Im making this for my friends birthday which is tomorrow so this is kind of urgent haha. I also used to subscribe to the view that cake is just a vehicle for icingand then I made this cake. Just took it out of the oven and I can already tell by the smell that this things going to be good. . I mean, you can have a slice but after that you have to go home and make your own. Still delicious baked on Friday, refrigerated till Sunday am, served Sunday @ noon. Next time, Ill try your cake recipe, too (only remembered I wanted to try this when the other one was in the oven!). Chum Yes, it would be delicious. INCREDIBLE cake! 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 This is soo going to get made tomorrow! Must make! Where did you get your large glass canisters/jars? But I am living in a country free of baking powder (Switzerland!). Yes, will double the powder. Dear Deb, Im salivating. Do you think this frosting would work to pipe with a star tip? You and your blog bring me great joy! I can already tell by how great the batter is that this cake is going to make the awful week worth it. And its the perfect size to not hurt yourself :). The batter was so good I didnt want to bake it, and the resulting cake is very rich but still so fluffy and light. Proudly powered by WordPress. The cake itself isnt very sweet, in hopes to provide contrast. Writing to say that the butter is amount is wrong. You have given me inspiration to make this chocolate cake. I doubled this recipe using the weights instead of volume measurements and it turned out great. If so, should I alter the other ingredients? I have already made this cake (in almost all of its versions! My husband cut us each 2 small pieces and then stacked them on top of each other for a double layer piece of cake. It sounds like Natron is indeed what baking soda is sold as in Germany. Is it possible for the machine to heat up just enough to melt the butter? But so thick that the cakes moist crumb couldnt hold up to it. Instead of the buttercream I frosted it with a half batch of the seven-minute frosting from the King Arthur website and drizzled with chocolate ganache, but I definitely kept the rainbow sprinkles :). Sorry so late to respond to this comment; no reason you cannot. Sarah Actually, I find that its very hard to get an even read on cocoa powders because theyre all different, and pack differently in cups. Baking soda is actually part of baking powder. About six weeks ago, around 9 p.m. on a day I had consumed mostly air and maybe a slice of toast because I couldnt for the life of me imagine how food had ever tasted good, without any warning, I wanted a slice of chocolate cake with swirls of chocolate frosting and probably some sprinkles and the sprinkles, so help them, better be rainbow. Ive been reading that one shouldnt use Dutch processed cocoa with recipes that contain baking powder or baking soda; apparently recipes with those ingredients use the acidity of natural cocoa to react with and the alkalinity of Dutch process will mess with the product. And as a fellow pregnant lady whos had these chocolate cravings I totally feel you. 3 tbs cocoa and one tbs butter for one ounce of unsweetened chocolate). 3. I really want it with chocolate custard, like the school dinners I remember as a child. And I really really love the frosting. Thanks, Deb!!!!!! This cake was fantastic and was so easy to put together. Thanks for the doable, approachable, ingredient-accessible recipe. What is the ratio of vinegar to milk to create buttermilk? Good luck with Elmo! Will you please advise me on this? In another bowl, whisk together sour cream, corn syrup, and vanilla extract until smooth. Thank you, Deb! Excellent, reliable cake. Hes enthusiastic now :), Literally just finished frosting it and devoured it along with the sprinkles. I made this yesterday, for Chocolate Cake Day, but had no buttermilk handy, and was loathe to go out in the cold to buy some. Hmm.). Grace Sugar provides moisture to cakes, too, so its not ideal to just drop it. I dont recommend trying to speed the cooling of the melted chocolate by putting it in the refrigerator though, things can change fast! My husband is back in NY right now (he speaks german) and im lost with a 2 year old and google translate on my phone at the grocery store (getting ingredients for this cake as a surprise)! [kisses]. Anyway, its worth the experiment. Any other ideas? And she had marked so many pages with little pink tabs! Set aside. Hey Deb This looks marvelous! see? Making this for Mothers Day, and an 88 is too much cake for two people on the pandemic meal plan. Often I skip the frosting and its still good. . I want to serve some (about 4) tomorrow and the rest on Sunday after a long car ride. i made this into cupcakes. Since I only have one (short on storage space) it was not difficult to simply bake one layer at a time. Im making this in 2 6 layers for my mothers birthday- can I freeze the layers ahead of time for a couple of days? Anna You can replace all of the buttermilk with wine, because wine is an acidic ingredient (almost a match in ph, if I remember correctly from my research a few years ago). You can bake it in a 9-inch round. At 11 weeks, mine are fish (every kind except the rare tuna salad sandwich), risotto or risotto-like creations, and chocolate in most forms. Thank you! Every time I saw, chocolate, my mouth goes to water. I baked it in an 99 square, for just about 21 mins. Who files stuff under THE? Delicious. I need cake in my face, or everyone in this office will have to pay! I MUST HAVE CHOCOLATE CAKE. My son is 7 months old and the craving still pops up now and then. Hi I was just wondering how much extra milk I would need to add if I added an extra 3.9oz of dry ingredients (chocolate jello pudding mix) to you recipe? Oh my goodness! This cake rivals the chocolate cakes from the best bakeries in town. 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. I didnt originally have dutch cocoa powder and thought about using natural, but ended up re-stocking my dutch cocoa and im glad I did. That said, if you dont have Dutched but only a regular or natural cocoa, I havent tested this cake with it but suspect that youll be just fine, although the cake may be less dark in color. I dont think you will have time to respond to this question, but I am baking a beautiful cake for my baby who is turning one. Ive been reading your blog since before he was born and have cooked my way through a lot of what youve written about. Im on my way to a weight loss/fitness goal. Thank you! This is the easiest; its quite chocolaty, a little fudgy, not firm but holds together well. Needless to say, I wont be making this cake, but Ill stay tuned :). This was exactly what I was craving! Mmmm yum. Is this the nature of this recipe, due to the added solid chocolate, or did I perhaps mis-weigh my powdered sugar? 1 tablespoons cream or whole milk Guessing I posted here before as I make this cake all the time. But since I have been paleo for two years now, I find almond-flour baked goods much more fulfilling than wheat flour goods. After noodling for a day, I decided that the acid present in the buttermilk must be enough to do the job. lol j/k :). My sons birthday today. Are you clicking the print icon below the recipe? It is good to note that dried butter milk plus water works in this recipe. The ratio of cake to frosting is the icing on the cake (SEE WHAT I DID THERE??) This is the BEST chocolate cake Ive ever made. Its held up great over the years. salted butter chocolate chunk shortbread . I will be making this soon! YUM!!! Ill definitely stick to the stand or hand-held mixer when making frosting in the future. This was just what I was looking for. I used a whisk to mix the not really lumpy cocoa. I doubled the recipe and baked it in a 913 for 40 minutes, came out perfect. -frosted with a ginger spiced dairy free buttercream, The result was amazing-ness! Stephanie i usually just stick the butter in the microwave for 10 seconds (not more), Deb, I recently bought your cookbook here in Dublin (Ireland, not Ohio), and it looks so, so great. I made this with Hersheys Special Dark Cocoa (they say this is a blend of natural and Dutched cocoas) and it turned out great! I actually only made the cake part and I made it into cupcakes. What do you think of powdered buttermilk? Its a recipe like this that makes me want to brave the snow and go to the grocery store to get the ingredients. that I might have to exclusively dedicate this space for a while to a few currently acceptable categories, those that involve butter, bread, peanut butter or chocolate. Thanks :). This one looks just absolutely perfect! If I wanted to make this into a double layered round cake, would you just double the recipe and do in two 9 inch rounds? I made 1.5 x the amount of batter in the cake recipe to make two relatively thinner 9 round layers and doubled the frosting recipe and I had plenty to ice the cake. It was 10 and I had worked hard all day. If it has larger pockets, just needed more mixing of the leavening before adding the flour. I am making a cake this weekend and was planning on doing the golden cake from your cookbook (which always turns out perfectly!) This looks like heaven! Line the bottom of an 8-inch square cake pan with parchment paper, and either butter the parchment and exposed sides of the pan, or spray the interior with a nonstick spray. After dinner, I whipped some cream, tossed some drained pitted cherries over it, and They love it and I love that its simple and doesnt leave me with heaps of dishes! How did I even miss that! I know better than that. Such a perfect moist crumb on this cake it must be the buttermilk! All that to say, I enjoyed a piece of your chocolate cake for breakfast enormously. It came out perfectly baked, not very risen. Yes, this is everything I want. Every year I make my kids half a cake for their half birthday and this made a PERFECT half double layer cake. Making now! Otherwise, it would be much easier to make them less sweet! My kids loved it! I only made the frosting part, but had to comment because it was fantastic and easy. Did you use Dutched cocoa? ;) Tonight get to share it with friends. 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. It's extraordinarily loaded with apples, like a pie inside a cake. I found your blog through Bloglovin and drew immediately from the Chocolate Cake. while at target i found star sprinkles for a buck as part of an easter baking end cap display. 4 teaspoons salt 2 chocolate bar biscuit croissant topping 1 jelly cotton candy jelly gummies 2 cups liquorice chocolate 2 jelly beans bonbon 2 caramels tart gummi bears 6 butterscotch caramel lollipops I made this last night and it was delicious! An exceedingly cute mini-cake! Didnt have buttermilk so subbed yoghurt and milk. Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting would definitely be an understatement! Its 2023 and this cake is still very important to me! I love making chocolate cake but never seem to be able to eat an entire cake. I would triple the frosting, especially if you wish to coat the sides as well. Thanks. Ill be as surprised as everyone else. i did end up going out to buy the bakers chocolate for the frosting and im glad i did because Quick question: my cocoa is not lumpy at all. Also the fact that its delicious and practically gone doesnt hurt! (And chocolate leftovers with excess icing for me! This is a delicious, fast chocolate cake! This looks amazing Deb what a perfect cake! Here's a bit more about each. I want it to taste good, but the birthday girl (a 6 year old) wants a very specific design.