Oh my goodness! Thank you! Beautiful, btw. The batter was pretty salty with 1/2 teaspoon table salt. Its an okay price, at least. This! I weighed & added the ingredients for the frosting. I baked this beauty of a cake this evening for a welcome home dinner tomorrow, and didnt really think through my process made the frosting while the cake was baking, but think it might be best to wrap the cooled cake and make some fresh to frost with tomorrow. Thank you for this simple and deliciously chocolaty recipe! This post could not have been more timely! Whipped this up during nap time, adding a handful of chocolate chips to the batter. Funny, I am so the I need chocolate cake now kind of person, and it has nothing to do with hormonal cravings. Divine! Thank you! Deb, I love your recipes and we just made this cake delicious!! NO- Im at work right now and cant immediately make and eat this. After seeing your video, besides wondering if you could be any more adorable, Im curious if this could be baked in a 99 metal pan? At this point, its usually cooled to lukewarm. Meanwhile, you should make this one; its not very sweet and quite moist. I mean EVERYONE commented on it. -I used regular cocoa powder and absolutely missed the Dutch cocoa powder, so go for the gold here ), YES YES YES! Distilled water would be a 7. Its supposed to be reserved for only specific times? You cant ever going wrong with chocolate cake! Chocolatey. I need enough frosting for a three layer cake 8 inch rounds. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! I liked your frosting a lot, but the chocolate didnt fully emulsify. We will definitely make the button easier to find when we next redesign. So rich, moist and CHOCOLATEY! Btw, I added a little cinnamon, New Mexico red chile powder, and a drive-by amount of chipotle to the brownies for a Mexican flavor. I shop there because they have EVERYTHING FOR BAKING but.they arent the most pleasant peeps Ive come across. The best looking thing ever. Rich but perfect cut in 16 squares, and hit the chocolate spot. Thank you so much for all you do! Do I defrost 4, decorate them tonight and frost the rest just before serving on Sunday? As soon as I hit home shores in Australia. 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. Hope you feel better soon! I have wanted to make this cake for quite some time. And I think the frosting recipe is one of the best Ive ever made. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes (updated, based on feedback) 25 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. And so many thanks for including metric measurements. Whim to bite of cake time was 90 minutes, and during that time I also gave the kids a bath, tucked them into bed, and read some books. I am making a cake this weekend and was planning on doing the golden cake from your cookbook (which always turns out perfectly!) thank you deb, anne, and JP! Thank you for always inspiring me! Every time Ivve made it, Ive been invited somewhere, including in the middle of making the frosting for this one! :) xx. Is it true that 1/2 teaspoon sea salt has about 1/2 the sodium of table salt? Chocolate cake. Loaf pan Use the Everyday Chocolate Cake recipe. Because I need an excuse to make chocolate cake. can I use just one egg, instead of 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk? Seriously. The perfect antidote to absolutely needing a chocolate fix. Just checking in now again because it always takes so much longer to bake. I agree with Aunt Vixen. Even the first piece of cake, which was shortly after icing it, the frosting was still very soft and the flavor was intensely bitter chocolate. The cake is perfect size too, not to big. Same for apple cinnamon cake good luck with pregnancy! This cake was fantastic and was so easy to put together. Thanks. Sophie You can make your own baking powder. layered mocha cheesecake. I have one question, can I use gluten free flour? I wisely made 1/2 batch of frosting which was for me the perfect amount. Thank you! ITs been in the oven now for a good 25 minutes. i love your blog thank you for posting & for all the inspirations! Is the swap 1:1 with buttermilk? Thank you for cheering us up! deb, i made this frosting again last week (underneath i confess i made the hersheys chocolate cake recipe as boyperson wanted a more box-mix-like cake), and we ended up not being able to eat the cake right away so we stuck it in the fridge. It lasted until around 21 weeks with number one, and week 17 with number two. I just made this on Friday after hearing about it on Call Your Girlfriend. Cake Thank you for taking the time to let me know where to find the print and PIN links in the To Do line. I liked that it was not too sweet so the sweet buttercream was a nice compliment. INCREDIBLE cake! I made this recipe into cupcakes, doubled, 3 times today. dont quit your day job . I needed a quick chocolate cake, without leaving the house for ingredients. I didnt use a sifter, but I did mix dry ingredients sperately. Heres a measurement converter from Land O Lakes but please feel free to Google the information from any website youd like: https://www.landolakes.com/kitchen-reference/measurements-abbreviations/. Blueberry Boy Bait is an all time comfort food around here oldie but a goodie. OXO Good Grips Large Offset Spatula $10.94 Amazon Buy Now Save to Wish List Youve totally made my two-year-olds day. 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!!!! Best chocolate cake ever! Thanks for the recipe! I live at 5000ft, so I added an extra 2Tbs of buttermilk, cut the baking powder down by 1/8tsp (to 3/8 tsp), and baked about 10 degrees higher for more like 30 minutes. One block (1/5) of the 9.7oz bar of chocolate is a touch less than 2oz. Hi Deb, love your blog and it is my go to for everything cooking-related. I just made this cake and its amazing. Simple, rich, delicious, perfect. I made a different cake, but wanted to try the frosting. I add new plugins and make changes here all of the time.) im 9 years old! Just made this today. In Smitten Kitchen Every Day, my second cookbook, I turn this cake into a whole party cake section with a mix of base cake flavors (chocolate, vanilla, or spice with pumpkin or apples) and frostings (chocolate, vanilla, cream cheese) that can be kept small and simple like this or built into anything from cupcakes to layer cakes. So, 913 = 117, 99 = 81, 88 = 64, 9-inch round area = 63.6, i.e. I have a three layer 9 inch cake to frost. :). Two years ago: French Onion Tart Thoughts on a little white vinegar in regular milk to make buttermilk? I just made it for our sons birthday and if the batter is any indication this is one of the most delicious chocolate cakes I have ever eaten. 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. Its a very busy page, even with my ad blocker, so itd be nice if you could put up a Print Recipe link or some other manner to make it more legible. First time I made this cake (huge success, by the way) I used natural because thats all I had. When I made it entirely with runny yoghurt the sugar amount seemed ok, but with coffee replacing some of the sugar it is a tad too sweet. The recipe has you bake two cake layers and then slice each one in half to create four. I just dont have the room (or the energy!) Add the egg, yolk and vanilla and beat until combined, then the buttermilk and mix again. I took 10 of them to the local fire department to prevent me and hubby from devouring all of them. I felt bonded to this woman Id never met through your cookbook. I am so thankful for a smaller cake recipe. 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. It was moist, but still firm, and tasted even better after a day or two in the fridge. Not a recipe to save, though the pictures are pretty. Then I saw an article with the above watch-out. Chocolate cake was a frequent visitor to my kitchen in those days. And why I dont have half of these ingredients in the house, RIGHT NOW, I do not know. I usually hear about substitutions with flax eggs, but nobody has mentioned doing so here yet in the comments. I cant wait to make this. So simple and so perfect. They know what they did is killing me right now. A button to press? I actually had to be super careful plating it to frost. My three year old and I are going to make this cake for him. Guests arrived and I had to stir the risotto and I forgot all about the cake until almost 40 minutes in. Turned out great Thank you! Hi Deb, I should have listened to your original notes and checked it a few minutes sooner it was a tad dry, which was completely my fault. Happy baking. Youre the best. Maybe this is a good thing! I backed it 28 min because 20 min wasnt enough and it became a bit dry. I mean, you can have a slice but after that you have to go home and make your own. Hi! I cant wait to get all the ingredients and bake this cake! I think you might mean 185 grams of butter rather than 85g? Im making these for my daughters birthday. Will you please advise me on this? the choc. Ive tried adding back the sugar in the hopes it will fluff but alas, no; its an oily albeit fudgy/tasty mess. Its as 8 spring form pan by the way. Weeeee! These were absolutely delectable! I dont often write but I want to express my gratitude for Smitten Kitchen, Deb, and this cake. Stir on low until just combined; scrape down bowl a final time. The 1/2 birthdays always sneak up on me so its nice to have an easy recipe not to mention that most are for much larger cakes this one is perfectly sized! Holy stinkin cow this cake is GOOD! 1 / 8 teaspoon baking soda I dont like a lot of icing on my cake. This is now our go-to recipe for any kind of chocolate cake. Hope to help. I didnt want chocolate cake 5 minutes ago, but now I do. Thanks :). Chocolatey, soft-textured but not crumbly, sweet but not overpowering. I choose to make this because I should have everything in the house for this cake. I am not a baker and yet this turned out perfectly. Three years ago: Fried Egg Sandwich with Bacon and Blue Cheese I was thinking of starting with your dreamy cream scones as base and use browned butter. 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. Thanks, Deb!!!!!! You said in your email today that any 8 cake recipe could be halved and made in a 6 pan, which I would love to do- except when your chocolate cake calls for one egg yolk and one whole egg, how do I halve that? You can make the frosting in advance; unless your kitchen is really hot, you can keep it at room temperature (cool room temp is best). Charlie Not on my 2nd floor balcony in Manhattan, I hope! I love that I dont have to go to five different grocery stores to find the ingredients. Deb, today is my husbands 84th birthday and chocolate cake is his request. Hello form the Corona days! Great cake for V-day!! I suggest a warning label: You will not be able to lay off the cake slices, nor will anyone else who sees/smells/tastes it. I needed a very quick and easy cake for my brothers birthday and this cake was easy and great and frosting in the food processor amazing!!!! Surprisingly so. I am quite pleased. This one is almost brownie-like (especially on day 2) but definitely still cakey and has a great chocolate flavor. I added the powdered sugar and butter to the chocolate at the same time, and while my frosting turned out fine, it took a decent bit of beating to get the lumps out. Made this cake last night. I have to say, however, that the part about cutting it into 16 pieces made us laugh and laugh and laugh! And you delivered! This coming from a girl raised in NJ, just outside the City, and whose standard is Juniors! & again the perfect cake to make again the next night when youve been asked to bake it for a friend. There are others like us. I decreased the icing sugar and added a titch of cocoa to compensate. Thanks!! I made this about two hours ago, substituting normal chocolate for arabica-infused chocolate in the frosting and honey Greek yogurt in the cake because it was in the fridge. Just made this cake tonight and as I have a milk allergy I replaced the buttermilk with 1/2 cup strong coffee and 1/4 cup red wine!! anyway, this is my go-to frosting recipe from now on! Its one of the only ingredients I splurge on; I ruined myself by trying it in the first place. :-O. Thats what I get for making frosting while trying to watch the Downton Abbey finale. Thanks Deb!!! Delicious and not too sweet. Thank you! I am making your fudgy chocolate cake and golden vanilla cakes from your 2nd cookbook this week and I am so curious as to why, in your book recipes, you sprinkle the leavening agents on the batter instead of putting them in with the flour/cocoa or flour cornstarch mixture as you do in this recipe? Video Notes I wish Id never made it because I CRAVE it and Im not pregnant. I want real cake made with real butter and real sugar and good chocolate, I just try to limit portion size. (Hmmm. I love making chocolate cake but never seem to be able to eat an entire cake. (!!!) i got 12 standard size cupcakes plus one bigger one, made in a custard cup. This was so good. You mention that the frosting is generous for an 88, but is it enough to cover a 913 (to satisfaction)? Thank you for sharing the recipe!!!!!!!!!!!! Older one is old enough to be helpful, and old enough to go to school while you have lots of time (and naps) with the new one. It still looks pretty and the thought that counts :). Deb, re: your comment to me above, I may have been a little hasty in my judgment as the first taste while mixing hadnt had time to settle in with all the sugar and butter so the flavor was still overwhelmingly bitter. Dutch-process cocoa (the standard in European brands) differs from natural cocoa (what you have if your cocoa isnt labeled Dutch, or if its an American brand) in that its acidity has been neutralized to form a darker, nuttier cocoa that I prefer. thanks! I made this cake this weekend for a friends birthday. Its weirdly labourous but worth the time. When I had a piece I cut some cake, scooped out some frosting and let it sitto warm and frosted the squares individually before eating. All in all, not a problem. I really hope I can replicate that crazy looking icing. Its kept quite well in the fridge for a week. Magda I dont have the functionality at this time, but Id love to get it if possible. This is the BEST chocolate cake Ive ever made. Deb, would this frosting make enough for two stacked round cake layers, if youre someone who prefers a thin layer of the stuff? I love everything Ive made from your recipes especially the rapini and pasta! I know it tastes quite different. Special equipment: A pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Six years ago: Soft Pretzel Refresh and Meatball Sliders P.S. So simple and so good. Second. Mmmmmmmm. I am definitely making and eating this on the weekend. You cant beat chocolate cake and this one looks incredible, Deb. Small cakes? Made this into a tiny layer cake for my antisocial pandemic birthday by baking it in two six-inch round Pyrex dishes. The cake is dense, rich, and not super sweet and the sugary, buttery icing balances it out beautifully. Thank you for sharing the recipe. Letting the batter sit hasnt been a problem for me. I am enjoying cupcakes for breakfast this week! I find melting and cooling the chocolate to be the most annoying task, and have seen recipes that simply call for cocoa powder instead. Thanks again, Deb! If it makes a difference, I am coloring the frosting to make Pigeon and Hungry Caterpillar cupcakes. It is so not fair that you gave me this craving this late in a very long day. If small squares, 16. No, sorry, I dont have a tag for it. I made the chocolate buttercream with 2 tbs of melted butter and 6 tbs of unsweetened cocoa powder to sub for the unsweetened chocolate and it worked beautifully. It was good but not knock your socks off good, which has been my experience with everything else Ive made from SK. Should I just make one 9 cake and cut into two, or just go with a different recipe altogether? Thanks for sharing! And OH MY. Made with a shot of espresso (double strength). There is a print icon that leads to a print template at the bottom of each recipe, where it says DO MORE: You can also click CTRL or + P [on desktop] from any recipe post and it will take you to a streamlined print template. Smitten Kitchen's Blondies, Infinitely Adaptable is an adaptation of Mark Bittman's recipe that Deb Perelman has baked with every alteration imaginable. I was so happy when I saw this recipe as I knew due to schedules including mine Id be home and no one would be making me a cake for my birthday yesterday, so this one fit the bill! Made at 9:30 at night and it baked perfectly in 25 min. Also, I have to say we had a slice last night and my husband remarked that it may even be better the second day. Planning to make 30 mini cupcakes. I am looking for a chocolate cake to make with raspberry filling, because your double chocolate layer cake has inspired me. I added a heaping teaspoon of expresso powderDELICIOUS AND EASY. Its just about done baking, weve moved on to beers (Im sorry, but a Belgian white ale pairs unbelievably well with the smell of chocolate cake) and I had to say thank you. the most beautiful chocolate cake i ever did see. Id LOVE any advice you have. Used Dutched cocoa I keep it on hand because I love the deep color and flavor. *Turns to recipe for next step* I do so love other grown women who know that the necessity of rainbow sprinkles is a real thing. I compare sizes using the area of the bottom of the cake pan, because generally when youre doubling or scaling up a recipe, youd like the cake layers to be the same height, just bigger. I love your little person for inspiring you to post this. Yum! 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? Easy and yummy, thanks. I made it with wine, and its a big hit (the leftoverssince I made the 913 and served it after a huge meal are being consumed at work now). Thank-you Deb! Thank you for the lovely idea, just in time for the weekend :). Just did it in a 913 and working on the frosting now! Its my favorite buttercream. Have you ever made the King Arthur cake pan cake? Lucky husband will be having it for his birthday celebrations after work! If youre looking for some detailed troubleshooting tips on dry cake, this is a site I go to often for baking tips, and has some guidance: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/prevent-dry-dense-cake/. This is more of a 3/4-height layer. This seems silly to ask, butwhich amount should I use? Im here to tell ya, the frosting totally makes the cake! Just made this with two 6-inch rounds (following Debs recent advice!) No one will know that there are a few pieces missing, right? or a combination of stout/buttermilk? I also topped the cake with my own chocolate whipped ganache as I needed to use up my heavy whipping cream. Amazing. Thank you for doing this. We used the Hersheys special dark cocoa and 6 large muffin wells came out perfectly in 18 minutes. But frosting in a food processor? Thank you for your recipes, despite being fussy, they have (for the most part) been delicious. Thank you! Thanks for this! In short, this is EXACTLY the cake I need when the chocolate cake craving hits :-). This cake was outstanding! The cake was delicious and the frosting was AMAZING!!! You never disappoint. Ive never made a red wine and chocolate cake, but it sounds super yum how does it change the flavour? Looks amazing, making this today (because quarantine). I just baked it for my friends birthday and everybody loved it. I have steadily leaned on SK since I started baking and cooking 15 years ago. Really wanted to like this cake but it was dryfollowed the recipe exactly but I knew right when we cut into it that it was not going to be as amazing as I had hoped. My fiance, who was weirdly unenthusiastic about my plan to make it, was on his way to the kitchen for a second piece before he had even finished the first. Must have been the chocolate. Youre not at a higher elevation, are you? I made cupcakes with this recipe yesterday and covered them with a vanilla buttercream frosting. Thanks for all the great recipes! Kudos to you for taking the time to snap the beautiful pics before digging in!!! I made this with Hersheys Special Dark Cocoa (they say this is a blend of natural and Dutched cocoas) and it turned out great! 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? (I did not add the meringue powder, which was optional.) Im definitely going to try this recipe! Ive just made this and I find the frosting ridiculously sweet-I dont think I am even going to put it on the cake :-( I think Australian tastebuds must be a lot less sweet. My daughter wishes for a chocolate layer cake filled with chocolate chip ice cream for her birthday next week, and 6 cakes are my familys favorite size. Ill put it this way: I, too, am obsessed with layer cake moisture but since I got this configured exactly the way I like it, I havent made another chocolate layer cake. My. But I found it to have a slightly grainy texture. Um, do not make this cake unless you plan to eat the whole thing. Quick question: my cocoa is not lumpy at all. I love your recipes and you are my go to baking site. Regrettably it hadnt survived long enough to be frosted with chocolate frosting, not to mention sprinkling it with sprinkles. I followed the directions, and the butter and eggs were at room temperature. File > Print on a Mac My hubby loved it for his decadent birthday surprise! 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. 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. As luck would have it, my husbands birthday is tomorrow, so Im using this occasion as my excuse! You read my mind! I love the ratio of frosting to cake in this, and that it still manages to not be too sweet. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); That is SURPRISINGLY little fat in the cake. I spread it thick on an 88 pan of brownies and sprinkled peppermint bits over the top. It worked so well and was fun for a small celebration for two people, though it could easily have served four. Verrrry interesting!!! Going to make this this weekend for my nephews birthday. :D. I love all your recipes so when my 4 year old boys asked for chocolate cupcakes this morning (at breakfast none the less) I came right here. Im going to triple the cake recipe but do you think I need to do the same for frosting? Raspberries & chocolate- what could be bad? I halved the sugar in the icing. This cake fed 6 adults and 4 children with two small slices left over, perfect for breakfast the next morning with strong coffee :P. Crystal Im not sure how is the temperature control in your toaster? I want that cake with peanut butter cream cheese buttercream frostingright now! Third. 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). I made the cake the other day for my sons birthday. xo. Sometimes you just have to have a chocolate cake, right?! I had to chime in because Ive now made this twice and it is delightful! Great cake! Turns out, the 41 grams of butter I used was from the cake recipe instead of the needed 115 grams. No need ;). I love reading your recipes, etc, and often print off the recipes. 2. The texture is great, and its a superb idea to use real chocolate. I followed directions exactly including using Dutch processed cocoa. Not sweet-sweet, as in my younger kid will eat it, but I would like a lesser amount to suit adult (our) tastes. Im thrilled on both counts. You and your blog bring me great joy! I subbed home-made full fat natural yoghurt for the buttermilk (loosened a little with a dash of milk) and used an inch of real vanilla pod rather than the extract and the cake came out very well indeed. Do you think itd work? In the end, it was still delicious. Any ideas why? Its hard to decrease sugar (more than I have) with a quick buttercream like this because the sugar provides the structure. The frosting was fantastic, creamy and smooth using the food processor. I have already made this cake (in almost all of its versions! But I wonder if thats more due to my mixing by hand than to inherent flaws in the recipes. It was really great. ;) Tonight get to share it with friends. I decorated mine with Smarties! I posted picture on Instagram. So good though for such a quick cake! I made this cake for Christmas and it was extremely delicious. This cake looks like it fits the bill. FWIW, I first peeked at the cake at 20 min, then it took three more 3-minute timers till finished. 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? I love the rich chocolate flavor. (The taste test tomorrow) simple and easy to follow recipie (im addicted to your Instagram too!). It actually tasted like chocolate, unlike most bakery cakes that just taste brown. Hi. The ratio of cake to frosting is the icing on the cake (SEE WHAT I DID THERE??) Just took it out of the oven and I can already tell by the smell that this things going to be good. For the posts that have multiple recipes is it possible to break up the recipes in the post, so that you can print only one (of say 3?) Thank you for this wonderful recipe it is incredible! Haha, Deb, I love your enthusiasm and urgency for cake in this post. Actually as a followup to Aunt Vixens post 245, I too had to extend the cooking time. someone point me in the right direction! Deb this is just. Made this and it was bone dry and crumbly. 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! but because when I found my perfect one-bowl chocolate cake (which weve made as an everyday loaf, then riffed as a fudgy layered sheet cake and red wine chocolate wonder, I promise, I can stop anytime) and ridiculously easy fudgy chocolate buttercream, there was no need to keep looking. Love your recipes:) I just moved a few weeks ago from Brooklyn, NY to Germany and I wanted to see if you had any insight on the baking soda/baking powder issue.