The cake came out fine, but the batter was just that pourable batter, not the spreadable, brownie batter-like kind in your photo. I will report back when I try it :). Cupcakes bake for 14 to 18 minutes. Love love love it! Stat! Thanks. Melt semisweet or bittersweet chocolate and espresso powder in a double boiler until smooth. Very easy clean up. Divine- super moist and deeply chocolatey! Every time Ivve made it, Ive been invited somewhere, including in the middle of making the frosting for this one! Deb, I am a fan of Smitten Kitchen and have your newest cookbook. Question: Do you have an opinion on buttercreams that use melted chocolate vs cocoa powder? Want to make this for my husbands birthday and he is a big fan of cream cheese frosting! Recently made your Valerie chocolate cake with this frosting. Thank you! Also, can you bake this in a round cake pan instead of a rectangular one? I bought a bundt cake pan (9/10 inch I think), how can this recipe work with the pan?!?! Even if this recipe is similar to some youve posted in the past, Im glad you did just to see the beautiful pictures. Im doing some one bowl plotting for upcoming celebrations. He even drove the train around the tracks. I didnt have electric beaters so I just forked the sugar and butter together well, and didnt sift the cocoa powder, but it seemed to be ok. Oh, and used sour cream + water for the buttermilk. They touted it as something like WORLDS BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE so I saved it and figured wed make it this weekend for our weekly baking project. Quick and easy for a last minute crowd pleaser. Its one of the only ingredients I splurge on; I ruined myself by trying it in the first place. Kim Whooooops! 3. Much tastier and more fun than the box mix I was about to do instead. $5.50; 200 . Even the kiddies liked it! This comment is years late but I made this today and thank you for the easy frosting recipe! It was really easy, nice treat. Your swirls are amazing. Im new to receiving your blog, and I have (hopefully) two quick questions: 1. When can we pre-order the new cookbook? So good though for such a quick cake! OMG. Hey Deb. This cake always comes out perfectly for mejust made for the tenth time! We still have to quarantine for a whole week anyway. Mazel Tov on your happy news, and thanks again for your indispensable Smittenkitchen! Can you file it under I at least? Actually as a followup to Aunt Vixens post 245, I too had to extend the cooking time. <3 <3 <3, Deb, your advice on raspberry buttercream was perfect. I want chocolate cake! It is wonderfully decadent for such a simple, unassuming cake. It lasted until around 21 weeks with number one, and week 17 with number two. Hi! THANK YOU!!!! Youre the best. A fantastic recipe! a simple three layered birthday cake? Sometimes when I really need chocolate cake I cant find this recipe! I then did a quick Google search for "chocolate cake," which revealed that Add a Pinch's recipe might be the most beloved of them all. Hands down the best chocolate icing Ive ever had! I was generous with the icing, which brings this cake together. Sorry for the late response, even after such a nice comment! Thanks again for your wonderful recipes, they never cease to impress me. Thanks for another winner!! So I caved in last night and started my chocolate cake-baking journey. I have enjoyed the recipes although my husband and I find them quite fussy (we find your title misleading). I truly hope it will be me. Ill have to give this a try for comparison. Making this as cupcakes for my sons birthday party, but do I need to adjust cooking time or oven temperature?? (And chocolate leftovers with excess icing for me! Out of buttermilk can I add a bit of vinegar to some slim milk.think I will wait until I get the buttermilk hate to tamper with a great recipe. ;) But, I whip whipped cream by hand all of the time. Hi Deb, The baking time was a bit of a problem! I messed up the icing (used four tbsp of butter instead of 8?! Is the replacement 1:1 with buttermilk? 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). Got about 10 from a single batch, and baked about 24 minutes in my oven. Thank you! I like the ease of this cake; every now and again I too just crave something like this mid-week, but dont feel like making a whole thing out of it. Absolutely delicious it is now my go to birthday cake! It was a little grainy/granular, and I had a really hard time getting it nice and smooth/whipped. So I added some whole milk until it was smooth enough to spread and then baked it for 25 minutes. Ive taken to drive thrus lately because I can decide what I want, not be involved in cooking it, and eat it five minutes later hopefully all before I change my mind! I cant find her recipe anywhere and am excited to try yours to see if I can make the dreams stop! 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. For a 4 tiered cake, says triple the recipe but what about when Just made these as my son (5), was keen to make cupcakes today. Thanks for this great recipe. I can be perfectly normal, going about my business, and then suddenly bam, the crazy chocolate fiend takes over and I need something decadent now. 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! Wow. It worked so well and was fun for a small celebration for two people, though it could easily have served four. SUCH a successful recipe!! We used the Hersheys special dark cocoa and 6 large muffin wells came out perfectly in 18 minutes. It will be great on the second day. Otherwise, it would be much easier to make them less sweet! and it isnt that difficult to make with that machine. The batter is a touch saltier but I like that in a layer against such a sweet frosting. Ive made this a few times and it always seems a little on the dry side. i got 12 standard size cupcakes plus one bigger one, made in a custard cup. I made this twice for 2 dozen cupcakesafter making the 1st dozen and seeing how DELICIOUS they are, theres no way 1 dozen would be enough!! The thing is, if you reduce the confectioners sugar, youll have less structure and more chocolate and butter whipped together. Ive made your version of this food processor frosting a bajillion times and its amazing. I made it yesterday and it was easy and excellent! sick. NB my main beef with most chocolate cakes is that they are far too sweet and rich (I drink cocoa without any added sugar at all so that tells you something about my palate for sugar) and I would not reduce the sugar in this. It was GREAT! We have been eating it today, and this recipe is wonderful. I made this with regular cocoa powder from Trader Joes and it turned out amazing!! In my defense, I ate most of it over the course of a whole weekend, standing up with nary a fork or plate in sight. Its really airy actually and isnt overly sweet. My question with brown butter in baked goods is always the same: can you taste it? I miss being able to download your recipes directly from your posts. I made it today for a cast party for a community theatre again, accolades from the crowd. I would buy anything those swirls were trying to sell me. This was my first experience with Valrhona cocoa power. Yes, but it is not needed to make this cake tender/plush. I only had black cocoa and not regular Dutch-process (apparently black cocoa is very heavily Dutched) and it was super chocolatey and a big hit, even with my 4 year old. Thank you for sharing the recipe. Yet another reason to get a food processor! Blueberry Boy Bait is an all time comfort food around here oldie but a goodie. Divine! That extra 1/2 cup of powdered sugar didnt really hurt the flavor, its still very chocolaty, just not as bitter. Nope, way too dry so I added an extra Tablespoon or so of heavy cream. I mean, you can have a slice but after that you have to go home and make your own. Had to make this because I know that I GOTTA HAVE CAKE feeling well even though Im not pregnant. I actually wrote about making it that way over here. Not sure I would make this cake again. Yum! Are you at high altitude? Made this for my *babys* bday on Sunday and we are all loving it. Obviously the sizes are different, but is one more chocolaty, moist, etc? This is a great cake! Will report back on Sunday. I really wanted chocolate cake but it was so late. I love baking (and eating) cake, but Ive never liked chocolate cake! I mean, its definitely on the sweet side, like all powdered sugar buttercreams. A combination of too much flour, too little cocoa and too much heat or time in the oven will certainly dry out baked goods. this frosting is even *better* cold! Anyway, its worth the experiment. Thank you for the cake recipe, the sprinkles really catch the eye! Then it turned out my square pan was missing (we moved recently). I can relate, as I was dry sick when growing each of my two little people. Im making this for my book club tonight and wanted to time it so I could ice the thing and then hop in the car and head out, only my icing is not fluffy but oily!!! I sooo remember that feeling of if I dont have whatever it is Im craving right now, I will die feeling from my pregnancies. It turned out rather thick, but spreadable, and so delicious. 3/4 cup banana + 1/4 cup buttermilk. We were sitting around with a bit of wine and a roasted cauliflower tonight, thinking about what to do for the night; we are homebodies, Friday basically is equal to Tuesday in my mind and CAKE! 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon table or fine sea salt Frosting 2 ounces (55 grams) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled 1 1/2 cups (180 grams) powdered sugar (sifted if lumpy) 1/2 cup (4 ounces or 115 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature Dear Deb- Im hoping you can solve a problem for me. To properly substitute non-Dutch cocoa you need to increase alkaline. One question I dont have a mixer or a hand mixer (I knowI know) I normally do everything by hand and I dont think Ive ever made icing before so I havent yet found something I couldnt do by hand. That said, measuring cup sets vary a little; theyre an imperfect measurement. I used the alternative to buttermilk she mentions and used 1/2 cup strong coffee and 1/4 cup whole fat Greek yogurt (though doubled in my case, and the cake was deeply chocolatey and moist. Also, someone posted back in February (timely response, I know) that their batter was runny. This cake is now my cake. Fran- Use a combination of coffee and fake buttermilk( equivalent amount of soy milk+1tsp of apple cider vinegar. 1. Many of the older cakes and almost all in the last couple years are one-bowl or at least each component is. Mmmm chocolate cake. I.e. I just made this on Friday after hearing about it on Call Your Girlfriend. Thanks Deb! I love the buttermilk and richness from the egg yolk. cannoli pound cake. Monday was my birthday. But frosting in a food processor? So i basically lived off brownies and muffins for the last few months, but i was fine and so is he! Ill be making this cake again, post haste, but next time with the proper frosting. I may know why, because it happened to me. I want to bake this beautiful for my daughter`s 14th bday Thursday. I ordered one for an upcoming birthday party cake, and the instructions say to use a dense cake such as a pound cake. Thank you for always inspiring me! Yes. Hi Deb I tried decreasing the sugar to 1 cup and replacing it with 1/4 cup cocoa. This is a great recipe. The salt in the frosting is the perfect touch. Planning to make 30 mini cupcakes. This is calling my name. Tried to read most of the comments but mostly the conversions were for 913 or cupcakes. Me: Wow, how did she know I would think this?) This cake looks so incredibly delicious and I adore the rainbow colored sprinkles thank you for sharing:). I really wanted that light & fluffy frosting. Hes a twin so it was one of two cakes served on party day, which is the only explanation I have for why we have leftovers two days later Wrapped in the fridge to keep the frosting manageable, its still moist and delicious. I had no buttermilk so substituted Greek yogurt. If I dont have unsweetened chocolate on hand but have a 70% cacao (or higher) chocolate, will this work? Grad school is sometimes miserable but also wonderful. I want it. I was quite alarmed that the cake would be dry and sawdusty when I brought it to my co-workers. Hello Jen, sometimes I avoid cake recipes like this that require creaming the butter and sugar, because Ive heard that its actually tough to get that step exactly right. The frosting turned out a bit too sweetsolved by beating in an oz or two of cream cheese to mellow it out. Burnt to a crisp: Did you use the longest baking time? Amazing! :(, So sad, but the frosting is the best i have ever tried and made so far. Here, Ive slimmed the base and dropped a little sugar to make a thin chocolate cake layer and topped it with an unholy, unapologetic amount of frosting. I also recently had a strawberry buttercream that was delicious; I suspect they just took a quick vanilla buttercream and beat in a spoonful or two of strawberry jam. or a combination of stout/buttermilk? . i love your blog thank you for posting & for all the inspirations! Here's a bit more about each. Going to make this this weekend for my nephews birthday. My sister cooks a lot and makes good cakes. I guess Ill be investing in a thermometer! which i should buy just to havebut in the meantime. You might want to aim for three layers, or just make even more batter for two thicker ones. This is the third time Ive made this cake since you posted this recipe. Must have been the chocolate. Allyson No reason at all to pack before weighing; packing wont affect weight. But still it came out nicely, pretty dense almost like a brownie which was a plus. Thank you Deb. I want to dive into that swath of icing. . What do you think of powdered buttermilk? Could I make the frosting a raspberry buttercream by putting in raspberry pure or jam instead of chocolate? bittersweet chocolate and pear cake. For me, I liked it better that way! Made with my daughter while snowed in yesterday. The frosting turned out great! Ive had my eye on this for a long time, and when I caught my 11 year old son watching chocolate cake how-to videos, I knew the time had come. Im salivating. (I use this brand.) 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!) my unofficially sanctioned comment is that you probably are overbaking. From the share button (the one that looks like an up-arrow coming out of a box) at the bottom of the Safari browser on an iPhone. Trying to make up my mind which to make tomorrow . Writing with another substitution! Youre not tired of it by the time its gone. It was a small miracle when I received your weekly newsletter including small celebration cakes on the same day as my partners birthday. :) Sometimes you just have to have a chocolate cake, right?! Turned out great! ITs been in the oven now for a good 25 minutes. Made this last night great timing as the boyfriends 35th was yesterday and usually my desserts are too fancy for him. I made this for my daughters 4th birthday and it was awesome. Thank you! But seriously, that post about the carvel ice cream cake weeks ago is still haunting me. Have just put this in the oven. As luck would have it, my husbands birthday is tomorrow, so Im using this occasion as my excuse! Ive even had some photos Ive taken of your recipes published in our local papers, The Vancouver Sun and The Province. Congrats! I have a question about the amount of sugar. If youre not used to U.S. frostings at all (which, of course, are very sweet), it might seem over-the-top. I need chocolate cakeNOW!! Im not saying how many I had. I made the cake a couple days ago, and served it only yesterday. To the second batch I added guittards 66% chocolate baking chips. Is it supposed to be like that? Dear hubs just made me two flower beds where I was hoping he would so I can plant morning glories and sunflowers I started from seedhe deservs this cake! He and I made it this morning and it is so delicious, even my cake is meh husband is a fan. Deb, would this frosting make enough for two stacked round cake layers, if youre someone who prefers a thin layer of the stuff? How many servings approximately? This is my go to recipe for weekend baking with my kids. So in the batter went, and crossed the fingers were. Might just need more time? Hey Deb, Do let it clabber for 10 to 15 minutes for a thicker texture. Its what I have always wanted my homemade chocolate frosting to taste like. 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. Too late. It was yummy but I would like to try to follow recipe next time. How would you adapt this frosting for other flavors? I just wanted to correct you because I dont want you to accidentally mess up anything you bake in the future as you would be using way too much butter. It was DELICIOUS! Thinking of getting ahead of my sons bday next weekend. This was my first butter-based cake, and I think it turned out quite well! New here? Ive made it twice in the last few weeks. I decreased the icing sugar and added a titch of cocoa to compensate. As for a brand I find more often in grocery stores, look for Droste. Soft and moist. Thanks. So simple and so perfect. Funny, I am so the I need chocolate cake now kind of person, and it has nothing to do with hormonal cravings. Scrape the bowl down well and dont worry if the batter looks uneven. The cake turned out very moist, really delicious. (Used the metal bowl of my kitchen aid over a double boiler to melt the chocolate, then mixed the frosting in that. I just made this last night. stephanie I suppose you could use a bittersweet chocolate, the most bitter you can find, but it will make the frosting more sweet/less dark. Thank you! Thanks Deb! Yes I always make it as cupcakes. I turned this into a dairy-free, stacked birthday cake with the following adjustments: -doubled the recipe Thanks! This cake sounds heavenly and, well, just too darn cute. Also, I used a lightly sweetened cream cheese frosting and it was amazing together. I bought a six inch cake pan last year, and thought Id try halving this recipe to make one six-inch layer. i always leave some out in case of a sudden urge or need to bake or for bread buttering needs, and while its not fridge hard, it is not at all baking soft/room temp. Thanks for the reply deb and the toaster oven just broke a cuple a days ago lol that was the sure cause and i made i the oven an it was fantastic!!! :). Fantastic chocolatey goodness. Such a perfect moist crumb on this cake it must be the buttermilk! Remove from the heat and let cool. Just made this today. They love it and I love that its simple and doesnt leave me with heaps of dishes!
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