About six weeks ago, around 9 p.m. on a day I had consumed mostly air and maybe a slice of toast because I couldn’t 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. Except the word “wanted” doesn’t accurately describe the craving; it was suddenly everything. I needed a piece of chocolate cake so badly that I began to regret every cupcake shop I’d ever walked past and not gone in during the height of the mid-aughts cupcake craze. I regretted not licking every beater of chocolate buttercream that had ever crossed my path when I worked at a bakery in high school. And I regretted that when I asked my husband why we didn’t have any chocolate cake, he said “because you haven’t made any?” He was correct — I’d made them dinner, instead — and the great unraveling of all that had once been right and good but failed to lead me to chocolate cake continued.
NEW: Watch me make this on YouTube!
I recently warned (threatened?) 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. And while I’m happy to tell you that my interest in most foods (except for chicken, sweet potatoes and soup, they know what they did) has returned, my devotion to these categories hasn’t waned in the slightest. So, here is the promised Oh My God, Is That Chocolate Cake? Give It To Me Right Now Cake. Or The Nothing Is Ever Going To Be Okay Again If I Don’t Have Chocolate Cake Cake. Or The I Want Chocolate Cake Cake. Really, I tried to come up with a less cumbersome title, but “chocolate cake with chocolate frosting” doesn’t connote the central urgency here.
And hey, if you are someone who doesn’t occasionally have a need for rainbow-confetti-ed and chocolate buttercream-ed chocolate cake that is so loud, it drowns out everything else, please step away from my cake. But if you’ve been there, you’ve felt this, this is for you. I mean, us. I mean, you can have a slice but after that you have to go home and make your own. It’s really easy, a mostly one-bowl cake and frosting. Think of it as my New York Sheet Cake, intense (the impact of cocoa and unsweetened chocolate should not be underestimated), rich (butter, in all of it), tiny (one-eighth of a sheet, to be particular) and quick to make, so you can just because you want it but not have it stay long enough to cause any permanent damage.
One year ago: Morning Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel (you should totally make it this weekend)
Two years ago: French Onion Tart
Three years ago: Fried Egg Sandwich with Bacon and Blue Cheese
Four years ago: Pina Colada Cake
Five years ago: Thick Chewy Granola Bars and Arroz Con Leche (Rice Pudding)
Six years ago: Soft Pretzel Refresh and Meatball Sliders
Seven years ago: Escarole and Orzo Soup with Meatballs
Eight years ago: Baked Tomato Sauce
And for the other side of the world:
Six Months Ago: Strawberries and Cream with Graham Crumbles
1.5 Years Ago: Key Lime Popsicles (still a favorite!)
2.5 Years Ago: Leek Chard and Corn Flatbread
3.5 Years Ago: Naked Tomato Sauce
The ‘I Want Chocolate Cake’ Cake
I regret to tell you that this cake is nothing exactly new, and it’s not because I’m out of ideas (I hope not, at least! One should never taunt the idea faeries, of course.) but because when I found my perfect one-bowl chocolate cake (which we’ve 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. Here, I’ve 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. Because when you really need chocolate cake, I vote for doing it properly.
Yield: 1 generously frosted 8×8-inch cake, which we cut into 16 small squares.
Could also yield: 1 generously frosted 8-inch or 9-inch round cake, 12 very generously frosted cupcakes, or it could be doubled and baked in a 9×13-inch pan. Could also be scaled and stacked as a birthday cake.
Cake
6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup (145 grams) firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup (175 ml) buttermilk (see Notes for other options)
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1/2 cup (41 grams) Dutch cocoa powder
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
Pinch of fine sea salt (optional)
1 tablespoons cream or whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Make the cake: Heat oven to 350°F (175°c). 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. In a large bowl, use a hand or stand mixer to beat the butter and sugars until fluffy; scrape down bowl. Add the egg, yolk and vanilla and beat until combined, then the buttermilk and mix again. Scrape the bowl down well and don’t worry if the batter looks uneven. Place your flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a sifter (I find this step necessary because my cocoa is very lumpy) and shake it over the batter bowl. Stir on low until just combined; scrape down bowl a final time. Scoop batter into prepared pan and smooth flat. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes (updated, based on feedback) 25 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes in cake pan on cooling rack, then flip out onto rack or serving plate to completely finish cooling before frosting. Speed this up by placing it outside for 10 minutes (thanks, winter!).
Make the frosting: Place frosting ingredients in a food processor and run machine to to mix. Scrape down bowl then process for another 1 to 2 minutes (updated based on feedback) just until smooth and somewhat fluffed. [Don’t have a food processor? Beat butter, powdered sugar and salt, if using, in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Pour in chocolate, milk and vanilla, beat until combined, then one more minute to whip it further.] Scoop the frosting onto the cooled chocolate cake and swirl it around. Finish with rainbow sprinkles; don’t even fight it. Cut into squares and prepare for your family/roommates to completely freak out when they spy it on the counter. (But only share if they offer to do dishes.)
Cake keeps at room temperature for a day or two, or in the fridge up to a week, or so I’ve heard but never tested out.
Notes:
Red wine chocolate cake, mocha chocolate cake: You could replace the buttermilk in full with yogurt or sour cream thinned with a little milk or water, with red wine or replace 1/2 cup of it with strong coffee. (Keep 1/4 cup buttermilk so you’ll have an acidic ingredient to wake up the baking soda.)
I don’t have Dutched cocoa: Dutch-process cocoa (generally speaking, it’s the standard in European brands) differs from natural cocoa (what you have if your cocoa isn’t labeled Dutch, or if it’s an American brand) in that its acidity has been neutralized to form a darker, nuttier cocoa that I prefer. That said, if you don’t have Dutched but only a regular or natural cocoa, I haven’t tested this cake with it but suspect that you’ll be just fine, although the cake may be less dark in color.
How I like to swirl frosting: I always use a small offset spatula (have I convinced you to buy one yet? Seriously, $4. Do it.) and I think the secret is to always push the frosting from the center out, not pull it back. So, push and then make an S-swirl, push and S-swirl, repeat and always quit while you’re ahead (hard, because it’s so fun).
Confetti sprinkles: I got mine from New York Cake on 22nd Street but, of course, Amazon sells them as well.
That is SURPRISINGLY little fat in the cake. Does it give a tighter crumb for it? also, i love stout in a cake as an option as well.
Cat — Actually, it’s just a smaller cake. The standard I’d say for this size is 8 tablespoons instead of 6. This is more of a 3/4-height layer. :)
It was 10 and I had worked hard all day. I really wanted chocolate cake but it was so late. I decided to look at a recipe anyway. I saw the title and that you started yours really late in the day too. I decided it was fate and made it. It turned out so beautifully. Soft and moist. I put little chocolate rainbow sprinkles on it which were very charming and made me happier than I expected they would. It is a pretty easy cake so I highly recommend it for oh no it has come to the end of the day but I *need* it.
YES, YES, YES!!!!!!!!! I am off to the store to get the ingredients I need right now. THANK YOU!!!!
Did you see the Tasting Table chocolate cake recipe from a few days ago? They touted it as something like WORLD’S BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE so I saved it and figured we’d make it this weekend for our weekly baking project. (Although I’ll need to squeeze in a hamentashen session at some point as well.) But frosting in a food processor? A button to press? You’ve totally made my two-year-old’s day.
Incidentally, I did walk into every cupcake store and bakery during my first pregnancy. It added up to a 65 lb. weight gain which I finally lost, literally, three weeks before this second pregnancy. Fewer bakeries this time, but more baking in the kitchen.
My daughter made us all pancakes this morning for our Snow Day breakfast, and she has already pulled the ingredients out for this. Snow day chocolate cake!
I love this cake! Quick, easy and delicious but WHY is it in the recipe list as ” the” I want chocolate chocolate cake? Who files stuff under THE? Sometimes when I really need chocolate cake I can’t find this recipe! Can you file it under “I” at least? Thanks for all the great recipes!
This was insanely delicious! Probably the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had – moist, perfect sweetness & love the decadent cake to frosting ratio … Thanks for the awesome recipe, Deb. Your blog is amazing!
Perfect for a NC snow day!
Yes. Chocolate cake. Tonight! [Thank you!!!]
This comment is years late but I made this today and thank you for the easy frosting recipe! I even had to use half caster sugar because I didn’t have enough icing sugar and it was still good!
I didn’t want chocolate cake 5 minutes ago, but now I do. ;)
Just so happens I made the everyday chocolate cake in the loaf pan over the weekend for my dad’s birthday. It traveled well unbaked in the loaf pan, then brought to room temp and baked the next day, it turned out perfectly. Everyone commented how fudgey it was. I made a berry compote to go with it which paired super well. (One bag frozen berries, thawed, cooked in a small saucepan until they make a thick sauce, with a little bit of vanilla and grand marnier, just because).
Thanks for the every day inspiration!
Its a recipe like this that makes me want to brave the snow and go to the grocery store to get the ingredients. It’s so beautiful!
Deb, I love you. No particular comment on this cake (although it looks UH-MAZING), but I love you and I appreciate your blog so much. I had a rather sad brownie experience last night and I am so appreciative of how consistent your blog and the results one gets from it are. And as a fellow pregnant lady who’s had these chocolate cravings – I totally feel you.
Your food aversions made me smile. At 11 weeks, mine are fish (every kind except the rare tuna salad sandwich), risotto or risotto-like creations, and chocolate in most forms. Needless to say, I won’t be making this cake, but I’ll stay tuned :)
I was just about to make a batch of chocolate fudge, but now I’m torn. . .
Oh my I need this now! How will this work in a loaf pan?!
Loaf pan — Use the Everyday Chocolate Cake recipe. Slightly adjusted ingredients, same effect. (This is a 75% volume of that, so it won’t fill out a loaf as well.)
YES YES YES! I have been refreshing your blog all day ever since you said on instagram last night that you’d be posting the recipe today. Insanely perfect timing since it’s my boyfriend’s birthday in two weeks and his only request for his cake was “chocolate, chocolate and chocolate”. I really hope I can replicate that crazy looking icing. Quick question! I’ve never made a red wine and chocolate cake, but it sounds super yum – how does it change the flavour? Is it very “winey”? If I use wine, should I replace all the buttermilk with it?
Anna
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). I actually wrote about making it that way over here. It’s especially lovely with 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon as well.
I am making this STAT!
I’ve made your version of this food processor frosting a bajillion times and it’s amazing. Simple, rich, delicious, perfect. The first time I did it, I gave you a “we’re not worthy” bow b/c I had been stuck in a Swiss Meringue Buttercream nightmare. Hooray for frosting!
You read my mind! I’m not normally a chocolate cake person, but I’ve been crazy for it this week. I even went digging in our cabinets last night to see if we had any unsweetened chocolate around (alas, no) because I was feeling it so strongly! Well, it is a sign from above, so now this cake is definitely getting made today.
I been looking for flat sheet cake recipes; thank you so much Deb. I have try this one because it look so easy and that frosting has the same bakery texture I so fondly remember. This one looks like a keeper for any midnight cake treat.
This looks wonderful! I’m pretty sure it’s fine, but will a 9 inch round pan work just as well? They’re about the same area (63.6 vs 64 square inches) but will it affect the baking time at all?
Do you think it would work if I cut the two tablespoons of granulated sugar? (I’ve mostly cut out eating sugar but this cake looks like it has little enough of it that it would be good when I want a treat!)
Alexandra — You probably can, but I think you’ll be surprised at how not terribly sweet this cake is, despite the seemingly large amount. Cocoa powder, especially in that volume, is quite bitter. I’ve cut down the sugar a bit over the years, a little each time I make it, but I’m not planning to dip further than this.
Reading this comment, I just realized I DID forget the 2 tbs of granulated sugar in the “I Want Chocolate Cake” cake that I made tonight! I didn’t even notice. However, I did substitute a glaze of orange marmalade instead of the buttercream frosting, since I was fresh out of butter, so maybe that sugar balanced it out.
In the end, it was still delicious.
Oh my gosh, this is happening tonight. It’s funny – I wasn’t a cake person (blasphemy, I know – donuts were my thing) until I got pregnant, and then one day I was like “CAKE. I MUST HAVE CHOCOLATE CAKE.” My son is 7 months old and the craving still pops up now and then. Congratulations on your wonderful news, and I can’t wait for your next cookbook!
Has anyone tried this as cupcakes?
Yes I always make it as cupcakes. I add the frosting inside the cupcake and on top. So good!
How long did you bake the cupcakes? Just about to pop them in the oven and wondered how it worked for you. Thanks!
this just looks aaaamazing ! x
I really could have used this recipe last night! If only I had enough patience to wait to make a cake until today. Looks lovely!
For the frosting – can you throw all the ingredients into a bowl and use an immersion blender?
Jenny — I haven’t tried it but it might work. You want to make sure this gets really blended/whipped, so you’ll probably want to scrape down the bowl and blade a lot.
i…want this really badly now…
I know you’ve given us variations on it before, but for some reason the photos here really drove home that this chocolate buttercream appears to be the frosting I have been looking for all my life. Which means that it’s time for me to actually make it instead of just admiring the photos. Thanks yet again, Deb!
I believe I saw that exact offset spatula for a nice price at TJ Maxx today and I didn’t buy it because I thought I would never use such a small one. Regrets: I have many.
I still have half of your Mom’s apple cake in my cake caddy so this will probably have to wait until the weekend but I am definitely making this!
Even if this recipe is similar to some you’ve posted in the past, I’m glad you did just to see the beautiful pictures. Perfect swirls!
I kinda wish I had seen this last night, I was looking for some easy, yummy, recipe to make on the quick, where I actually had the ingredients on hand already, and this totally would have fit the bill. Maybe tonight?! Mmmm chocolate cake…
YES! I want chocolate constantly ;)
I still use your Double Chocolate Layer cake every year for my husband’s birthday. It is the best! I look forward to giving this one a try too.
so you’re having a girl, right?
This post could not have been more timely! I just made your “best birthday cake” with the addition of chocolate chips for my fiance’s birthday, and he requested a chocolate buttercream frosting. I know this recipe is going to be fantastic.
….And P.S. I think SmittenKitchen is AT LEAST 10% of the reason why my fiance proposed to me. Every recipe I have made has turned out delicious and has brought a smile to his face. Thank you for an awesome cooking blog!
THANK YOU
And with that, I can hear the pitter-patter of my diet’s feet making itself scarce as I reach for more butter. YUM.
First. Finally, a SK cake! (this is my idea of an egg dish, fwiw!) Second. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made that chocolate loaf cake, it’s one of my very favorites, even thought it has no frosting, top or center!
Third. Everyone, Deb is right, get that small offset spatula. 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! I could kick myself for not getting one ages ago. I use it so much more often than I ever thought I would. My larger offset languishes in the drawer unused except for sheet pan spreading jobs. TMI?
Husband is on a single layer cake (he calls them sheet cakes, even though the ones I make at his request, are not) bender right now. Me? I like a center filled with frosting, which is one reason I have never been enamored of cupcakes either. This recipe will do nicely while the bender is ongoing!
More cake, please!
Yes! Chocolate Cake. Your name for the cake reminded me of our favorite chocolate cake recipe -“That Chocolate Cake.” But as you’ve proven multiple times a person can have several favorites; especially brownies and chocolate cake. Looks yummy. Time will confirm.
This looks so good. I want cake now! RW x
Yes. Yes yes yes. This is happening tonight.
This post could not be timed more perfectly. I am making a cake this weekend and was planning on doing the golden cake from your cookbook (which always turns out perfectly!) with chocolate buttercream, but let’s be real. What I really want is chocolate on chocolate.
Question: Do you have an opinion on buttercreams that use melted chocolate vs cocoa powder? I find melting and cooling the chocolate to be the most annoying task, and have seen recipes that simply call for cocoa powder instead.
Is this the chocolate frosting that was on the Monkey Cake, because that was amazing, and got rave reviews at my son’s birthday party!
Oh my goodness, this looks heavenly! I am a big chocolate cake lover, and this looks amazing. Thanks for the recipe!
Your one-bowl chocolate cake is PERFECTION. I wish I’d never made it because I CRAVE it and I’m not pregnant. You also ruined me with Dutch processed cocoa. I will never go back to regular. Life’s too short to do that.
Yum! I love that this recipe is for a small-ish cake. Less temptation as it sits on my counter!
Works equally good with besan flour and organic cacao powder (not that is NOT a spelling error!) 😁
A chickpea flour cake? Verrrry interesting!!! It’s almost like….dinner.
Well, my healthy lunch of last night’s leftovers seems utterly unsatisfying now. I will be making a mid-afternoon trip (through the snow!) to the bakery across from my office for a chocolate piece of cake. I can’t wait.
Oh Deb, as I am now a little over 4 months pregnant, I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that our cravings are in sync. I literally said 2 minutes ago “I think we will just have leftovers for dinner, but I could really use a chocolate cake”… Fate brought me and this recipe together! Thanks! And best wishes to you and your growing family!
Deb, you so perfectly describe what I experienced with food when I was pregnant!! Reading this blog right now brings back so many memories. There is a need for certain things (I went through an egg phase, hamburger phase, chocolate cake phase) that can only be described as a deep aching soul hunger…I haven’t ever been truly “starving” before, thank goodness, but I imagine pregnant cravings are similar…thanks for letting those of us who are past that stage in life live vicariously through you and your delicious soul satisfying recipes!
Not to be anal or anything, but to be, umm, anal, I guess: why is everything 3/4th or 2/3rd of the loaf cake but the egg is actually 1.5x? Enquiring minds want to know. (Okay, I see that you had already changed to doubling the eggs back at the red wine version. Hmm.)
This is so totally the wrong place for this, but I will ask anyway. In the past, iirc, you have mentioned having a salad dressings section in the Recipe Index. Not sure if you still think this would be worthwhile, but if you were to do it, I would -totally- use it.
Thanks!
This! This is the Cake! Baby is now 3 months. My whole 10 month long pregnancy plus these 3 postpartum months have been filled with with the desire.. no OBSESSION with finding the perfect chocolate cake. I never found it, and was too lazy to try to make it (i’m never satisfied with my own baked goods anyway). I need this cake in my life, and I need someone else to make it!
OH.MY.GOD. This looks like heaven on earth – I think I might need to run to the grocery store and bake this tonight!!
How? How do you make the frosting look so swirly and delicious? I don’t even like frosting but I’m drooling at the sight of yours!
A few weeks ago I was laying around feeling sorry for myself and my all-day sickness (morning sickness is a very inaccurate name!) when I suddenly NEEDED brownies, so I feel you on this! Saving this recipe for when my next chocolate craving hits….and hoping I can eat real food again in the near future!
At seven weeks (for the third time), I both totally understand these intense cravings and can’t tell if I actually want this cake or not. Maybe I just want the icing-free cake? Especially because I could make it and then end up suddenly repulsed by it. I’ve 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! Sad but true. Just five more weeks of this!
liz — I have no idea! I’ll be as surprised as everyone else. :)
Katie — I think buttercreams with melted chocolate are better, or, at least I love this one most of all. The intensity from the smallest amount of unsweetened chocolate is surprising; plus, it’s so bitter, it really helps offset the sugar-assault that butter-powdered sugar icings usually are. Melting and cooling is an annoying process. I usually melt half of the chocolate (chopped) and stir in the rest until melted. At this point, it’s usually cooled to lukewarm. 5 minutes outside on a winter day, it’s good to go.
Toni — Yes, same as the Monkey Cake. Once I found it, I saw no reason to keep looking.
handfulofshadows — I actually continually tweak this cake, but I tend not to edit the earlier versions because they work and everyone is happy with them. But yes, I did up the egg on all future versions after the loaf one, and reduced the sugar. And I think increased the proportion of cocoa, too, I think.
I agree that a salad dressings index would be great. Right now, there’s a limitation because the Index is based on titles, and the title is rarely the name of the dressing, but that could change. At least a Pinterest board might do the trick.
Has anyone made the fudgy sheet cake and if so, how do you think it compares? Obviously the sizes are different, but is one more chocolaty, moist, etc? Trying to make up my mind which to make tomorrow 😊
Thank you, Deb, for all you do! You are amazing and my go-to for any recipe!
This looks amazing Deb – what a perfect cake!
This was SO my recent pregnancy (baby is 10 weeks). I was sick for the first four or five months and couldn’t really eat anything that wasn’t starch plus dairy (mac and cheese, cheese enchiladas, etc.) Then after that i could eat more (though not meat of any kind, or greens), but the only thing i really wanted to eat was your chocolate brownies. So i basically lived off brownies and muffins for the last few months, but i was fine and so is he!
I’m totally making this cake for his first birthday. And, you know, now.
Those chocolate swirls of frosting! I so want a slice of chocolate cake rightthisinstant. Must make!
Deb – this cake looks great and just the type of thing I want to make, but don’t want my husband to realize I am capable of making, lest the requests come non-stop! I hope to try it at some point, but we still have piece of your NY cheesecake in the fridge! YUM!!! This coming from a girl raised in NJ, just outside the City, and whose standard is Junior’s!
My main purpose in commenting, however, is to commend you on your perfect parenting skills. As every Italian woman knows, if a pregnant woman does not get the food she craves, the baby is in danger of having a birthmark in the shape of said item. Keep in mind that there is no telling where said birthmark will show up… I am pretty sure my mother is not the only woman to utter the hint, I mean heartfelt words, “Nonni, I want…” only to have her grandmother show up with a big dish of (fill in the blank)!
Congratulations and prayers for much joy, many full nights of sleep, and lots of laughter and cuddles!
You are my hero.
I’m also pregnant and wanted chocolate cake so badly last week that I was practically begging anyone who would listen to bring some to me! Yes, I could have made it myself, but I’d have had to get out of the bath tub. I am definitely making and eating this on the weekend. Thank you!
Just finished making this and am now tucking into a generous slice. It’s heavenly–thank you for this great recipe!
Now I’m craving chocolate cake! (and I’m not even pregnant ;) )
Love how you swirled the frosting on top! (I might as well admit that I lost my train of thought a few times while writing that sentence and just thought “I want chocolate cake.” I think you’re rubbing off on me :) )
I guess I wasn’t in the mood for sticky buns last week, or I would have been up on all the news, but I didn’t know about the baby! Or the book! I’m thrilled on both counts. Congratulations! When can we pre-order the new cookbook?
It looks incredible. So pretty but so simple too. I love the sweeping shapes in the frosting. It looks so generous.
Another site question: you’ve said that site updates are in the works. Will the “N years ago” parts be automated after that? I know that you do them by hand right now, and I totally admire your patience with that, hence the q :)
handfulofshadows — I don’t think they’ll be automated because I don’t think there’s a way to do it the way I want them to look. (Or, I’d have done it already. I add new plugins and make changes here all of the time.) It’s definitely a pain this way, but if people like the links, I’m happy to add them.
Have never liked chocolate cake (other chocolate things -oooh yeah,) but the color of this one (soooo dark), has me wondering if this will be the one that changes my mind. All my friends at work will love me though- if it doesn’t make a believer out of me, as they will profit from my experiment. It will be a win for somebody for sure, since your goodies usually are. I truly hope it will be me…
This is soo going to get made tomorrow! Its 10pm otherwise I’d get it started right now….
I love the size of this cake. And I’m a sucker for any cake with those confetti sprinkles on it. I need to get some to keep them in reserve for when I want cake (which is today and always).
Oh Deb. You just make the most lovely things. I mean, just look at this cake!! I’m practically licking my screen.
Deb,
Not related to this awesome looking cake, but since you are the queen of all things brown butter- have you tried making Brown butter scones? We had one at Tilth up here in Seattle this last weekend- it had buttermilk, browned butter, hazelnuts and currants and I want to eat there everyday just for this one scone!
Deb this is just. Dear God. The best looking thing ever. After the corn muffins. And the cardio/working out/yoga that followed. I’m on my way to a weight loss/fitness goal. And now you’ve posted the cake I have dreamed of. Chocolate cake, with rainbow sprinkles, is simply the best thing ever. I am planning to make this next week, and I don’t know if I should send a hug to you or be irritated that you continue to post such delicious recipes! lol j/k :)
Deb, the cake sounds fabulous, but I have to tell you, your introduction had me laughing out loud. I remember those strange feelings of strongly disliking (yes, they know what they did) familiar flavors and textures. Have a great weekend!
I just made this! O.M.G. Best chocolate cake ever! So good!
Hey Deb! Thanks for posting- I love your recipes, and especially enjoy the baking ones :) I keep running into the same problem with cake baking though, and I wanted to ask for your advice. I love baking (and eating) cake, but I’ve never liked chocolate cake! It’s the favorite of my family and friends though, so I’m trying to create a chocolate cake recipe that both they and I will enjoy. I think that I would like chocolate cake better if it were significantly less sweet. I love bittersweet chocolate, but nothing much sweeter than that. How can I cut down on the sugar in a cake recipe without throwing off the volume and texture? Any suggestions or ideas you might have would be much appreciated! Thanks :)
Man I have had a chocolate cake kind of week. I haven’t made one since a family birthday version last summer, but this looks awfully tempting. I love your description of your food cravings; they’re contagious!
Grace — Sugar provides moisture to cakes, too, so it’s not ideal to just drop it. I find that it’s hard to get a bittersweet chocolate taste in a cake from bittersweet chocolate itself, because the chocolate itself is sweetened. One thing you can try when you see a recipe for a chocolate cake that uses bittersweet chocolate is to replace it with unsweetened chocolate, which is more intense and of course, not sweet. Meanwhile, you should make this one; it’s not very sweet and quite moist. (The frosting, of course, is very sweet. As it should be.)
Aarthi — I haven’t, but it sounds really good. My question with brown butter in baked goods is always the same: can you taste it? I find it can easily get lost in cakes but in a vanilla or brown sugar cookie, is easy to taste. Could you really taste it in the scone? Was there a brown butter-sugar glaze on it too?
Thank-you Deb! I will try this recipe with coffee :) I’m excited to experiment with unsweetened in place of bittersweet chocolate- I hadn’t thought of that before!
Does it take longer to eat as little squares or should I just do my usual with your cakes and pies and scoff the lot at a sitting.
I must say, something that involves both the food processor and mixer does not qualify as a one bowl cake. I’ve just made this and I find the frosting ridiculously sweet-I don’t think I am even going to put it on the cake :-( I think Australian tastebuds must be a lot less sweet. I would halve the sugar in the frosting for next time-I haven’t tried the cake itself so do not know if it is equally as sweet.
This is the MOST delicious and eye-pealing chocolate cake I have ever seen. I want it. Immediately.
Ok the cake itself is delicious :-) Next time I’d cut out the granulated sugar and cut the brown down to 100g or even 80g (I find less than the flour is generally a good amount) to make it a little less sweet.
Just made this and can’t wait to dig in! I didn’t have unsweetened chocolate, so used bittersweet and cut the sugar to about 3/4 c. Delicious frosting. I wanted to eat it all.
WANT. THIS. NOW.
Whew. This looks so freaking good.
Your recipes are so easy and relate-able, and yet so novel, and your photography is scrumptious. Nice job, as always, Deb.
I love that I don’t have to go to five different grocery stores to find the ingredients.
Boy those MEANIES ar NY CAKE did it again when you click on their link it doesn’t work. I shop there because they have EVERYTHING FOR BAKING but….they aren’t the most pleasant peeps I’ve come across. THIS CAKE LOOKS SO YUMMY!!!!!! Oh and happy 2nd baby on the way to you! Weeeee!
Where did you get your large glass canisters/jars? I’ve had so much trouble finding good ones
Hey Deb – This looks marvelous! Just enough for one ;) Quick question – can I use light brown sugar instead of the dark brown? I just don’t have the room (or the energy!) to buy both & I’ve almost always got the light brown kind around. Thanks in advance!
How would this convert to cupcakes?
My head isn’t working for conversions right now: will this make a 6″ round 2-layer cake as is, or would that require halving the recipe? The volume of a 6″ round is half a 9″ round; yay pi. My daughter wishes for a chocolate layer cake filled with chocolate chip ice cream for her birthday next week, and 6″ cakes are my family’s favorite size.
I LOVE PREGNANT DEB <3
nevermind. I just searched your site for the answer!
Yum! This looks so delicious!
I’m glad to know we share the same pregnancy cravings :) makes me not feel so bad about the 24 chocolate cupcakes I just HAD to make last week. But seriously, that post about the carvel ice cream cake weeks ago is still haunting me.
wow, that cake looks amazing! ANd they way you swirled the chocolate is perfect!
my friend this cake is gorgeous! you know, something about being in the family way (i’m assuming that’s what’s going on???) makes some foods terrible, but others so much more DELICIOUS than you’d have ever imagined. good luck and thanks for the beautiful cake!
This recipe is so disappointing, especially after all the other ones I’ve made from your site. The cake is heavy, not sweet, a chore to eat, and the only redeeming thing about it is the frosting – and that’s because it has a half cup of butter in it! Not a recipe to save, though the pictures are pretty.
What is the ratio of vinegar to milk to create buttermilk?
Thanks.
Deb, I made this frosting tonight and I found it almost too bitter as written. I had to add another 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. I was hoping it would work with the quite sweet yellow cake my husband requested but I was to worried about it to wait and see. Even with the extra sugar, it was still bitter-sweet but in a good way. I will use this again because it was so creamy and smooth and didn’t have that powdered sugar chalkiness or ultra sweet after taste.
Forgot to add, this actually made enough frosting for a decent thickness on the top of 9×13 cake.
i cannot wait to make this cake! And I have a prediction,,,you will be having a girl!!
Omg, I am on bus to work (8am) and I want chocolate cake NOW (That one ^ I have no resolve ~ diet has left the bus :) )
Now I have to buy rainbow sprinkles. Stat!
Thank you for the lovely idea, just in time for the weekend :)
it seems super delicious !!! :-p
I want chocolate cake! Ha, this looks epic and just like the chocolate cake of my childhood.
Yummy! Your amazing photos have made me want cake. Keep up the sharing!
This looks so good and I know my little girl would love this. I love the recipe and will have fun making this with her. I can’t wait to get all the ingredients and bake this cake! The photos really drew me in mmmmm
Man, I wasn’t going to print this one out (it’s just sheet cake, right?), but it was reading the word “chocolate” for, what, maybe the 57th time in one post, while reading the list of ingredients that finally got me. The combination of butter, sugar, sugar, cocoa, buttermilk, cream, and sea salt all in quick list read effectively slayed my weak will power.
SWEET LORD! I AM MAKING THIS FOR MY BIRTHDAY IN A FEW WEEKS (and maybe before too, purely to test….)
I promptly stopped at the store for ingredients and spent my free afternoon making this yesterday. It came together simply and easily. And OH MY. Yum.
Dear Deb- I’m hoping you can solve a problem for me. I recently doubled a recipe that was originally a 8×8 or 9×9 pan and put it in a 9×13 pan. Everyone told me I used the wrong pan and I got a chemistry lesson and another one on finding the right pan (which I still don’t understand). I see you doubled this using the 9×13 like I did…. Can you explain how you choose a pan when doubling a recipe? Thanks!
So, tomorrow is my birthday, and I’m already planning to make David Lebovitz’s salted butterscotch pudding, BUT we are also getting a decent snowstorm, so I think the weekend might require this chocolate cake as well! You’ve made it sound irresistible!!
I laughed at the “we cut it into 16 small squares”. I have 2 teenage boys. This cake would feed one of them, maybe 2 if they were forced to share. Probably for breakfast. :)
So making this! We just finished my husband’s “favorite chocolate cake”, which is my Mom’s recipe for chocolate mayonnaise cake (don’t laugh–it’s outrageously good), but yours sounds even better. I didn’t know that was even possible. More cocoa, brown sugar, that extra egg yolk for richness, etc, etc. Thank you for always inspiring me! You’re the best. Love your “I’m pregnant recipes”!
Well, this looks just perfect. Hooray for pregnancy cravings!
… I want chocolate cake!
http://www.youtube.com/sparklesandsuch26
Jenny — Yes, you can make 2 6-inch round layers from this cake; the layers would be ever-so-barely-slightly thicker than the 8-inch square would be, but not a bad thing, as you can see the 8-inch square is very thin (maybe .75″). (See more details on how I figure this out below, but it sounds like you already know. #allhailpi!)
Adrienne — 9×13 isn’t the wrong pan for doubling an 8×8, in fact, it’s about as close as you’ll get to doubled from a standard pan. I compare sizes using the area of the bottom of the cake pan, because generally when you’re doubling or scaling up a recipe, you’d like the cake layers to be the same height, just bigger. So, 9×13 = 117, 9×9 = 81, 8×8 = 64, 9-inch round area = 63.6, i.e. if you double a 9-inch round or 8-inch square in a 9×13, it’s a pretty good match, but the cake will be ever-so-slightly thicker but close enough. If you double a 9×9 in a 9×13, it’s less of perfect match; the cake might end up 1.5x thicker. None of these are a dealbreaker, of course, just good to know going in. (P.S. I did not double the cake this time, I just baked it in an 8×8, but I have before to make a layered sheet cake.)
Emily — If my notes are correct from the last time I converted it, you’ll get 12 standard. You’ll have more icing than you need, but of course, need is relative. You could just heap it like a bakery does.
Linda — Yes, it just might be a little more pale in color.
Kate — Check out overstock.com. I find they have a great range of those clamp-top canning jars. Just buy the biggest ones they have. I think you have to buy 6 at a time.
Jane M — Ugh, I give up. I try to give credit to stores where I buy things, and not just Amazon all the time, but I can’t help if their site doesn’t have permalinks in the year 2015. You can find it under Sugar and Sprinkles > Assorted Shapes. It’s an okay price, at least.
Susan — Wait, howww? I’m so surprised. I make this frosting whenever I need to ice cupcakes or a kid birthday cake (i.e. several times a year) and if anything, it’s on the sweet side. I mean, it’s definitely on the sweet side, like all powdered sugar buttercreams. Definitely only two ounces chocolate, right? I agree that it can make a passable thickness for a 9×13, but clearly, I was going for excess here. :) (Also, see Joanne’s comment!)
Joanne — I agree; frosting this sweet is definitely more of an American thing. Also, such an epic amount. Glad you enjoyed the cake in the end. You can also bake it as a lovely loaf.
Lucy — I’m sorry to hear that. I feel like something went wrong because it shouldn’t seem heavy; rich with chocolate and not terribly sweet, yes, but I make it for almost every birthday layer cake and it’s always just delightfully tender and moist, especially, like most cakes, on day two. Did you use Dutched cocoa? You’re not at a higher elevation, are you? I hope I can get to the bottom of it.
Rebecca — Here you go. I usually just add a tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of milk and don’t fuss about the extra spoonful. Do let it clabber for 10 to 15 minutes for a thicker texture.
Does anyone have suggestions for making this cake dairy-free, other than wine? I could swap out the butter for margarine, but wasn’t sure what would work to replace the buttermilk. I’ve heard mayonnaise suggested before – has anyone tried that?
Fran — You can use coffee for most of the buttermilk and I’ve heard good things about mayo too. I believe it’s acidic as well, which you’ll need when using baking soda.
“They know what they did” is killing me right now. Thank you for the laughs and the chocolate as I wrap up my hell week! Grad school is sometimes miserable but also wonderful. :) This looks amazing; can’t wait to try it!
I love pregnant Deb.
Kudos to you for taking the time to snap the beautiful pics before digging in!!!
Fran- Use a combination of coffee and fake buttermilk( equivalent amount of soy milk+1tsp of apple cider vinegar. )
This is how I feel about chocolate on a regular basis. Are you saying this is not normal? It’s supposed to be reserved for only specific times? Like pregnancy? Then I’m in trouble. Just looking at these pictures makes me feel the urgency. I need cake in my face, or everyone in this office will have to pay!
I want that cake with peanut butter cream cheese buttercream frosting…right now!
I thought that coffee was acidic in itself. Will it not work with the baking soda?
Made this last night – great timing as the boyfriend’s 35th was yesterday and usually my desserts are “too fancy” for him. Adjusted the cake for high elevation (extra 1 Tb flour, 1 Tb less of sugar, and 2 eggs instead of the 1+yolk) and it was perfect. Rich but perfect cut in 16 squares, and hit the chocolate spot. Thank you!
thank you, deb, for the small chocolate cake! it is the number one thing boyperson asks for, half in jest but i know he really wants it, but i’m not going to bake a whole giant two layer cake, and scaling down baking recipes is something i haven’t wanted to try. but now…all shall be right in the world. and fat. fatty fat fat.
bring on the sweatpants!
ps, is there a sub for the unsweetened chocolate? only asking as i have all the other ingredients except that. which i should buy just to have…but in the meantime…
pps, is there a softening butter hack? boyperson also always complains that our apartment is cold…i hadn’t noticed until i realized the butter on the counter wasn’t soft. i always leave some out in case of a sudden urge or need to bake or for bread buttering needs, and while it’s not fridge hard, it is not at all baking soft/room temp. and we’re talking been on the counter for days.
NO- I’m at work right now and can’t immediately make and eat this. OH GOD, WHY!
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’ve made several recipes from your blog, so I knew the kind of quality I could expect, but still, I wasn’t expecting to be wooed into buying another cookbook when I have plenty that don’t receive enough attention as it is. But the choice of recipes plus the use of WEIGHTS for ingredients overpowered me. Then I went to Copenhagen, staying in a stranger’s apartment through Airbnb, and your cookbook was in this Danish woman’s kitchen! And she had marked so many pages with little pink tabs! I felt bonded to this woman I’d never met through your cookbook. ;) Anyway, I’m sure you know how well your book is selling by the numbers, but I thought I’d share the glee of finding your book and an enthusiastic audience in a couple of different countries. xx
Love that you include the alternatives for the liquid moisture. And I love the suggestion of sour cream thinned with coffee — sounds like my kinda cake!!
Stephanie, if you cut up your butter into little pieces and let it sit while you measure out your dry ingredients it will often soften up even more. That and maybe set it in a bowl on your warming stove!! I get impatient so I usually do both. :) xx
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. You can drop the sugar a little, but too much and it won’t be thick enough as a frosting.
For softening butter, what anne said (I like to cut it in pieces first, so there’s no melty spot in the middle of a big stick). Or, what I do more often is if you’re using a stand mixer anyway, just cut it into chunks and let the paddle soften it. Beat it on high, scrape down the bowl, beat it some more, etc, until it’s mixable. No extra dish, too.
anne — Coffee, at least as far as I could read about it, has the same ph as water (5/neutral). It may taste acidic or strong, but it’s due to a ph change, just flavor.
JessicaD — Thank you.
Deb, re: your comment to me above, I may have been a little hasty in my judgment as the first taste while mixing hadn’t had time to settle in with all the sugar and butter so the flavor was still overwhelmingly bitter. 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. This morning, however, it has settled down some and is more balanced and it’s firmer. Bottom line, it needed to be made well enough in advance to get to the best consistency and flavor. That extra 1/2 cup of powdered sugar didn’t really hurt the flavor, it’s still very chocolaty, just not as bitter. (fwiw-I used Sharfenberger unsweetened. One block (1/5) of the 9.7oz bar of chocolate is a touch less than 2oz. It was pretty powerful at first while mixing, so I won’t go by first taste ever again!)
@stephanie#133- You can also substitute 3 tablespoons cocoa and one tablespoon butter or shortening for one ounce of unsweetened chocolate. I always have cocoa on hand, but rarely unsweetened chocolate so I always go this route and it works well. Depending on the recipe, you can melt the butter or shortening and mix in the cocoa until smooth, or just add it to the ingredients as is if it works (like in frosting).
thank you deb, anne, and JP! only asked about the choc sub to see if i could use what i already had on hand. JP hit the nail on the head. thanks again, all! :)
I made this yesterday and it was delicious! Thank you for cheering us up!
I found your blog through Bloglovin and drew immediately from the Chocolate Cake…
I have saved the recipe and make it some time soon, for the moment I am enjoying some chocolate covered digestive biscuits to cure my chocolate cravings.
Have a lovely day!!!
I sooo remember that feeling of “if I don’t have whatever it is I’m craving right now, I will die” feeling from my pregnancies.
Chocolate cake was a frequent visitor to my kitchen in those days. This one looks just absolutely perfect!
This cake is just gorgeous! It reminds me of childhood parties and I can just imagine how it tastes – my mouth is watering just looking at the pictures! Sometimes the classic simple recipes really are the best :)
Jennie
Deb, I love you. I realized I had everything in the kitchen already, and promptly went home and made it.
Boyfriend is allergic to wheat, so I used brown rice flour (he found out two weeks ago so I’m pretty new to this) and I couldn’t tell the difference!
Bonus: I saved buttermilk last time I bought it by freezing it in ice cube trays – 2 tbsp per cube – so that made impulse cake making that much easier.
I’ve been a lurker here…since I was in highschool? And I’m a recent grad, now. This is the cake that inspired me to comment.
It’s been a pretty miserable week, and this cake is exactly what I need. I can already tell by how great the batter is that this cake is going to make the awful week worth it.
And the Dutch process cocoa seriously made a difference.
Thank you! Your timing is excellent.
My Significant-Something-Or-Other, the theatrical sound-and-lighting tech, had a birthday was this week, but he was buried under two show openings and an over-the-top Sweet Sixteen birthday party (can you believe a $200,000 budget????). So we haven’t had The Birthday Dinner (budget about $30… and just a _bit_ more than 16) yet.
I’m planning to put a cupcake-with-candle into an emptied pop-top can as his present (adapted from http://www.the36thavenue.com/2013/10/birthday-cake-tutorial.html); he’s not big on presents. Now I have a recipe. (And chocolate leftovers with excess icing for me! Score!)
I like the size. You can eat a square without feeling any guilt.
Deb- Yes! Surprisingly so. There was no glaze but they served it what I think was more slathered brown butter. It was definitely brown-butter-nutty flavored enough that my health conscious husband thought it was whole wheat- did I correct him, no :) I saw some recipes that brown then freeze the butter and use buttermilk instead of cream in the scone. I was thinking of starting with your dreamy cream scones as base and use browned butter. I might even sub some w.w.pastry flour to please the husband. Anyway, its worth the experiment. I will report back when I try it :)
Neutral on the pH scale is 7, not 5. Coffee does rank about 5, making it an acid. Lower than 7 is acidic, higher than 7 is basic/alkali. Distilled water would be a 7.
Some more info about coffee acidity can be found here.
http://www.highergroundstrading.com/blog/38/coffee-acidity:-the-science-and-the-experience–
My cake took almost 30 minutes to bake?! It’s cooling but I’m so nervous it’s going to be dry…
*swoon* How hard was it to take those gorgeous pictures of the finished and then sliced cake without pouncing on them first?? Ye gods all I want is that chocolate cake now (hello final month of pregnancy, so lovely to finally meet you). :)
I love a good simple chocolate cake recipe. I wish I could reach in a try a slice!
Perfect timing! I just asked my boyfriend what chocolate afternoon snack should I have today? At 38 weeks, I’ve decided I really should eat whatever I want, especially things that might cause problems when I start breast feeding in a couple weeks. Not that I haven’t eaten what I wanted the whole time, and that want has mostly been chocolate (and frozen mango pieces lately, so good!) anyway I came here looking for the fudgy chocolate cake recipe, that I used for cupcakes a couple months ago. But this will do and maybe I won’t even share it ;)
Had to make this because I know that I GOTTA HAVE CAKE feeling well even though I’m not pregnant. I have two boys, almost exactly five years apart, and it’s (mostly) a really good gap. 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. Congrats and thanks for this recipe!
Do you prefer a particular brand of chocolate for both the Dutch cocoa and the unsweetened chocolate? Just wondering if you use brands that are commonly available in grocery stores (US) or if you use more of a speciality chocolate. Thanks.
This looks like heaven! That frosting is to die for!!
Jillian
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!! I normally just replace milk with coconut milk/coconut cream in all my baking but tried the wine as don’t know if coconut milk has any acid in it and you were saying that was important. Anyway, wasn’t sure if I was over doing the flavours but the smell of it was amazing going into the oven and it went down well here after tea!! Even the kiddies liked it! Never thought of using wine in cakes before:-) and wine and coffee and chocolate together :-) It was yummy. happy days all the way from Ireland. Love your blog!
I’m so, oh, so sad. My belly partner is revolted by anything sweet or dessert-y, even though that’s what I’m craving the most (now that the “morning” aka 24/7 sickness is gone)! (What a little jerk, amiright?) So I’m logging this recipe away until after August, and I won’t be sharing with the new tiny one AT ALL.
Have been needing something chocolate all week and this was it! I did add something tho, two tablespoons of Riversdale organic farm orange and cinnamon marmalade to the cake mixture instead of vanilla, but frosting was your recipe. Completely organic and perfect.
So the chocolate cake by itself is fabulous, but I went crazy and substituted the Barefoot Contessa’s peanut butter icing…two fabulous ladies in one dessert treat…I do not have a bunch of gays to invite over, just the boyfriend…and I made it all to get me out of the doghouse. Mission accomplished. Thanks, Deb.
Forgot to add I only put in 130 grams of sugar because of marmalade.
You and your blog bring me great joy! Thank you; I know it’s TONS of work.
Gah!!! What am I doing wrong??? I’m 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!!! What did I do wrong? I will admit I subbed bittersweet choc for the unsweetened because that’s what I had. I decreased the icing sugar and added a titch of cocoa to compensate. Was that the culprit?!? I’ve tried adding back the sugar in the hopes it will “fluff” but alas, no; it’s an oily albeit fudgy/tasty mess. Help!! I have to leave in 50 min!!
Oh. My. G-d!!!!! Please ma’am, may I have another?!!!!! I’m salivating on my keyboard here.
Can anyone help a lady out on how long I should bake standard cupcakes?
“Speed up by placing outside for 10 mins” LOLZ
No bears there then? :)
Have just put this in the oven. I was a bit worried when I added the buttermilk and it went quite lumpy, but I guess that’s what you meant by uneven.
Absolute perfection in every way!
This was just what we needed tonight for a little impromptu gathering. Pizzas, red wine and, to finish off the carb load, this chocolate cake. We opted for a few fresh strawberry slices on each little square and it was just right. Thanks!!
Hello, My name is Sherrill . . . and . . . I’m an (unapologetic) chocoholic. And, you my dear, are apparently my enabler! . . . . . . . *squeeeeeeeee* Bless you! :)
Deb, how is it that you can take the most simple chocolate cake and make it look so amazing that I think that I will just die if I don’t go make it right now, even though it’s nearly 11 p.m.? I want to dive into that swath of icing. I will be making this soon!
Beautiful Deb! I’m salivating. Think I might have to ‘healthify’ and recreate! Looks incredible.
measurement question! the choc. and zuc conversion site says 1 cup of coco powder is 120 g, but this recipe says 1/2 c is 40g? thank you!
Came out perfect! I had just about everything I needed to make this in my pantry, but I could only muster half the frosting – but it was still excellent. A real end of the week treat. I’ll use this frosting recipe again too: whizzed up this easily in the blender.
Your site is consistently the best food site on the entire internet. It evokes something so real and essential. Thank you for doing this.
Thank you for the cake recipe, the sprinkles really catch the eye! For the buttermilk substitution, could you use stout in this? or a combination of stout/buttermilk?
Very much looking forward to any recipe involving peanut butter!
Have you ever made the King Arthur cake pan cake?
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/king-arthur-flours-original-cake-pan-cake-recipe
It has been my go to I-need-chocolate-cake-right-now recipe for years. It’s ludicrously easy and not over the top sweet. I put about a teaspoon of cloves into the dry ingredients sometimes. Yes, that’s odd, I know, but it’s also good. (Hmmm. I bet you could put in the same amount of cinnamon, for a Mexican chocolate vibe….)
p.s. made your chicken with olives and grapes yet again last week – so so terribly good!
Could I make the frosting a raspberry buttercream by putting in raspberry purée instead of chocolate? New baker here.
Thanks for such a beautiful site Deb. I’m a long time listener, first time commenter.
I found you last year, bought the book, and have since made at least a dozen cakes and more. Your writing is awesome, the photos are perfectly approachable and I love the process photos. Your site is the first food blog I’ve read continuously and made things from.
No one goes without at least a two layer cake for their birthday now. I’ve even had some photos I’ve taken of your recipes published in our local papers, The Vancouver Sun and The Province. It’s so fun to make your recipes, read your stories, and learn to use my new camera while showing your creations in a different way that you have. Thank you for being an inspiration to get me started.
Made this last night and used the sour cream chocolate frosting from your best birthday cake, I was cheap and had a little left over. I froze it and it thawed out great. I used coconut sugar in place of the brown sugar here, and about 40g less, it works great!
Thank you for posting that note at the end about how you do your frosting! I was meaning to ask you about that as I read through the recipe and your note was a very welcome surprise. Beautiful, btw. :)
Also, your cheerful writing style has brightened up my day considerably :)
Kim — Whooooops! I know better than that. Thanks for the clarification.
anne — I think stout would work just fine. Mainly, you need an acidic ingredient and beer seems to be acidic, from what I’ve read.
Sarah — Actually, I find that it’s very hard to get an even read on cocoa powders because they’re all different, and pack differently in cups. I can’t attest to what C&Z is doing but I’m sure it was correct when she measured what she had. (That said, I find whole wheat flour to clock in at 120 per cup, and flour is heavier than cocoa…) As for how I got/checked my numbers, Hershey’s cocoa clocks in at 80 per cup, King Arthur lists theirs as 85 grams, and I usually get about the same, hence the 41 grams here.
Charlie — Not on my 2nd floor balcony in Manhattan, I hope! :) Yes, that was what I meant by uneven. It should all be fine in the end.
Erin — Was the chocolate completely and totally cool, i.e. had no chance of melting the butter, when you mixed it in? If so, then it was the decrease in sugar. It’s hard to decrease sugar (more than I have) with a quick buttercream like this because the sugar provides the structure. Otherwise, it would be much easier to make them less sweet!
Leti — My favorite is from Valrhona. It’s expensive and I wouldn’t encourage anyone to seek it out (I tend to price it out online, buy it in bulk and split it with baker friends) unless they’ve tried it and, like me, found it impossible to buy anything else after that. As for a brand I find more often in grocery stores, look for Droste. It’s less expensive and bakes pretty well.
It was really fun making it and i loved making the frosting and cake. i’m 9 years old!
Woah Nelly do I ever feel you with the chocolate cake craving. Except my chocolate cake was a bacon cheeseburger. And I was vegetarian. It would be impossible to overstate the urgency of such a desire!
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. HOLY HELL, it’s fantastic. My husband usually dislikes cake because it’s too sweet, but he had two pieces last night (as did I). I will absolutely make this again.
Upon reading this post I immediately began craving chocolate cake. And so, my absolutely wonderful husband made it for me! We have been eating it today, and this recipe is wonderful. The salt in the frosting is the perfect touch.
one note: We only have glass 8×8 baking dishes, and it required quite a bit more time to bake the cake to “done.” I am going to purchase a metal 8×8 as soon as possible!
Mmmmmmmm. I am so thankful for a smaller cake recipe. I love making chocolate cake but never seem to be able to eat an entire cake. Must purchase metal 8×8 pan ASAP. Genius!
So, made this today in honor of my little girl’s birthday (and of course she’s too young for this, thus the “in honor” part). I substituted 1/2 cup of buttermilk–kept 1/4 cup–for a Terrapin Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter beer. Amazing! Thank you for this quick and delicious recipe!
Ummm, yum! So glad I didn’t read the few negative comments. Great little cake, so nice to have something smaller and delicious! Did in a 9.5″ pie pan, which alters the edge texture a bit, but that was what was on hand!
I need to stop reading this blog while pregnant… First the cornbread muffins, now the chocolate cake. Thanks for so much deliciousness!
Nomnomnom! This cake looks so incredibly delicious and I adore the rainbow colored sprinkles – thank you for sharing:)
Just made this cake & your perfect birthday cake for a friend’s 1-year old party. I am frosting the bday cake with a double batch of the above chocolate frosting, and making the raspberry buttercream for the chocolate cake. Hope that’s an ok combo. Raspberries & chocolate- what could be bad? Mazel Tov on your happy news, and thanks again for your indispensable Smittenkitchen!
HOLY HEAVENS! Yes, this is everything I want. So simple and so perfect.
We love so many of your recipes in our house–we literally make your Favorite Brownies at least a few times a month (my husband somehow remains just as excited every time).
Made this cake GF for our babysitter (our policy is to always have something freshly baked for a sitter) by subbing out regular flour for Pamela’s all-purpose GF flour. Also subbed 1/2 coffee 1/2 yoghurt for the buttermilk. So easy, and a perfectly chocolate-cake-hankering cake! The icing is just divine.
That chocolate cake is everything, the cake just looks so yummy and delicious. I am going to try and bake this cake. You have given me inspiration to make this chocolate cake.
Could I make the frosting a raspberry buttercream by putting in raspberry purée or jam instead of chocolate? I’m not much of a baker. I’ve been dreaming of my late mother’s chocolate cake lately (yes, dreaming!) and then your post came to my email box. I can’t find her recipe anywhere and am excited to try yours to see if I can make the dreams stop! I’m too hungry when I wake and can’t stand it anymore. Thanks!
Hands down the best frosting I’ve ever made! Cake was good too, even though I’m not a die hard chocolate lover. But Deb, that’s how much you inspire me! If you suggest it, I make it. Even bought the special spatula. Next time, I’ll add those adorable confetti sprinkles!
I was so happy when I saw this recipe as I knew due to schedules including mine I’d be home and no one would be making me a cake for my birthday yesterday, so this one fit the bill! First piece I had with chocolate milk, the second with scotch. ;) Tonight get to share it with friends. Easy and yummy, thanks.
Deb, you are my shero! I’m reading this recipe for “Emergency chocolate cake” while filling my mouth with your Cocoa Brownies from a couple of years ago. (yes, for breakfast!) I love the pasta and chocolate diet—Just add wine and espresso and I’m all set! 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’m an exile from New Mexico living in Vermont and I need my chilies.) I’ll be making this week’s pasta you posted as soon as I exercise off the brownies. Thanks for your wonderful blog and mazes tov on your pregnancy!
Made this with my friend yesterday (hey rebecca!) and it was AMAZING. So easy to make- love that it’s one bowl, since that always makes me more inclined to make it in the future. Also the fact that its delicious and practically gone doesn’t hurt!
I also went to NY Cake Shop on 22nd st and they were really nice, helpful and had hundreds (no exaggeration) of sprinkle choices- will definitely be going back.
Thank you for the great recipe!!
You’re pregnancy sounds exactly like my pregnancy. I’m at a similar stage, due in August, and I’ve been equally crazy for chocolate cake and not much else. I’m still super nauseous though, this was supposed to go away weeks ago, and haven’t baked anything because I can’t stand being in the kitchen. I don’t know how you’ve done this for the past few months with morning sickness. Thanks for keeping us all entertained! Anyways, good luck!
Recently made your “Valerie” chocolate cake with this frosting. (I thought the cake was perfect by itself; kids wanted frosting; I ate cake and frosting separately and was in heaven!) Can’t wait to try this combination. No more babies, here, but this winter calls for all manner of treats!
Exact same pregnancy cravings, as I sit here eating another PB on English muffin. Just found out we’re having a second boy. Thanks for the delicious chocolate butter cream recipe! And congratulations!
What a fantastic recipe! I need chocolate cake…NOW!!
Thank you!
X
Holly
I made cupcakes with this recipe yesterday and covered them with a vanilla buttercream frosting. Baked for 20 minutes. They are all gone now and left everyone (all adults) with smiles on their faces.
I do so love other grown women who know that the necessity of rainbow sprinkles is a real thing.
ug that looks amazing!! cheat day can’t come soon enough
This cake is now my cake. Deep chocolate flavor, not too sweet, very easy to mix up and bake. The frosting was a bit too sweet for my guys (their tastebuds, not mine) so we might go with a ganache next time. Thanks Deb! I love your little person for inspiring you to post this.
You can’t beat chocolate cake and this one looks incredible, Deb. So happy about the sprinkles. Wouldn’t be the same without them!
Its the perfect little chocolate cake! Rebekah describes this perfectly – “deep chocolate flavour, not too sweet, very easy to mix up and bake” I loved the frosting – this is my new chocolate frosting.
It’s 5:20 am and I’m looking at cake recipes. WTF is wrong with me? Now, I need to make this cake recipe… Thanks. ;)
THANK YOU for this recipe – I made it yesterday – it’s delicious. But! I seem to have screwed up the frosting, and I’m not sure how. It was a little grainy/granular, and I had a really hard time getting it nice and smooth/whipped. Maybe I just mismeasured, do you think? Not that I won’t eat it :-D
Thanks so much Deb! My 13 yo son baked this for our Sunday dinner dessert. I asked him if we wanted to make the small cake or double it for leftovers and he looked at me like I had 2 heads. 9 by 13 it is!!!
Thank you for this easy small cake! It’s my goal as a parent to make cake often and large cakes take too long and end of going to waste (very sad!). This one will cause quick a bit of excitement, I can tell.
This cake looks perfect. Like eat-one-square-in-two-bites perfect.
Oh, and funny how I only noticed the “s” shapes after I read your notes on how to swirl the frosting ;)
I made this last night and it is amazing. I ended up with lots of frosting left over (I should have just made a smaller batch, I knew I didn’t want a thick layer) but my biggest issue was that I ended up adding an additional 8-10 minutes to the baking time. Admittedly, I don’t have a thermometer inside my oven, nor do I know if it’s perfectly calibrated, but my bake times are usually pretty close to the recipe, and it seemed like a lot of extra for a small cake. I guess I’ll be investing in a thermometer! But either way, the cake turned out great. 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. He’s enthusiastic now :)
Literally just finished frosting it and devoured it along with the sprinkles. Definitely an amazing chocolate cake and it’s not even one of my favorite flavors but one look at this cake and I HAD to make it! Thank you for this wonderful recipe – it is incredible! Have a great one Deb! Take Care -Iva
I’m not going to make this cake right now because it’s 80 degrees in my house already, but I am filing this recipe away to be used later. I have a deep appreciation for the way you feel about cake. There are others like us. Here is the gospel. We are not alone: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/10/god-of-cake.html
Oh sheesh, I know why my frosting came out grainy (see post 213)…I didn’t just melt the chocolate first, I melted the butter first too. :-O
That’s what I get for making frosting while trying to watch the Downton Abbey finale.
It was still tasty.
Made this cake last night. It’s fabulous and the husband pronounced it the best chocolate cake he’s ever eaten. I have to say, however, that the part about cutting it into 16 pieces made us laugh and laugh and laugh!
At around 25 weeks with my son, I suddenly craved chocolate after many months of guac, almonds and popsicles. My little pregnancy book chimed in, asking if I was craving sweets. Turns out baby now had taste buds! Chocolate continued as a food friend for the remainder of the pregnancy and was quickly gobbled up by baby son when permitted.
Hi, I used microwave chocolate mug cake when I had this craving, 5 min crave to product time. Same for apple cinnamon cake… good luck with pregnancy!
I return to your website multiple times each week for various recipes. This morning, in search of a chocolate cake recipe to make for Fun Night at my children’s school (Cake Walk is a big deal), I felt it was meant to be that this recipe was front page news! I decided to divide my cake in to two 9″ round pans. Baking time is decreased to 12 minutes. Thanks for the fantastic recipe.
Made with my daughter while snowed in yesterday. We had a lot of fun, and the frosting is the best I have ever had in my entire life (she insisted I write that, it’s all I could repeat after eating it!). Thank you!
I made the cake the other day for my son’s birthday. I think I over-baked the cake (closer to 30 min) because it was quite dry. In terms of the icing, the same thing happened to me as with Erin, the icing became oily. I think the problem may have been my food processor. The icing was looking perfect until I walked away from it to give it a good 2 minutes to beat. Is it possible for the machine to heat up just enough to melt the butter? I made the icing a second time, watching it carefully, and it turned out perfectly. The icing is to die for and such a snap to make. My new go to icing!
Wow that’s serious.
Every time I saw, chocolate, my mouth goes to water. The Delicious taste of chocolate ahaha. I will try that recipe for sure. And eat it too.!!
Everyone commenting on the sweetness of the frosting is scaring me off! Do you have a recommendation for a less sweet chocolate frosting? Doesn’t have to be a quick buttercream but I would prefer not to do a ganache. Thanks!
Re, the sweetness of the frosting: I think it’s relative. If you’re used to canned or standard back-of-the-box powdered sugar and butter frostings, it should be less sweet, due to the very bitter unsweetened chocolate that’s used. If you’re not used to U.S. frostings at all (which, of course, are very sweet), it might seem over-the-top. The cake itself isn’t very sweet, in hopes to provide contrast.
Chum — Yes, it would be delicious. I’d limit it to a couple tablespoons as it will be pretty wet, and personally, I prefer to strain raspberry purees to get rid of the seeds, but I think they bother me more than they bother other people.
I made this with Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa (they say this is a blend of natural and Dutched cocoas) and it turned out great!
Yet another reason to get a food processor! This recipe looks fantastic!!
It looks so jummy! and it isn’t that difficult to make with that machine.
This looks so delicious, and I can’t wait to try this recipe out. You can’t ever going wrong with chocolate cake!
The cake came out fine, but the batter was just that — pourable “batter,” not the spreadable, brownie batter-like kind in your photo. Any ideas why? I followed the directions, and the butter and eggs were at room temperature. The kitchen’s not too hot, and it’s snowy outside. Hmm….
You made it a Sweet! 16 celebration! Made this for my *baby’s* bday on Sunday and we are all loving it. Except for the recommended 16-small-square servings, which she thought were deprivingly undersized. Thanks for another winner!!
Any suggestions for cooking times for cupcakes? I assume it will be shorter?
Hey Deb! I made the cake a couple days ago, and served it only yesterday. I loved it! 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.
However, my cake was dense, moist, almost fudgy- like a good brownie! Was it supposed to turn out that way?
Just made this. Delish no frosting just some a bit of icing sugar.
Really like that is was not too sweet. Next time will try with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
When I first saw the title, I thought you might be referencing this http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/how-chocolate-cake-helped-capture-mexicos-most-wanted-drug-lord/2015/03/02/8a2316fa-c068-11e4-a188-8e4971d37a8d_story.html
@Anna #216, I had to bake mine almost 20 extra minutes even though my thermometer read 360*F. I did use an 8″ round instead of square, and it was nonstick. YMMV.
I’m definitely going to try this recipe! Chocolate yummy!!!!!
I made it yesterday and it was easy and excellent! I used two whole eggs for not wasting an egg white, but it turned out fine. Cake is moist and light with a very tasty frosting. My daughter is already asking for her birthday to make the SAME! Thank you for sharing a great recipe!
Baking time — It sounds like it’s taking up to 5 to 10 minutes extra for everyone. I’ll add a note.
Space Station Mir — Hilarious. Chocolate cake will clearly be my undoing as well.
Joy — Yes, it gets more moist as the days go on. Less so on the first day. Plus, if it’s sitting under frosting the whole time, the frosting will slowly soak into the cake.
Jenny — Not sure why it came out thinner but as long as it baked up well, I wouldn’t worry about it.
Cupcakes — Usually bake for 17 to 20 minutes. I’d start checking at 15 to be safe.
Serving size — I guess it’s just us that cuts cake into small pieces? That’s the tradeoff for me, at least. I want real cake made with real butter and real sugar and good chocolate, I just try to limit portion size. Either that, I would have to eat cake less often and at 21 weeks, that is unthinkable.
I made a half recipe of this and out of it came 4 largish size muffins? cupcakes? Small cakes?
So so so so delicious. Chocolatey. Unbelievable. The perfect antidote to absolutely needing a chocolate fix. And the cakes seem so small…who needs to work out?! No need ;)
One question – I don’t have a mixer or a hand mixer (I know…I know…) I normally do everything by hand and I don’t think I’ve ever made icing before so I haven’t yet found something I couldn’t do by hand. Any tips for a frosting I could make with a whisk or does that just not work for frosting?
Thanks Deb!!
Mel — For a whiskable frosting, well, it’s all about how strong your arms are. ;) But, I whip whipped cream by hand all of the time. It will be harder to get butter/sugar fluffy, though not impossible. Your safest bet might be more of a ganache, which doesn’t need to be whipped, only stirred. Or maybe get one of these? My BFF still uses one, and I find it charming.
Huzzah for cake. I had the following complications:
My stand mixer struggled with such small amounts of things, but the hand mixer is in a storage box somewhere, so the Kitchenaid and I had to make do.
I forgot the salt in the cake batter.
The baking time was about 35 minutes, all told. I don’t know if that’s an issue with my oven (soon to be replaced) or the el cheapo disposable foil cake pan I was using (all the cake pans are – of course – in a storage box somewhere), but after the intitial 18 minutes, the batter was barely set around the edges; after five more minutes the center was still jiggling like a perfect custard pie; after five *more* minutes it had finally started to puff up and the surface was dry, but the center was still goopy when I tested it. I think another eight minutes after that and the testing knife finally came out clean enough that I was prepared to take the thing out of the oven. It cooled nicely and didn’t fall apart when I turned it out of the pan onto the rack, a perennial fear of mine, but the outside was so dry and solid I could pick the whole thing up in one hand like a discus. I was quite alarmed that the cake would be dry and sawdusty when I brought it to my co-workers.
Meanwhile, Uncle Vixen had bought unsweetened cocoa rather than unsweetened chocolate for the frosting, so I had to find a sort of halfway point between Deb’s recipe and the one on the back of the cocoa bag (which assumes a double layer of cake, natch) w/r/t proportions of cocoa, butter, and milk; also I had to deal with the same issue of the stand mixer not really being able to reach all of the frosting; also I splashed the vanilla and the frosting tasted Very Strongly of it when it was finally done.
Fortunately, after a night of mellowing in the refrigerator, the frosting was delicious today; and although the outside edges were quite, um, sturdy, the cake inside was delicious and moist, and we didn’t miss the salt at all. (My co-workers very kindly said that unless the cake leapt up off the plate and attacked them, they were going to love it – but I was worried about the texture.) Ultimately it was a success!
Oh thank God, my own baby 2 was demanding exactly this.
The icing on this was great! I’ll never buy it from a store again. The cake was good too. It only took about 20 minutes to bake, and it fell in the middle, but that may have been my own fault for checking on it too soon.
Sometimes you just have to have a chocolate cake, right?! Looks delicious!
I made this yesterday and was so pleased by the result. This was my first experience with Valrhona cocoa power. Wow, have I been missing out! The color was beautiful and the taste was rich and chocolately in the best possible way. I agree with Aunt Vixen. Total bake time was over 22 min for me. I did not overbake though and it came out moist and perfect. The frosting was fluffy and delicious. This will be my ‘go to’ chocolate cake recipe!
Love the photos of this one…I can smell it and taste it! Thanks for the craving, Deb!
Thank you for the recipe and inspiration. I made this last night for the office and so far I’m getting rave reviews. I doubled the cake recipe and it made a perfect amount of cake in a buttered, bake and serve 9 x 13 glass pan. It took about 32 minutes baking time. The frosting recipe I made as is, with the addition of about 3/4 cup of left-over coconut cream I had. This resulted in thick, tall slices of cake with still a substantial but not ridiculous amount of insanely rich frosting. It all came together rather quickly on a weekday evening too. Definitely a keeper, thanks!
This cake hits the spot and is a perfect snack size. It took about 28 mins to bake the cake and my batter was a thin due to being overly enthusiastic w/ vanilla and coffee extracts (I always add coffee extract to chocolate cakes). It was just fine; moist but not dense. One of the easiest and most satisfying chocolate cake recipes ever. Thanks!
I made this pretty much as per the recipe (which is quite unlike me, but I had all the correct ingredients) and as a Scot with a love of chocolate, but who finds some American recipes very sweet, I found this was just right. Chocolatey, soft-textured but not crumbly, sweet but not overpowering. I have a fan-oven so cooked it for 17 minutes, which was just right. I used a hand-held mixer, and made the frosting the same way, so not only did I not have to clean the food processor, I had the beater blades to “clean”. Yum! Your suggestion to cut it into 16 pieces was hard to obey, but I did. I’m not saying how many I had.
Thank you!
Haha, Deb, I love your enthusiasm and urgency for cake in this post. Totally respect that! I like the ease of this cake; every now and again I too just crave something like this mid-week, but don’t feel like making a whole “thing” out of it. I just want a few slices of cake, enough to last in our house for two or three nights, even when there is no birthday or holiday or cause for celebration in sight. Loving this one. Thanks for sharing!
I noticed that you put less white sugar in this than your “Everyday chocolate cake” (which I adore). Did you put less sugar in this cake in to balance the sweetness in the frosting?
Hi- Do you think whole wheat pastry flour would work in this recipe? thanks
This worked great as cupcakes! Got about 10 from a single batch, and baked about 24 minutes in my oven. These will be great for my babe’s first birthday party tomorrow!
The cupcake-in-a-can birthday present was a big hit! I only got ten cupcakes. Two of them (one spare…) were slightly bigger than the others, but not that much. I used plain Hershey’s un-Dutched cocoa, water and a teaspoon of vinegar in the cake batter; it was very dark, and rose fine. There’s enough baking powder in the recipe that I’d bet the acid/soda balance is not super-critical.
I also used cocoa and a little extra butter, with a dash of instant-espresso powder, in the frosting, and did not find it particularly sweet at all, just a good chocolate flavor. I only made a half batch, iced the gift cupcake generously, and had enough to adequately ice the rest.
I am enjoying cupcakes for breakfast this week!
I have this leftover buttermilk, so clearly I need to make the cake again, right?
Can I use cake flour instead of all-purpose? If so, should I alter the other ingredients? Thanks
Wow, made it, it came out perfect. Did not have the right size pan so baked 6 delicious cupcakes. Used 1/2 cup strong coffe and a 1/4 cup wine instead of the buttermilk. Will make again!!!
i made the cake! i used thinned greek yogurt for the buttermilk. i did end up going out to buy the bakers chocolate for the frosting and i’m glad i did because
a.) the frosting is SO GOOD and i am not a frosting person and
b.) while at target i found star sprinkles for a buck as part of an easter baking end cap display. see?
https://instagram.com/p/z8VQVBy55B/?modal=true
thanks deb!
Your directions for the frosting part of the “I Want Chocolate Cake” recipe, in the frosting directions you left out the vanilla if you are using a micer, and not a food processor. I’m not sure which area I am suppose to add the 1/2 tea of vanilla too.
So, I made the cake. It was good but not “knock your socks off” good, which has been my experience with everything else I’ve made from SK. I made the cakes in two 6in pans and it took a lot longer than what was written for one 8in square. The frosting was delicious but I didn’t find using a food processor to be convenient… powdered sugar clouds poofed out and it was difficult to wipe down the bowl to get everything evenly incorporated. I’ll definitely stick to the stand or hand-held mixer when making frosting in the future.
Hi Deb – I actually found your blog while searching for Apple Tart recipes and “accidentally” clicked on this Chocolate Cake recipe instead. The food photography is top notch and presents the delicious food very well.
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. I used an 8″ round springform and it rose more than your tray version and needed an adjustment in the cooking time but I have got used to listening to my cakes for that little bubbling sound that tells you they need a few more minutes.
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.
My wife’s final verdict on the cake was… “We have no words…” followed by “Next piece please!”
Actually as a followup to Aunt Vixen’s post 245, I too had to extend the cooking time. I thought it was an issue with my oven temp (175, standard convection) at first but at 20 mins I had a ring of cooked cake around a pool of batter. At 30 mins the top had cooked and closed over and not till about 40 mins did the skewer come out clean and the cake stop making that bubbling noise.
All in all, not a problem. The outside was not dry and the cake did not collapse.
It might be worth making another one (oh, the hardship!) and checking the cooking time. I have a similar chocolate cake from a post-wartime austerity recipe (only 18g cocoa and a single egg) which assumes 30-35 minutes cooking time.
This is my husband’s birthday cake today! It is wonderfully decadent for such a simple, unassuming cake. I will keep this one in the mental file folder for sure. The only change I had to make was baking it for an extra 4 minutes (total 26) and really should have continued baking it because it was still somewhat underdone. Initially, it appeared to have too little frosting for my lots-of-frosting preferences, but it is so rich and delicious more isn’t necessary.
Great cake! It’s just the right size for when you don’t want a larger sheet cake sitting around all week. And the frosting is superb and so quick. I don’t know if anyone else experienced this, but I attempted to process it the 1-2 minutes, and something happened to it. It turned grainy or separated or something. So I just started over and served the first batch as a not too bad fudge. I processed the next batch just until fluffy and spreadable looking and it turned out great.
Thanks Deb!
YUMMMMmmmmmmm. Made this tonight and shouldn’t have, but am so very glad I did. I added on at least another 5 minutes, and maybe more, for the baking time.
Website question/suggestion (maybe someone asked for this already?) – and not sure how difficult/easy it is to do. I love reading your recipes, etc, and often print off the recipes.
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?) recipes? Reasons for this: the pickled onion recipe should be on my fridge, the sweet tart recipe I use with everything, etc….
Magda — I don’t have the functionality at this time, but I’d love to get it if possible.
rebecca — You can use cake flour, so long as it doesn’t already have leavener it it, however, it’s not necessary to make this cake tender.
Frosting issues — It sounds like some food processors are indeed warming the frosting up a little, and making it grainy. I’ll update accordingly, suggesting you just mix it until smooth. I make it all of the time (like, embarrassingly often) in the FP and hadn’t run into this, but it definitely sounds like something that could happen that would be no fun at all.
the most beautiful chocolate cake i ever did see.
Made this today and although I am not a great fan of chocolate I do really like this one. I questioned the need for unsweetened chocolate vs. one of the many choices I already had in my pantry and am certainly glad I went and got some. In your opinion, is there a great deal of variation in the taste of the different brands available? The frosting was fantastic, creamy and smooth using the food processor.
This is really embarrassing, but, yesterday when I made the frosting using the food processor (something I’ve done a ton of times using this recipe), it curdled on me! So, I remade it, but I was so scared I was going to ruin it again, that I didn’t whip it enough and it wasn’t as creamy as it’s been all the other times I’ve made it. What did I do wrong?!?!
Funny, I am so the “I need chocolate cake now” kind of person, and it has nothing to do with hormonal cravings. My absolute hands down favorite chocolate cake recipe is your chocolate stout cake. I keep Guinness & cocoa powder on hand all the time just in case. I’ll have to give this a try for comparison. Because I need an excuse to make chocolate cake…
Please, please tell me this doesn’t mean you were still nauseous in week 16?
I’m in week 11 and only the thought that morning sickness is about to end keeps me going!
Susan — I’m not, although I may not have declared it behind me until 17-18 weeks. Still, much better by then. Sometimes it comes back for an afternoon but it’s not like it was. I’ll just skip the chicken with dinner or something. Hope you feel better soon!
I recently rediscovered this place. I can’t believe I forgot about it ever, and I gave a lot of catching up to do! Congrats! I can relate, as I was dry sick when growing each of my two little people. On an I.V. sick. It lasted until around 21 weeks with number one, and week 17 with number two.
Must go spend hours perusing archives, after I make this cake!
Made it last weekend. The cake was delicious! My kid ate only the frosting, though :) Thank you, Deb!
P.S. I backed it 28 min because 20 min wasn’t enough and it became a bit dry. Probably need to stick to 20 min.
Deb – made this cake last night in a “woohoo I’ve made it to the third trimester” fury. Had Hershey’s cocoa on hand and the cake did not disappoint. Amazing. Thank you!
I made this last night and it was delicious! A couple of notes from my experience:
-my batter was significantly thinner, probably in part because I just used two whole eggs (I used egg whites alone so rarely that it’s not even worth it to freeze them) and I used a touch more buttermilk than called for (no real reason, just poured out a little too much).
-baking time was approximately 35 minutes
-I used regular cocoa powder and absolutely missed the Dutch cocoa powder, so go for the gold here
-cut down the sugar in the frosting to 1 cup, which was more than enough frosting for the people I fed it to, and it tasted very buttery, which is my preference
Overall, absolutely delightful and delicious and will definitely enter my cake rotation.
Thank you for this recipe, it was PERFECT and so easy. This will definitely be in my regular rotation of dessert recipes. Such a perfect moist crumb on this cake – it must be the buttermilk!
I made this and it was so delicious! I love that it took very few pots/pans to make. The Dutch cocoa powder definitely made a difference in the richness of the cake. It was a big hit with friends, too. The frosting is phenomenal. It’s kept quite well in the fridge for a week.
Thank you for this recipe. It’s the perfect cake size for our family of 3. I just made it for our son’s birthday and if the batter is any indication this is one of the most delicious chocolate cakes I have ever eaten. I used golden brown sugar and non-Dutch cocoa powder because I had them on hand. The color of my baked cake is a lighter brown but the flavor is fantastic. Can’t wait to try the finished product.
That looks absolutely delicious!!!!
ps Rebecca @ DisplacedHousewife, i didn’t see your reply until now (i am excited for the eventual SK revamp that includes replies :)) but i have indeed learned that esp with a gas stove again i can leave the butter there when the stove is off and it gets to “room temp” perfectly! thanks!
Hi Deb,
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. 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)! Any idea if you can sub baking soda for Natron and baking powder for backpulver? are the measurements the same? apparently they don’t use baking soda here but then what? I cooked a lot back home and im getting nervous starting my cooking adventures here! Eek!
Oh my goodness! I’m sorry. That cannot be easy.
Baking soda is actually part of baking powder. You can make baking powder by using baking soda and an acid (usually, cream of tartar is used) at home. In terms of leavening power, 1 teaspoon baking powder is equivalent to 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. This isn’t what you asked, but it might help you understand what you’re looking for.
It sounds like Natron is indeed what baking soda is sold as in Germany. (See here.) And backpulver is baking powder. (It says it on this package.) I’ve read that German baking powder is single-acting while U.S. baking powder is double-acting, but I wouldn’t worry about it so much for this recipe. I think you’ll be just fine. Good luck!
Thank you for this simple and deliciously chocolaty recipe! I just baked it for my friend’s birthday and everybody loved it.
Made this cake last night. It’s not too sweet and the texture is incredible! Gonna save this one :)
As a 16 week pregnant lady myself right now, I have to commend you making a cake to satisfy your own cravings. You’re kind of my hero. I would have wanted and moaned until I managed to get my husband to remedy it – but your solution is way better.
Okay I now have a terrible problem. I made this cake and it was pretty much the best cake I have ever eaten. And then I had to tell my mother that it is better than “The” Family Recipe for chocolate cake. But now I want to make this cake again and again… I am in a chocolate cake loop. Please send help.
Lovely, Deb, thank you.
Made this yesterday and the cake was soft, dense, moist and delicious.
Baked for 30 mins.
A winner!
WOWWW!! This cake looks so delicious! This is something that a chocolate lover should try! Am i right? :)
Wow theses foods look so amazing!! The cake looked so good. My sister cooks a lot and makes good cakes. My favorite kind of cake is chocolate. I dont like a lot of icing on my cake. What is you favorite kind to eat? The cake is perfect size too, not to big. I think i am going to try to make it myself!!! Thank you for sharing the recipe!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi there!
I would love to make this for my daughter’s birthday….do I double the ingredients for 2 nine inch rounds? Same timing? Would I leave the recipes as is if doing cupcakes and adjust baking time? Thank you!
Melissa — Yes, double the ingredients, including the frosting if you’re looking to cover the sides as well. Baking time for cupcakes is less; I usually start checking at 15 minutes.
I wish I could post a picture of the cake I made from your recipe! I was brought to tears
I just made this last night. I doubled the recipe and baked it in a 9×13 for 40 minutes, came out perfect. 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. Fun at I don’t have Dutch cocoa so used standard and didn’t feel it was lacking all. The frosting is awesome as well! I really really loved this recipe.
Several typos in my comment, whoops! Simply meant to say I don’t have Dutch cocoa, so just used standard.
Is it wrong that I have that MUST HAVE CHOCOLATE CAKE feeling most nights and I’m not even remotely pregnant?! It’s a problem, I hear you loud and clear!
i don’t have rainbow sprinkles and am feeling a bit too lazy to run out and get them right now… would it be a terrible idea to finish this with some grey sea salt?
Just made this with my gluten free flour blend. I did increase to 1/2 tsp of baking soda because I used Hershey’s (not Dutch process), but kept a 1/4 tsp baking powder because it was GF flour. Turned out, really, really well. Fantastic recipe!!
My husband promised my kids dessert last night, and it was up to me to fulfill this promise. This cake was so easy to whip up and it made just enough. I frosted it with a chocolate Swiss butter-cream and fresh strawberries…I even dusted it it with confectioners sugar just to make it a little more beautiful. This is the perfect week-night treat.
Mmmm… yum. Delicious. I love the ratio of frosting to cake in this, and that it still manages to not be too sweet.
I definitely agree about the longer (25-35 min) cooking time, and I actually one bowl-ed the frosting somewhat successfully. (Used the metal bowl of my kitchen aid over a double boiler to melt the chocolate, then mixed the frosting in that. However, I think I should have creamed the butter and chocolate together before adding the powdered sugar. 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.
A question about the eggs. 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 have one of these babies in the oven right now, perhaps the 6th one in a month. (!!!) Just checking in now again because it always takes so much longer to bake. Thanks for the update! BTW, I often use buttermilk powder because it’s easier to keep on hand; it works very well. LOVE this cake!
I’m making this in 2 6″ layers for my mother’s birthday- can I freeze the layers ahead of time for a couple of days? If so, how would I defrost? Thanks!
Sally — Usually in the fridge for a day does the trick.
My cake dint rise too much i cooked in toaster oven.. Was that it??:(
So sad, but the frosting is the best i have ever tried and made so far
Thank you! Is this the type of cake that is great 2 days later? I’m thinking about making it on Friday to serve on Sunday am… Thanks!
This cake is EVERYTHING. I got back from work at 8pm without a plan for my husband’s birthday and managed to bake, cool, make a bodega run for confectioner’s sugar, decorate, make cacio e pepe, and open a bottle of wine within 90 minutes! FWIW, I first peeked at the cake at 20 min, then it took three more 3-minute timers till finished. Thanks, Deb!!!!!!
I made this cake for dinner at a family friend’s house – we needed something amazing and indulgent, but not overwhelmingly complicated or fussy (small children ((and adults)) are only willing to wait so long for dessert, after all). 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 — I’m not sure — how is the temperature control in your toaster?
Sally — Yes, it should be great two days later. Keep it in the fridge.
Thank you! Will report back on Sunday. Meanwhile, I’m also making Ovenly’s Chocolate Stout Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream – have you seen their cookbook? It’s wonderful. I made the same cake recipe with their dark chocolate salted pudding buttercream, and it was UNBELIEVABLE.
Deb, I love your recipes and we just made this cake – delicious!! For anyone who, like me, likes their frosting darker chocolate-y and less sweet, I melted an additional 1 oz of unsweetened baking chocolate and added that to the frosting. For me, I liked it better that way! But, what a lovely thing to have a perfect recipe to get to play with. Thank you!
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. It was GREAT! Rave reviews on the cake and the frosting from my wife and house guest! They agreed that the cake is more like a brownie in the best possible way. I will also add that the cake batter is delicious by itself so I enjoyed risking a bit of salmonella and licking my spatula during the clean up. I could easily see this being a go-to recipe for last minute parties – it’s fast, easy to make, and a definite crowd pleaser. Thanks!!
I love your best birthday cake with the chocolate sour cream frosting, but tonight I wanted chocolate cake, so I thought this was the appropriate recipe to try. :)
Wow. Now *that* is chocolate!
I agree. “Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting” would definitely be an understatement!
Regarding the time this can be kept: Since my 3-month-old is not ready for cake and my husband was away but I NEEDED to make this I worried it would go bad too soon on the counter (frosting) or get too stale (in the fridge). My solution was: I didn’t frost the cake after baking but kept the frosting in the fridge and the cake on the counter in cling film . 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. This also worked well when I took some to my parents house since it was easy to transport separately.
Maybe it’s not as pretty but it worked really well- maybe this is helpful to someone with the same dilemma.
Also, Deb, keep doing what you’re doing! I love how reliable your recipes are- I always know if I make something it will be really delicious and exactly as you describe it. (Me: Hmm this looks wrong..it’s all lumpy. *Turns to recipe for next step*
Deb: Don’t worry if it looks lumpy! Me: Wow, how did she know I would think this?)
P.S. I also really appreciate the conversions since I am in Germany!
This was DELICIOUS! Still delicious baked on Friday, refrigerated till Sunday am, served Sunday @ noon.
I made these a cupcakes tonight. Fabulous! The icing needed a bit more milk but other than that, perfection in a baking cup. I took 10 of them to the local fire department to prevent me and hubby from devouring all of them. Thank you!
Hey Deb. I’m making this for my friend’s birthday which is tomorrow so this is kind of urgent haha. Can I replace the dutch cocoa with natural cocoa?
There’s a note under the instructions about swapping the two types of cocoa, which I hope helps.
How did I even miss that! You think it might have anything to do with the 20 tabs of different chocolate cake recipes I have open on the computer? Sorry about that Deb. Thanks!
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!!! Best chocolate cake ever.
Hi, I am baking this for the second time now and there is no way for it to be done in 22 minutes. Is it my oven or did something get lost when transferring the Fahrenheit to Celsius degrees?Anyway. After a good 30 minutes it comes out DELICIOUS. :-))
Hi Deb! I have some too-ripe bananas hanging around, and I’d like to throw them into this recipe. Do you think it’d work? I have seen your recipe for Chocolate Banana Bread, but I just love this recipe (second time making it). Thoughts?
Kate — I haven’t done it, but if I were going to, my approach would be to replace the buttermilk with 3/4 cup mashed banana. Actually, I’d probably keep 1/4 cup buttermilk, just so the batter wasn’t too thick to work with. I.e. 3/4 cup banana + 1/4 cup buttermilk. Hope that helps — and works!
Okay, Deb. This is the third time I’ve made this cake since you posted this recipe. 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. Once it’s gone, your tastebuds will demand you bake it again as soon as possible why isn’t it cool enough to frost yet darn it I can wait I’m cutting a slice. In short: not safe.
Um, do not make this cake unless you plan to eat the whole thing. 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. So that doesn’t count, right?
Deb,
Two things: I haven’t read in awhile (not for any reason on your part, but like tv shows, I like to stock up on blog posts I love and then completely binge…I should not admit this unhealthy behaviour, but there it is) so, CONGRATULATIONS!! Baby # 2! Has it been six years? How is Jacob so grown up? I’ve been reading your blog since before he was born and have cooked my way through a lot of what you’ve written about. 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! Good lord, cake. It’s just about done baking, we’ve moved on to beers (I’m sorry, but a Belgian white ale pairs unbelievably well with the smell of chocolate cake) and I had to say thank you. It smells like heaven, and is exactly the kind of evening we needed. <3 <3 <3
Deb, your advice on raspberry buttercream was perfect. I could eat that on celery and be in heaven. xo
I had to chime in because I’ve now made this twice and it is delightful! I used gluten free flour (King Arthur general purpose is my favorite), subbed coconut oil for the butter and coconut milk with a little vinegar for the buttermilk (to make it dairy-free). I’m fairly new to gluten-free cooking, but learned a good trick to get rid of the sometimes gritty taste the baked goods can have: let the batter rest for 30 min before baking. It helps the flour soak up moisture and makes things much better! Thanks Deb!
Really love this recipe!!! I’ve made it twice in the last few weeks. The first time I doubled the recipe and baked it in a 9×13″ pan – baked for about 30 minutes. Turned out delicious! Then yesterday I made it again with mini 6″ cake rounds. The batter (just made a single batch this time) filled three 6″ rounds perfectly and baked for about 18 minutes. Thanks for sharing!
Yum to both the cake and the frosting! Thanks for a quick recipe for our math celebration!
Man, Deb I have made this cake about 5 times in the last two months. It is the PERFECT cake to take around to friend’s places when catching up with Game of Thrones (you know, in preparation for season 5!!), the perfect cake to whip up the night before you’ve decided to take cake to celebrate 2 years at your current job (woot!) & again the perfect cake to make again the next night when you’ve been asked to bake it for a friend.
I actually made the frosting last night with 70% Green & Blacks dark chocolate, and it actually came out almost savory! I couldn’t figure out what I’d done, but probably using an incing mixture instead of pure icing sugar, with the 70% dk choc, meant there wasn’t *quite* enough sugar to soften the edge of that very bittersweet chocolate. Made it with a plainer ‘dark’ baking chocolate tonight (OK OK it was Cadburys!!) and it’s better – still not as sweet as if I’d made it with chocolate chip melts or something like the Green & Black’s milk chocolate – and it looks smashing, once again! I may be making it (again) for our Faculty head’s birthday next week, as a quick “have cake!” morning tea – I’m thinking about using little DINOSAUR sprinkles as well as Stars (my usual go-to sprinkle) because they would just be too CUTE.
Ahem. Deb – I love this cake.
just made into cupcakes and I can’t stop licking my spatula. i love your blog thank you for posting & for all the inspirations!
Your chocolate cake is super and good in look and mouth watering.I am not having enuf time to do it.can i buy this cake any where in baker center.you can find more cake in this website : midnight cake delivery in hyderabad.
This was delicious, especially the frosting! (Isn’t that the whole point of cake anyway?). I only had bittersweet chocolate, but I made the frosting as written and it was perfect. The five-year-old said, as I was cutting, “make sure that I don’t just get a sliver!”
I just made this today and it is solid! Definitely needed the extra time, I was closer to the 35 minute mark than 25. 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.
I made this (in a Transformer-shaped silicone cake pan) for my son’s 6 year old birthday party last weekend. I am in Denver (5280 ft) and used this page as a guide for adjusting for high altitude http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipe/high-altitude-baking.html I added the extra flour and reduced the sugar like the page directs, but did not adjust the leavening. Worked perfectly!
I don’t think you will have time to respond to this question, but I am baking a beautiful cake for my baby who is turning one. How much batter should I make for two 10-inch pans? 2.5 times the recipe? 3 times?
Megan — 10-inch round or square? If round, to make 2 layers of an equivalent height, you’ll want to scale the recipe 250%. If square, 300 to 325%. However, keep in mind that this is a thin cake layer, a little under an inch. You might want to aim for three layers, or just make even more batter for two thicker ones. Happy baking.
best chocolate cake ever! had all the ingredients and i’m one happy MOM! Used a round pan and used homemade curd for buttermilk.
This is heaven and all my friends love me now.
Must try! Incidentally, this is only a couple of steps away from my go-to brownie recipe. No buttermilk or baking soda (and white sugar instead of brown) in the batter and less butter in the frosting.
Girl, you are speaking my language. This is the perfect size, too. Thank you eight thousand times. MOAR SPRINKLES.
This cake sounds heavenly and, well, just too darn cute. Sometimes I’m like Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when it comes to chocolate. 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. :). This cake looks like it fits the bill. Yummy!
I just made this using a homemade paleo mix of almond flour, arrowroot flour and coconut flour (in a 3:2:1 proportion – I did 300 gm almond flour, 200 gm arrowroot flour and 100 gm coconut flour to create the mix, then took the exact amount of flour in the recipe). I did use butter and sour cream in the recipe, so I guess it is primal, not paleo. But since I have been paleo for two years now, I find almond-flour baked goods much more fulfilling than wheat flour goods. So, anyway, my kids and I just made this using our 3:2:1 homemade mix and it is delicious! We’re probably not going to add frosting, as going paleo has made us really sensitive to sugar, so this cake by itself is sweet enough. Delicious!
My friend said the word ‘cake’ to me today and I could not get it out of my head. 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. I just frosted it and now half the cake has disappeared! I’m the only one here! Your cake defies all logic, physics, and natural laws of consumption. So delicious and absolutely the ultimate ‘I want cake’ recipe.
I so want this. But I am living in a country free of baking powder (Switzerland!). As soon as I hit home shores in Australia…. next year… I am making this chocolate cake.
Sophie — You can make your own baking powder.
I doubled this recipe using the weights instead of volume measurements and it turned out great. I made a double layer round train track cake fir my son’s birthday. He even drove the train around the tracks. I finished it with wilton buttercream frosting.
Thanx For Sharing this recipes. I made it and it was so yummy.Everyone loved this delicious peanut butter brownies with chocolate,your cake looks so wonderful, so yummy, and I will be making this again!
Such a great recipie, I’ve just topped off my finish cake and am pleased at how well it’s turned out! (The taste test tomorrow) simple and easy to follow recipie (im addicted to your Instagram too!)
deb, i made this frosting again last week (underneath i confess i made the hershey’s 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. OMG. this frosting is even *better* cold! it really cuts the sweetness and just has the most awesome texture – a solid lid to the cake but that still can be cut through, and so creamy. it actually reminds me of carvel frosting a little and i mean that in the best possible way. i did also back off on the sugar this time – i didn’t measure but i would guestimate about a cup vs 1.5 cups.
anyway, this is my go-to frosting recipe from now on!
Making a commenting account just to say this is now my favourite chocolate cake recipe. Seriously. And so many thanks for including metric measurements.
I’ve made this twice now and it’s definitely in rotation as a birthday cake cake. [kisses]
Just finished frosting the cake and I’d recommend adding the salt. The sugar is a bit much so the salt balances the sweetness a bit and enhances the chocolate flavor. Next time I won’t add as much sugar; I should’ve read the comments first, but live and learn! Also, I doubled the cake recipe to make a 13×9″ cake but did not double the frosting recipe; it covered it just fine.
i made this into cupcakes. they took about 18 minutes. i filled them about 3/4 full; next time i’ll do a little less as they spilled a tiny bit. i got 12 standard size cupcakes plus one bigger one, made in a custard cup. probably if i had filled them closer to 2/3 i could have gotten 16 altogether. anyway, the cake itself is delicious, tender, and easy.
Hypothetically, if you wake up early in the morning to make this cake for a co-worker celebration and, in a sleep deprived state, add two cups of flour instead of one–you can convert this recipe into chocolate cake cookies!
The dreamy frosting covers a multitude of floury sins…
So I made this yesterday, and it was delicious. It actually tasted like chocolate, unlike most bakery cakes that just taste ‘brown’. I have a question about the frosting. I followed the instructions and used exactly the type and amount of ingedients called for. It turned out rather thick, but spreadable, and so delicious. Then I put the cake in the fridge for 3 hrs until dinner, and when we had it for dessert the frosting had turned it ganache. Delicious, rich, ganache. But so thick that the cake’s moist crumb couldn’t hold up to it. Way thicker than any buttercream I’ve ever made before. Is this the nature of this recipe, due to the added solid chocolate, or did I perhaps mis-weigh my powdered sugar? Though it tasted sweet enough…
Also, someone posted back in February (timely response, I know) that their batter was runny. I may know why, because it happened to me. So you cream the butter & sugar, then add egg and the buttermilk. For me, this always ends with a liquidy batter with tiny capsules of butter/sugar floating, so I assume that’s the norm. 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. If you give the mixer 30 more seconds, suddenly the capsules break apart and the batter becomes thick, shiny, and more like the texture in the pictures. An inexperienced baker may appreciate a more precise explanation of just how mixed you were intending.
Love the looks and sounds of this cake! I’m going to make it for my kids fifth bday party. If i wanted to omit the chocolate from the frosting (as I’m picturing blue frosting for a deep sea themed cake) and added some blue colouring, Would that work okay do you think? Thanks!!!
Love the frosting. I used it for my daughters birthday cupcakes. Just enough for a big swirl on 12 cupcakes and even tastes good made vegan with earth balance buttery sticks. Must have been the chocolate.
DEB oh my gawd.
I would buy anything those swirls were trying to sell me. I had the great idea to make this today. Here I am, all alone in my studio apartment–with this damn scrumptious cake.
I will force feed it to my colleagues tomorrow.
xoxo, you are the best, as always.
This is what happens when I am craving chocolate cake, see THIS gorgeous cake, and want it NOW! I prepped all the ingredients for cake and frosting, got the butter, eggs and buttermilk at room temp…I’m 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! But after tasting the cake batter with the slightly tangy taste of buttermilk, I know it will be well worth it. The frosting is delicious too! Love the single layer recipe. Thank you!
Deb – Question about measuring. When you call for 3/4 of packed brown sugar (or 145g), if I am using a scale can I just dump the brown sugar until it reaches 145g? Any reason I need to pack it first and then weigh? Shouldn’t matter, right? Note: when I do pack it and weigh it, 145g actually comes to a little over 1/2 a cup of brown sugar. Any insight?
Allyson — No reason at all to pack before weighing; packing won’t affect weight. That said, measuring cup sets vary a little; they’re an imperfect measurement. For a cake like this, that’s flexible, you can use either what you get in volume (from your 1/2 cup) or weight (145 grams) and you’ll be fine.
Ok, so I just made this cake. I would say it is a great, deeply chocolatey cake. The only edit I would make is to halve the amount of frosting. The frosting was also too sweet for me and the kiddo, but my sister and brother-in-law didn’t think so.
Also, for the “buttermilk,” I mixed 1/2 cup black tea with 1/4 cup yogurt, and that worked really well.
Finally, this is my note to self–at 25 minutes the cake needed another few minutes, I left it in for 6 minutes, and that was too long, and maybe should have been 3 more minutes. It came out slightly dry. I think it was too close to the bottom heat source too. It should have been on the rack one level up. This is my sister’s oven, so I am just learning how it bakes.
Hi Deb.
I have been really successful in recreating this recipe( without a mixer too Infact). I was wondering if I can layer this cake with white chocolate raspberry filling and ice it with white chocolate ganache using the steps outlined here http://sweetnessandbite.com/2014/10/how-to-ganache-a-cake/. Would the cake be able to take the weight of the ganache? I am considering 8×8 two layers. I highly doubt it would stay out long after cutting it. So the question of saving it for later doesn’t even arise! ( thanks to the hereditary sweet tooth)
Thanks!
Re Sarah’s comment above (63),
My (Italian) mother also used to say that if a woman craved a certain food during pregnancy the baby might end up having a birthmark in the shape of that food. This is the first time I’ve heard someone else refer to this saying.
I just wanted to chime in and say this recipe is perfect for 1/2 birthday celebrations. I’ve put it in an 8 inch round, cut in half and created a half layer cake. I’ve also just made it as square. 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!
So I was making this cake and I was mixing in the dry ingredients and I thought ‘Wow this is a dry mix’ and I thought there is no way this is going to spread. So I added some whole milk until it was smooth enough to spread and then baked it for 25 minutes. It came out perfectly baked, not very risen. I made the frosting and smothered it all over the cake.
Moral of the story is: even if you forget the buttermilk, the cake isn’t half bad :)
I love everything I’ve made from your recipes – especially the rapini and pasta! I’m looking for a new chocolate frosting recipe for my son’s traditional birthday cake – 33 years of James Beard’s 1234 cake, made in three layers. This frosting, tripled, perhaps, looks perfect! This is my go-to site for recipes. Thanks so much!
Hi,
I am trying this right now but my cake is still chocolaty ( dippy ) from the middle. Is it supposed to be like that? The sides have cooked but the center hasn’t. The knife comes out with chocolate on it. I guess it isnt done. IT’s been in the oven now for a good 25 minutes.
Your response will be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Sneha
Sneha — If the knife isn’t batter-free (i.e. the wet stuff, not dry cake crumbs), it’s not done.
I made this cake for Christmas and it was extremely delicious. I mean EVERYONE commented on it. Many people had seconds. Thank you so much for this Christmas gift. It will be on the Christmas menu from now on.
Joining the gym after New Year’s so this is the week for this cake – again.
Love this website. Have visited this page many times, but thinking about making it for the first time for my roommate’s birthday! I noticed Mel’s comment, but was wondering if you have any ideas about making this frosting without a hand/ stand mixer. I do have a blender (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00Y2QHY02/ref=s9_top_hm_b3rSILn_g79_i13), might that help? Or should I be strong by hand?
Additionally, I have baking powder but not soda – might I somehow be able to work with one? I’m buying a bunch of things on a limited budget, and here in London it’s all unfortunately pricey and I’m trying to substitute with what I do have.
Would aquafaba work to replace eggs (vegan version)?
Pati — Sorry, I’m completely unfamiliar with this. I usually hear about substitutions with flax eggs, but nobody has mentioned doing so here yet in the comments.
Hi Deb! I’m sorry this will sound similar to a comment I posted on another recipe (marshmallow frosting), but how does this chocolate cake compare with the other chocolate cakes on your site, especially the ones in the double chocolate layer cake and the peanut butter chocolate cake? I love moist and really intensely chocolatey chocolate cakes . I’ve made the peanut butter one several times (with and without the frosting+ganache) and love how moist it is, although I do reduce the sugar quite a bit and almost double the cocoa powder.
I’ve often had more success with the oil-water chocolate cakes than with the butter-based ones (in general I mean; I haven’t tried your butter-based chocolate cakes). But I wonder if that’s more due to my mixing by hand than to inherent flaws in the recipes. (easier to mix oil batters by hand than to cream butter and sugar properly).
I’m sorry if all this compare and contrast reminds you of high-school essays (eek!) I guess it just shows what a vast repertoire of recipes you have and how easily searchable they are (kudos to the OCD indexing)… Or how obsessed I am with your cakes and breads (ahem) :D
Thanks a lot !
Aisha — It’s a totally fair question. I’ll 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 haven’t made another chocolate layer cake. The Double Chocolate Layer Cake is amazing, as is the Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake’s cake layers (although I prefer the Double Layer) but this just wins. It’s basically one-bowl and has astoundingly good chocolate flavor (especially with good cocoa powder) for something almost comically simple that I can pull off even with, say, a 4 week old in a Bjorn. The Double Chocolate probably is more chocolaty, but I hardly notice.
Sweet Jesus this cake is so good that I have died and gone to chocolate heaven. I made this while snowed in during the blizzard and I’ve been sneaking bites throughout the day, I just cannot stop eating it. How this the cake so fudgy and the icing so irresistibly fluffy? This is getting pawned off on my coworkers as soon as my office reopens because I can’t take it anymore.
Writing with another substitution! 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. Instead, I used almond milk (since that’s what was in my fridge). I heeded the note about acidity required to wake up the baking soda, and so also added a splash of white vinegar. The results were excellent.
Made this tonight! So so so good! The frosting is sweet and pairs very nicely with the not overly sweet moist light cake! My daughters licked the frosting bowl clean! Really this is so good! Thanks Deb!
My frosting turned out chunky (fortunately the rainbow sprinkles hide it!). I sifted the sugar and the butter had softened all day. Any thoughts?? Thanks!! Even with chunky frosting it’s still delicious and I may or may not be having a piece with my morning tea :)
Nina — Not sure… was the melted chocolate cooled? What do the chunks seem… composed of, does it seem like sugar or chocolate? Hope to help.
I just tasted one of the chunks (for research, clearly, not as an excuse to have cake for breakfast ;) ) and it’s sugar!! The melted chocolate had cooled a little but was not chunky when I poured it in. Not sure what else I could do if I sifted the sugar and it was still chunky! Thanks for responding! I feel like I’m talking to a celebrity!!
Thanks a lot Deb! I guess I’ll just have to give this cake a go at the next family birthday (which, thankfully, is in barely two weeks). What a difficult choice ! :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. The directions mention this can be made as 12 cupcakes. Does the baking time need to be adjusted? And do I need to butter the inside of each paper cupcake wrapper or should I butter the actual cupcake tin and then place the paper cupcake wrapper inside that?
Elaina — Baking time for cupcakes is less; I usually start checking at 15 minutes. No need to butter the inside or outside of cupcake liners.
My 8yo made this today. So easy and so quick (was supervising 10yo’s homework as well). So delicious. And not too huge so we didn’t get sick of it. Made with a shot of espresso (double strength). Beautiful cake, thank you!
Dear Deb,
Just wondering if you’d any tips on scaling this cake to fit a 15cm tin as used for your ‘Tiny but intense chocolate cake’? In thinking about cutting and layering..? Thank you!
Megan — You could halve this in a 6-inch round. 8-inch squares and 9-inch rounds have roughly the same bottom area, and roughly double that of a 6-inch round.
Love love love it! I bought a bundt cake pan (9/10 inch I think…), how can this recipe work with the pan?!?! :)
Brill. Thanks a million!
Just made this today. Wonderful cake!!! I don’t 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). Great cake for V-day!! Two thumbs up.
I made this again using dutched cocoa and even a friend who doesn’t like chocolate cake (yeah, I know, right?!!) had seconds.
Deb,
I am looking for a chocolate cake to make with raspberry filling, because your double chocolate layer cake has inspired me. I’m nervous about its moist crumbliness, though, and would prefer frosting to ganache. Would you suggest this cake or the fudgy chocolate sheet cake as the cake substitute?
Thanks!
Deb,
I’ve been reading that one shouldn’t 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. First time I made this cake (huge success, by the way) I used natural because that’s all I had. I just bought Dutch process thinking, “I don’t know how this cake could be any better, but I’m in!” to make a rerun on Sunday. Then I saw an article with the above watch-out.
What say you, Guru of the Kitchen? What shall I do?
Pamela — I mention concerns about Dutched cocoa under the recipe. Dutch-process cocoa (the standard in European brands) differs from natural cocoa (what you have if your cocoa isn’t labeled Dutch, or if it’s an American brand) in that its acidity has been neutralized to form a darker, nuttier cocoa that I prefer. Because baking soda (not baking powder, which has cream of tartar as an acid) needs an acidic ingredient to “activate” it, there is some concern that the using Dutched cocoa in a recipe only leavened by baking soda will be a problem. It rarely is in my experience, often because there are other acidic ingredients in the mix (here, buttermilk, even eggs, brown and white sugar are slightly so).
Deb, would this frosting make enough for two stacked round cake layers, if you’re someone who prefers a thin layer of the stuff? It looks amazing, so I’d love to use it for a marbled birthday cake.
Deb- Thx for the speedy reply. After noodling for a day, I decided that the acid present in the buttermilk must be enough to do the job. I have a fave friend who doesn’t make a baking move without you. I asked if she trusted you enough to plow through and make as directed. Her answer was an unequivocal, “Yes!” Thanks again. This cake is a delight.
Update: went ahead and tried it anyways – it was definitely enough for the “naked cake” look, ie just inside and on top! (I don’t like super sweet cakes, so I often leave the sides unfrosted.)
I was so tired and grumpy, the kids were fighting, and hubby was exercising his birthday right to take the day off. We were at the cabin so this was going to be a hand-mixer + $5 ikea-cake-pan-smeared-with-whole-cow-of-butter kind of a job. I followed the instructions exactly and the cake turned out beautifully. The icing was fluffy goodness – perfectly spreadable, delightfully lickable. Hubby blew the candles out, served it up, we started eating, and nobody said a word. With every bite the grumpiness and stress and bickering melted away. This was the cake that saved the weekend. This cake rivals the chocolate cakes from the best bakeries in town. And to top it off, hubby, the pickiest cake eater I know, who rarely finishes a slice, had seconds.
Can you tell me what size is your strainer in the picture? Is it a 3″ or a 5″? The cone shape one? I would like to order it. Thank you
Looks absolutely heavenly, making it today!!
I adore this cake and make it (or one of its differently sized cousins) constantly (and will be making it tomorrow for a bake sale on Friday!) How well do you think it would hold up in a totally round pan (like the Wilton Sports Ball pan)? I ordered one for an upcoming birthday party cake, and the instructions say to use a dense cake such as a pound cake. I’m thinking if I work with it while frozen all will be fine….any thoughts? Thank you!
Emily — I’m not sure how well this holds a clear shape (you might use the Chocolate Butter Cake here, for more of a pound cake effect) but this would be otherwise just find in a round pan.
Wow. This is the fudgiest, most delicious chocolate cake I’ve ever experienced. I used to think all chocolate cakes were either boring, dull, and dry, or so dense and moist that they couldn’t actually be called cake. This one is almost brownie-like (especially on day 2) but definitely still cakey and has a great chocolate flavor. I used natural cocoa and it worked just fine, and doubled the recipe to make 24 cupcakes (they took somewhere aroudn 25 minutes to bake for me, but I would advise anyone trying this to start checking on them as early as 17-18 minutes). Thanks again, Deb!
Hi! I just made this on Friday after hearing about it on Call Your Girlfriend. I made it with wine, and it’s a big hit (the leftovers–since I made the 9×13 and served it after a huge meal are being consumed at work now). Quick question: my cocoa is not lumpy at all. I didn’t use a sifter, but I did mix dry ingredients sperately. Did I need to do that? Could I have just put everything in with the previously mixed mixture?
THanks!
WrittenPyramids — Glad it was a hit. No need to sift if you cocoa isn’t lumpy; I think the brand I use just fairly consistently is.
Thanks. Do I still need to mix dry ingredients separately first?
WrittenPyramids — No, not necessary.
Deb, seriously why do ever try another cake recipe that isn’t from your site? For the last 4-5 years I’ve been making one of your celebration cakes for my birthday cakes my two fav being the crepe hazelnut and the chocolate peanutbutter cheesecake. Yum! I thought I’d try a different blog’s cake this year, dumbest idea ever! Im a good baker, I know how to read a recipe and I use a scale. My first cake turned out to be a lumpy unappetizing scraggly mess as it’s to be my bday cake I had to make another as immediately turned to this one. Thanks for having such well written and scrumptious recipes that end up being perfection every time. Seriously, thank you
I think I may have already written a comment on this recipe, but I have to write one again–this cake is magic! I’m currently 40.5 weeks pregnant, I’ve eaten my box of half-off Easter truffles already, but I wanted, needed a chocolate fix! Instead of digging into my husband’s chocolate box (he has so much self-restraint!), I decided to make this cake instead! Perfection! Also, the “when you make a cake, they will come” rule totally applies to this cake. Every time I’vve made it, I’ve been invited somewhere, including in the middle of making the frosting for this one! No one will know that there are a few pieces missing, right? :)
If I wanted to use this frosting for a 9 inch double layer round cake, would you just double it or do 2 1/2 times? It’s amazing on this cake and thinking of using for other chocolate cakes or yellow cake. And just want to confirm it’s fine for the frosted cake to stay room temp for a couple days?
Thank you very much on the fantastic recipe! I need chocolate cake…NOW!!
Thank you!
I’ve made this multiple times before and it’s my definitely my go-to chocolate cake – but I want to make it tomorrow for my birthday and I don’t have any unsweetened chocolate. How much should I decrease the sugar if I use the semisweet chocolate I have? Or should I just give in and go to the store? :P (Obviously I understand if you don’t answer this by the time I make the cake, haha, but thought it’d be worth asking.)
Hi, I plan to give this cake a whirl for an upcoming family birthday for 3 chocoholics. Do you think I could add 1/4 cup cocoa powder and decrease the powdered sugar to 1 cup in the frosting? They die for chocolate but don’t care for overly sweet frosting. I know powdered sugar affects the structure, so I wasn’t sure if this would work.
Brisa — I haven’t tried it but I feel like this recipe should be okay with the adjustment. Do let us know how it goes, if you can.
Hi Deb – I tried decreasing the sugar to 1 cup and replacing it with 1/4 cup cocoa. It worked, and the toddlers had no problem with it. But I found it to have a slightly grainy texture. I’ll try it again without the modification. Thanks!
Should the butter quantity for the frosting be 1/2 cup or 4 oz?
Kate — They’re the same, so either!
Whoops my mistake
Finally made this cake for my mother-in-law’s birthday last weekend. It will now be my go-to recipe when chocolate cake is called for. So tummy and satisfying. And I think the frosting recipe is one of the best I’ve ever made. And so easy in the food processor – a first for me! Thanks Deb!!
Every bit as wonderful as I imagined. Used Dutched cocoa – I keep it on hand because I love the deep color and flavor. I used a full fat cream-on-top plain yogurt from Trader Joe’s in lieu of buttermilk. So good! Perfect size cake for two people. Thanks!
This looks amazing! I am allergic to dairy – what substitute do you recommend for the buttermilk?
I added a little vinegar to some oatmilk to make a dairy free “buttermilk” and it worked out well.
And why I don’t have half of these ingredients in the house, RIGHT NOW, I do not know. I do know that I want this cake RIGHT NOW!
Holy stinkin’ cow this cake is GOOD! I made it as written with the exception of reducing the sugar in the frosting by a smidge. I was worried that it would be dry as most of the cakes that I make from scratch are, but it isn’t at all. This recipe is a keeper! Thank you so much for sharing!!!
having major third trimester chocoholic cravings and this is on the agenda for tonight…hopefully this won’t derail my glucose test next week (pray for me!!!! I’m terrified of failing the first test and having to take the dreaded 24 hr one)
Made this cake this afternoon when an intense craving for chocolate cake with chocolate frosting hit. The cake turned out very moist, really delicious. It is good to note that dried butter milk plus water works in this recipe. Sometimes that mixture is too thin, but in this case, it was fine. I riffed off your frosting to make rocky road frosting by adding mini marshmallows and chopped toasted pecans. I used cocoa in the frosting instead of chocolate because that is what I had (had to add more milk to compensate) and it turned out to be just what I was hoping for. Your cake saved the day! Thanks!
This was just what I was looking for. So rich, moist and CHOCOLATEY!
Great recipe, easy to make.
Definitely going into the rotation.
Thank you!
I switched buttermilk for mascarpone (I had the latter in the fridge, but no buttermilk which is surprisingly difficult to get here in the UK). Cake has come out perfectly. Lucky husband will be having it for his birthday celebrations after work!
My boys and I made this tonight. It was great. So moist and chocolatey. I thought that there would be too much frosting, but no! I went to 6 stores in my neighborhood and couldn’t find sprinkles. We used m&m’s instead. This will replace the chocolate cake from the I Hate to Cook Book as my go-to chocolate cake. Thank you!
Thank you for this recipe, I made the cake last night subbing in slightly thinned soya yoghurt for the buttermilk and sunflower spread for the butter as my daughter is lactose intolerant, and it worked beautifully! (I may have had a slice for breakfast, it has yoghurt in it so it’s practically a health food, right?)
I didn’t use this frosting as I had some swiss meringue buttercream left over from a previous baking session, but am looking forward to using this frosting recipe in the future :-)
Oh, I also added a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste because over the years I’ve come to believe that a touch of good quality vanilla rounds out a good deep chocolate kick nicely – doesn’t unduly soften it or dilute it, just smooths it a tad.
Love your site – your writing, approach and photography are all just superb, and I appreciate your sense of humour and real-life tips.
Very best wishes from the UK, Jo :-)
P.S. your salted peanut butter cookies won me a baking competition at work last month, so I thank you for that too :-D
P.P.S I have the rainbow confetti sprinkles on order as I write because, well, rainbow confetti sprinkles….!
I made this twice for 2 dozen cupcakes…after making the 1st dozen and seeing how DELICIOUS they are, there’s no way 1 dozen would be enough!! This will make a great ongoing cake recipe…you’d better believe it’s favorited. SO GOOD.
The cupcakes baked for 17 minutes to perfection…SO GOOD.
Thank you for posting the time you cooked the cupcakes! I was going to guess at it but you have saved me a bit of worry.
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. So yummy! Your cake recipe is divine. Thank you! My hubby loved it for his decadent 🎂 birthday surprise!
I just made this cake and it’s amazing. I can’t believe how quickly and easy it was. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
This looked insanely good when I saw it first and didn’t disappoint in the least when I made it. The first two attempts were as the recipe said, the third with replacing 1/2C of buttermilk with coffee. I found that the coffee version took slightly longer in my oven, but produced the most delicious moistness. The last two times I made only half the frosting, which still gave the same effect as the photos did. In short, this is EXACTLY the cake I need when the chocolate cake craving hits :-). Thank you Deb.
I have a question about the amount of sugar. You may have answered this elsewhere, but I can’t seem to find it. How much sugar can I reduce in this cake? 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. Not sweet-sweet, as in my younger kid will eat it, but I would like a lesser amount to suit adult (our) tastes.
In most recipes, you can reduce it by 25% without changing a whole lot. However, it can lead to structural issues with a frosting like this (mostly just softer) and because sugar provides moisture in cakes, removing too much will make it seem dry.
can I use just one egg, instead of 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk?
It’s not the same but it probably won’t destroy the cake or anything.
My almost perfect holiday baking season…This cake is lovely & easy to make & bake & eat. I used a whisk to mix the not really lumpy cocoa. I doubled the recipe & used a glass 9X13 dish. Higher in the middle tho I thought I evenly spread it. Great texture! I weighed & added the ingredients for the frosting. Nope, way too dry so I added an extra Tablespoon or so of heavy cream. Turns out, the 41 grams of butter I used was from the cake recipe instead of the needed 115 grams. Oops! I adjusted to the 115 g of butter without adjusting for the extra heavy cream. Too late. Too thin. The added T. of cocoa and 1/2 t. instant espresso granules, didn’t help. I turned to google and opted to add shredded [unsweetened] coconut 1 T at a time, probably going over by a 1/2 to a T. The frosting was good but a bit stiff. I cut the 9×13 into 4 pieces, frosted 3 pieces with only minimal fighting. Put all in the freezer to flash freeze and called it a night. I really wanted that light & fluffy frosting. Sigh. No one will know except us. Note to self: Keep cake ingredients and directions separate from frosting info.
I have made this several times and absolutely love it! The perfect chocolate cake. I’d like to make it as four tiered round layer cake for my daughter’s first birthday but unsure how to adapt the quantities in recipe. What would you suggest? Thank you so much.
It can be a 9-inch round with no changes. I think you could go as far as to triple this but as quadrupled, it would be crazy tall. Better to make triple the batter and divide it between 4 pans.
Brilliant, thank you!
I need to make a nice tall chocolate cake for my daughter’s birthday this weekend. How did you stacked cake turn out? I’m torn b/w this recipe and the “Homemade Devil Dog” SK recipe.
I made this in two 6″ rounds and it was a perfect little layer cake. It baked in 20-25 minutes. Delicious and not too sweet. Thanks!
Yay! I was hoping someone had made it in 6” rounds and had figured out the number of pans! Thank you for posting!
Thank you so much for reminding me of this wonderful cake – just in time for my brother’s birthday tomorrow!!
I can’t see the notes regarding the buttermilk options…. someone point me in the right direction!
I was skeptical that such a simple recipe could produce such an amazing cake BUT IT DID. I switched out the AP flour for a gluten free flour mix and it turned out very well.
I just made this with gluten free 1:1 replacement flour for a friend for her birthday and it was so good and so moist.
I did cut the sugar and butter by about 20% (and replaced it with apple sauce), and it still turned out great!
Thank you!
I’ve doubled the recipe and it’s currently in the oven in a 9×13. You mention that the frosting is generous for an 8×8, but is it enough to cover a 9×13 (to satisfaction)? Should I 1.5x the frosting recipe? I don’t want to make too much…
I 1.5x’d the frosting for a 9×13 and was happy with the coverage.
Hi Deb, love your blog and it is my go to for everything cooking-related. My question: my daughter wants a chocolate-strawberry cake for her birthday. I thought of making two 9″ cakes using this recipe, filling with vanilla whipped cream and cubed strawberries and topping with chocolate ganache. Would that work? Should I just make one 9″ cake and cut into two, or just go with a different recipe altogether? I looked at your “lighter than air” cake, but 4 layers is too intimidating for me… Thanks!
I think that sounds delicious. I recently tested this doubled in one cake pan — it works but it will go over the top a bit which can be unnerving. It works just fine, though, and then you can split the layer and fill it. 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. But fresh sounds lovely too.
This cake was outstanding! I always love your recipes.
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 a hit!
I like this site; I generally like or want to try the recipes. I’m curious, though, is there no formatting to just see the recipe for printing or just to simplify viewing while trying to make. It’s a very busy page, even with my ad blocker, so it’d be nice if you could put up a “Print Recipe” link or some other manner to make it more legible.
I used this recipe to make my brothers wedding cake. The cake never fails and is always a huge hit. I made it today for a cast party for a community theatre – again, accolades from the crowd. It’s nearly a brownie, but not quite.
This chocolate buttercream is the best ever. It’s so rich and silky smooth – I wanted to just forget the cake and eat the icing.
Thanks for a perfect chocolate cake recipe!
I made this using the yogurt substitute and it was so incredibly moist. I actually had to be super careful plating it to frost. Also, I used a lightly sweetened cream cheese frosting and it was amazing together. (Also a ridiculous amount of red dye and a little fondant because we used a 9″ circular pan and made Elmo.)
How could you switch the cake to a vanilla cake?
I’d use flour or cornstarch instead of cocoa (or half of each) and white instead of brown sugar. It works but it’s better with an additional yolk if you want more of a golden cake.
Perfect. Will try tonight. Thank you!!!
Congrats you just made brownies…….. really? don’t quit your day job
You really should regulate your comments…. Or have them page by page.
1/16th of the scrolling is comments…
Sminkey, I hope your day got better.
This is one of the best cakes I have made in a long time. Both the cake and frosting are delicious, and are relatively simple to make with basic ingredients. I don’t normally make cakes with frosting because it’s that much more of a time commitment, plus you normally end up with a ton of cake and it’s just my husband and me at our house. So the amount was great for us, but obviously you could also double it if you wanted.
I didn’t originally have dutch cocoa powder and thought about using natural, but ended up re-stocking my dutch cocoa and i’m glad I did. The dark chocolate color in the cake is great. I also included the pinch of salt in the frosting – highly recommend.
I made this for my daughter’s 4th birthday and it was awesome. 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 ended up being about 2.5 inches tall, which was the perfect height for a small birthday cake. 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. I look forward to trying it again with regular Dutch process cocoa. The frosting was incredibly simple and so, so much better than store-bought frosting. This is definitely my go-to chocolate cake.
Would it be possible to switch the frosting to vanilla?
Sorry so late to respond to this comment; no reason you cannot. For vanilla, I prefer 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar and a full teaspoon of vanilla extract.
i made this.
the cake was *very* thin, so i cut it in half and stacked it to create a small layer cake.
that said, flavor was good. it’s very hot here today so unfortunately i had to refrigerate it, much to the detriment of the cake.
deb says to eat it pretty much right away, and i agree. even a day later (made it on day one, frosted it day two) it was starting to dry out.
This is a seriously good cake. I made it on Saturday with my 5 year old and it was a huge success among adults and kids alike. As soon as my daughter took a bite she said “Mom, can we make this cake again?” The only change we made was using regular non-Dutch cocoa because that is what we had on hand– not sure how it changed the flavor because I have only had it this way, which was excellent. Also, I have to say we had a slice last night and my husband remarked that it may even be better the second day. It’s hot and humid where I live so maybe the weather helped. Anyway, DELICIOUS and for sure my new go-to one bowl, easy-as-can-be, need it now chocolate cake. Thanks for this great recipe.
Delicious!! I baked for exactly 22 minutes in two little pans. Really happy to find a chocolate cake recipe thats not overwhelmed by so much sugar. This is kind of like a cross between a brownie and chocolate cake, but not like a cakey brownie, if that makes sense. I love the buttermilk and richness from the egg yolk.
Looks great. If I want to make mini cupcakes, how long do I bake these for? Also I need the cupcakes to rise above and not be flat — will these rise? Thanks so much!
Hi, I just wanted to know if I could substitute the dark brown sugar (I only have light brown muscavado sugar, demarara sugar, or granulated sugar). Thank you…it looks so good though!
I’m making this now for my little girl’s second birthday. The batter tastes amazing!
Monday was my birthday. My fiance was going to bake me a cake but he came down with an awful migraine and so I figured I’d make this cake and top it with whipped cream and cherries, for an easy but pretty dessert for the dinner we were hosting.
I’ve used your recipes before- that very morning, I’d used your recipe for latkes (which reminded me of my childhood in Germany- perfect texture, thank you.), and had complete faith in the recipe.
First, the butter wouldn’t cream with the sugars {it’s pretty cold here at the moment, and room temperature was well below what it should have been.)
Then it turned out my square pan was missing (we moved recently). As was my springform.
The only thing available to me that was vaguely cake-sized and shaped was a glass pie dish. So in the batter went, and crossed the fingers were.
Guests arrived and I had to stir the risotto and I forgot all about the cake until almost 40 minutes in. It came out and was amazingly not burnt (I suspect my oven is a bit underpowered.)
After dinner, I whipped some cream, tossed some drained pitted cherries over it, and…
It was incredible. Even my pregnancy-addled, not-right-tin-having self didn’t mess it up.
Thank you for a spectacular cake. (I still have a slice left and am having it tonight, in defiance of the “only eat food that was cooked less than 24 hours ago” rule.)
I’ve 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. He and I made it this morning and it is so delicious, even my “cake is meh” husband is a fan. Thank you SO much for this recipe! Just enough cake, not too much, and so simple. I see many, many of these as birthday cakes in my son’s future.
I’ve made this recipe so many times- just wanted to share that it makes perfect cupcakes too!
If I double the recipe and make it a 9 by 13 pan,do I need to increase cooking time? Thank you.
This is so great. Many a night comes were I want chocolate cake, bake one, eat a piece and wonder “what the heck am I gonna do with the rest?” This snack cake is the perfect size. Thank you!
I made this today, in response to a request for chocolate cake from hubby. Normally I cook in vast quantities (no idea why, it’s just me and hubby…maybe I was the mother of 8 in a past life?) but this cake is such a nice size, with a good frosting-to-cake ratio. And it is not smack-upside-the-head sweet. Thank you!
Could I sub cake flour for ap flour? Also can you recommend a baking pan for this cake?
Yes, but it is not needed to make this cake tender/plush. I’m using a Williams-Sonoma Gold Touch 8×8 here. It’s held up great over the years.
I tried it and it turned out superbly.I’m going to tell just about everyone about your recipe,it’s too easy and decadent not to.
Woke up this morning, realized it’s our 8 year wedding anniversary and I didn’t have a card, or more importantly, a celebratory dessert. Whipped this up during nap time, adding a handful of chocolate chips to the batter. It was DELICIOUS! My hubs and I are chocoholics and this cake definitely is a winner. 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. This icing, which we used for our son’s birthday cake, is my favorite. I made this into one round 8″ cake. My husband cut us each 2 small pieces and then stacked them on top of each other for a “double layer” piece of cake. Ha! A happy anniversary, indeed! :)
Loved this! I used the old lemon juice+milk trick as a buttermilk substitute and it came out great. Took more like 42 minutes to cook all the way and I was worried it was going to be dry but ended up still very moist! Everyone raved about it. I’ll definitely have to make it again.
Love your strawberry cake, so I was excited to try this one. The batter was pretty salty with 1/2 teaspoon table salt. In the recipe it states that 1/2 teaspoon sea salt is equivalent to 1/2 teaspoon table salt. Is it true that 1/2 teaspoon sea salt has about 1/2 the sodium of table salt? I wasn’t sure. We’ll see if the cake it too salty or not.
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt — mine clocks in at 5 grams vs. the 6 grams of table salt. (I use this brand.) How did it taste in the end? The batter is a touch saltier but I like that in a layer against such a sweet frosting.
Can I bake this cake 24 hours in advance or does it need to be made and eaten same day? No one wants a dry cake!
I frosted my cake and then covered it well with plastic and it was GREAT the next day. It’s a very moist cake and keeps well (if you hide it hahahaha)
It will be great on the second day. You can keep it at room temperature if you’d like.
My son requested graham crackers with frosting for his lunch box treats this week, so I made a half batch of this frosting in my little mini-processor and it was the perfect amount. I so love the frosting recipe!! It’s my favorite buttercream. (The cake is good too, don’t get me wrong.) I may have made a few frosting graham sandwiches for myself along the way…
Made this twice! And it’s beginning to be like my cure-all for days I’m in a sour mood. And I really really love the frosting.
I plan to make this for a birthday party, and do a double layer 9×13. I’ll quadruple the recipe (think I have that right!). Do you recommend baking the cakes one at a time, or can I put two 9x13s in the oven together? Might just need more time? Thanks!
Hey Deb, should it make any difference if I substitute black (extra dutched) cocoa in the cake? I’m going for an Oreo vibe.
For an Oreo vibe, you can do a full swap with black cocoa or even a half-swap (half regular cocoa) because it’s so intense, little is needed to “Oreo” (like, as a verb) a whole cake.
This cake worked WONDERFULLY! (and tastes great)
It’s moist and rich, but not too sweet – I may just have some for breakfast tomorrow!
All of your chocolate cakes look delicious and I can’t decide which recipe to use! I’m making a double layer cake for my daughters birthday with 8 inch rounds. What do you suggest?
This is the easiest; it’s quite chocolaty, a little fudgy, not firm but holds together well. This is a longtime favorite; it’s fluffy in an old-school way. It’s a little stressful to work with because it’s so soft (I always pop the rounds right into the freezer so they’re easier to lift) but it is always a hit.
I’m planning to make this into cupcakes for a birthday party, but I’ll need to make at least 4 dozen, and have only one pan. Do you think it’s OK to double the recipe, and let half the batter sit while the first dozen cupcakes bake?
Letting the batter sit hasn’t been a problem for me. You’ll want to make 4x this recipe; it makes 1 dozen.
I’ve made this version and the red wine version and both are moist and perfectly chocolatey delightfully eat-em-up good! Your recipes are always right up my alley and your write-ups are like notes from a friend. Thank you!
How many servings approximately? I’m making for a party and don’t want to not have enough!
If small squares, 16. If larger squares, 9 to 12. If round, 8.
I made this recipe into cupcakes, doubled, 3 times today. It’s a winner. The first time, I left out half the flour, so the cupcakes aren’t very cake-y, but they are delicious (and there are few sins frosting won’t hide). I used KAF Triple Cocoa Blend, which worked well. As a non-cake baker, I really appreciate a recipe that will be easy, and delicious, no matter how hard I try to mess it up.
This is my go to recipe for weekend baking with my kids. They love it and I love that it’s simple and doesn’t leave me with heaps of dishes! Thank you for the recipe :D
This looks so good. I want cake now!
Okay so I made the cake but admittingly haven’t tried it yet. Was too impatient to leave this review.
If anyone is like me and has a Costco sized version of coconut oil they’re all too eager to use (vs expensive organic butter), use coconut oil! The frosting came out awesome. Not coconutty tasting at all. Seriously good. I used a bit less coconut oil (maybe a big 1/3 cup) and it was perfect. I go through a lot of butter — I love baking and cooking — and it’s expensive so whenever I can take a shortcut I will. Coconut oil works great here so I hope this helps someone else in the making.
Hi. I think you might mean 185 grams of butter rather than 85g?
Baking this cake in NZ and looking forward to eating it tonight.
Just made these as my son (5), was keen to make cupcakes today. They are incredible! We used the Hershey’s special dark cocoa and 6 large muffin wells came out perfectly in 18 minutes. Thank you!
Hi Deb! Happy Holidays! 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?
Thanks!
I tried to make this cake, but the batter curdled when I added the thinned yogurt
.. is that normal?
Hi! I know someone have asked about multiplying this recipe,
but how much should I multiply the recipe to make a three layer cake?
For a 4 tiered cake, says triple the recipe but what about when
a simple three layered birthday cake?
It’s as 8″ spring form pan by the way.
Thanks!
Delicious cake, have yet to be let down by anything smitten kitchen yet honestly.
However, just a small critique, the instructions re: eggs is very confusing and actually ended up leaving me short. While it did turn out for all intensive purposes just fine, I had separated one egg, added the yolk as instructed and was then left very confused on why I’d separated them as the whites were never mentioned.
I only realized the mistake after another comment about having the recipe add an additional yolk! *head smack*
It’s “for all intents and purposes.”
“Intensive purposes” are not a thing.
What do you think of powdered buttermilk? Is it the same as far as acidity as regular buttermilk? I know it tastes quite different.
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. I tend to use double what is recommended of the powder, due to the mildness.
Thanks for your response! I just popped by as many bloggers don’t respond to questions. This is what makes you, YOU!! Yes, will double the powder. Last time, (for another recipe) I accidentally mixed the powder with whole milk and it tasted great.
Looks amazing! Thoughts on a little white vinegar in regular milk to “make” buttermilk?
Works just fine here.
I made this cake tonight for my daughter’s 3rd birthday and it came out PERFECTLY. I baked it in a 8″ square glass pan for 25 minutes. I didn’t have dutch-processed cocoa on hand, but regular cocoa powder worked just as well, I’d venture to say! Thanks for the spot-on recipe and the best chocolate cake I’ve eaten in a long time.
Can I halve this recipe to fit a round six inch cake pan?
Yes.
This is a delicious, fast chocolate cake! I’ve made it many times and it’s definitely become a family favorite.
kind of dry. dissappointed!
Love this recipe as my go-to birthday cake. My daughter wants cupcakes this year, how long do you recommend baking for as cupcakes?
Standard cupcakes usually bake 16 to 18 minutes, but check in a minute or two early to be safe.
I have had this recipes saved for YEARS and finally made it. Every year I make my kids half a cake for their half birthday and this made a PERFECT half double layer cake. Total score, thank you!
This was so good. I Made thr cake w/out the frosting. I made it in a regular cupcake pan. Aprx. 14 cupcakes. This was so good. I love the rich chocolate flavor.
Hi Deb. Making the coconut cake from your second book, which, like this, has one egg + one yolk. For doubling the recipe, do you think three eggs or that two whole eggs + two yolks will be much better? Thanks!
You can almost definitely use 3 eggs, but use 2 whole and 2 yolks if you want it extra-rich.
Is there a cream cheese frosting that you would recommend, to go with this cake? Want to make this for my husband’s birthday and he is a big fan of cream cheese frosting! Thanks in advance!
Deb does it again!!! 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!!!! I found it on the website and then also in her second cookbook – so I figured it was a winner from the get go. I read a comment on how to get the swirls and Debs guidance was spot on!!! Thanks Deb!!!
Deb, I am a fan of Smitten Kitchen and have your newest cookbook. I have enjoyed the recipes although my husband and I find them quite fussy (we find your title misleading). I was convinced by your cake spiel that I, a novice baker, too could make a cake but have been let down twice. I made the spice cake with banana and found it tasteless, is that normal? I tried to make this one today and it burnt to a crisp, even with my oven at the right temperature. I don’t have an oven thermometer, but is there anything else other than my oven being too hot that could have caused it to go so wrong?
Thank you for your recipes, despite being fussy, they have (for the most part) been delicious.
Burnt to a crisp: Did you use the longest baking time? If you did, always start with the lower baking time and increase as needed. Start with 25 mins, then check every couple of mins, depending on the done-ness of your cake. Check your oven settings too! Make sure you use the “bake” setting, not the broil setting (I did that once when I was a kid!) Are you at high altitude? That can greatly affect baking, as well. Otherwise, I’d recommend you invest in an oven thermometer.
Also, make sure you don’t over-mix your batter, that would make it very tough! Generally, once you add your dry ingredients, only mix until it’s only just combined.
This cake always comes out perfectly for me–just made for the tenth time! Try it again and see if it succeeds this time! :)
Hi Deb,
I have some bars of Baker’s chocolate and clumsily didn’t label them bittersweet or semisweet or unsweetened. I’m not sure which on the bars are but can I use them for the frosting or does it definitely have to be unsweetened chocolate?
Hi Deb!
I have already made this cake (in almost all of its versions!), as written, with great success every time! My friends, family and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you very very much :)
Today it’s the first time I’ll 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). It may not be important, but I’m still wondering: have you adjusted the baking powder since posting this recipe here? Or is it just a typo, either here or in the book?
Thank you very much in advance, your answer will make this obsessive baker so happy!!
Eliza
Very observant! We found it didn’t need as much in the more exhaustive testing for the book — however, if you’re happy with the rise, don’t touch it.
Wow, that was fast!!! Thanks again!!!
Thank you Deb for another amazing recipe! You never disappoint. I made this cake this weekend for a friends birthday. I was a little worried as I’m a beginner baker but it was a total hit!!
My son is attending college on the opposite coast from mine. This will be the first time he’s been away for his birthday. I would like to send him a care package including a chocolate cake. I love your recipes! I’ve had great success with them. So much so, that I think I might name a few of my extra pounds after you . . . :) Do you have a suggestion which of your fabulous chocolate cakes might best survive the two-day mailing across country? Thank you so much for all you do!
I made this tonight. It was yummy but I would like to try to follow recipe next time. I only had one medium egg and yogurt instead of buttermilk. I halved the frosting but I really liked it. I cooked the cake for 20 minutes in a 9 inch round pan and it was slightly over done. So good though for such a quick cake!
Hi. I love your recipes and you are my go to baking site. I’m making these for my daughters birthday. Planning to make 30 mini cupcakes. Do I need to double the recipe and how long should I bake them for?
I usually bake for around 21 minutes for the regular cupcakes with this recipe.
Thanks
The whole house wants chocolate cake tonight! 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 seed……he deservs this cake! Just did it in a 9×13 and working on the frosting now! Thanks DEB!!!!
I needed a quick chocolate cake, without leaving the house for ingredients. So I googled “smitten kitchen chocolate cake”, and when I saw the name of the recipe, I knew it was the one. Quick and easy for a last minute crowd pleaser. Not fancy or perfect, but just right for the occasion.
Very good. Brought this to a neighbor’s party and gleefully watched as it was gobbled up. Two notes: I baked the cake for 27 min and it was a teeny bit dry – watch carefully as it gets close to being done. Also I only made 1/2 the frosting (good gravy, so much butter!) and that suited nicely.
Hi, am I able to make the frosting in advance (perhaps 3 days or so) and leave in the fridge until required to frost the cake layers?
Thanks :)
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). From the fridge, it’s a bit of a pain. It will need to be softened and re-whipped, i.e. will take more time than simply making the frosting right then.
Hi! 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? I am doing everything exactly as you prescribe and my cake has some larger-than-desired pockets of air…I wonder now if I am not mixing the baking soda and baking powder in thoroughly before adding the dry ingredients?
To make it one-bowl and ensure that they get very well mixed. If it has larger pockets, just needed more mixing of the leavening before adding the flour.
Going to make this this weekend for my nephew’s birthday. Your swirls are amazing. For once the internet has failed me and I would love to see a video of your technique!!!
This was exactly what I was craving! I used Hersey’s special blend cocoa (dutch and natural) and added some instant espresso powder into the milk. I also topped the cake with my own chocolate whipped ganache as I needed to use up my heavy whipping cream. Next time I will make it with some raspberries on top.
Fabulous. Esp the frosting. Will try a better quality cocoa powder next time tho I used Ghiradelli. What do you use?
I, uh, use Valrhona. It’s one of the only ingredients I splurge on; I ruined myself by trying it in the first place. At grocery stores, I find Droste to be very solid for a dutch-process.
I have a three layer 9 inch cake to frost. Would this be enough frosting for three layers?
No, you’ll want to triple it.
Thanks for this recipe! It has drawn expletives from my family today (in a good way). To make a birthday cake, I doubled the recipe and baked it in 3 7″ round tins. I reduced the total sugar to 270g (so 135g in the original size), made it GLUTEN FREE by using brown rice flour, and also used rice milk soured with lime juice in place of the buttermilk. I swapped the icing for dark chocolate ganache with whisky, and topped it all with toasted hazlenuts. Was a bit nervous as we were having lunch at a v nice Italian restaurant and then coming back here for cake, but needn’t have worried – massive win and everybody demanded the recipe.
I’ve been dreaming about making chocolate cake. So I caved in last night and started my chocolate cake-baking journey. I plan to make all your chocolate cake recipes (your triple berry bundt cake is a huge hit with my family & friends) from now through Sept.
I did something stupid & went upstairs to check on the Internet briefly (I thought). When I went downstairs, I heard my oven timer beeping. Crap. The cake didn’t look too overbaked, though.
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’m so worried about under-baking, even by a little that I forget the residual baking in the pan once I take it out of the oven.
All that to say, I enjoyed a piece of your chocolate cake for breakfast enormously. You are a baking, cooking goddess. Thank you. I may treat myself to your cookbook for my birthday.
In my house, we are, most regrettably, gluten free, dairy free, soy and egg free. However I am making this cake today with all my substitutes!! Can’t wait to give my kids a treat!!!
The cake is in the oven! So easy, I love that it’s not huge and the batter is delicious…not that I tasted it ;)
Frosting in the food processor?!!! My mind is blown! Gathering the ingredients now, I need chocolate cake!
Delicious! I made this today and I am happy. I had to make one change to the frosting. I choose to make this because I should have everything in the house for this cake. And as the cake was baking in the oven, I discovered I did not have any unsweetened chocolate. You see, we recently moved to a new house and i do not have everything in stock yet. So I substituted cocoa (6 T with 2 T of melted butter). The frosting turned out great! I think I could eat this frosting by itself. I posted picture on Instagram.
I made this today for a birthday gathering. I followed the recipe exactly. It turned out so dry. Also the frosting hardened after only a few hours. It was like having a chocolate bar on top of very dry cake. I should have tried it out before the birthday party. Such a disappointment!
Yes! Ugh…I hate to admit that after 3 times trying this recipe, I might have to give up and move on to finding another chocolate cake recipe as this cake has turned out dry EVERY. SINGLE. TIME 😭 (sorry Deb) however, I tend to persevere and continue trying because so many others have commented on how amazing this cake is, so I’ll try one more time haha
Delicious and quick. I love how moist it is, deep chocolate flavor, keeps well (if you don’t eat it in one sitting). I made mini-cupcakes for my son. It made 24 minis plus one regular cupcake. Minis baked at 350 in about 14 minutes with cups filled to the top. Yum!
I have made this many times and it never disappoints. Even serious adults turn giddy at the sight of sprinkles, men too! The ratio of cake to frosting is the icing on the cake (SEE WHAT I DID THERE??) – every mouthful is perfect. (I also made it once with peanut butter frosting – winner.) I just wish I could make my frosting swirls as pretty as Deb’s. Is there a video anywhere illustrating this technique?
Is there a good way to search for all your one bowl cakes? Or is there a list? I’m doing some one bowl plotting for upcoming celebrations
No, sorry, I don’t have a tag for it. Many of the older cakes and almost all in the last couple years are one-bowl or at least each component is.
Hi Deb:
If I double the recipe, would a bunt pan be appropriate? I’d still frost it!
I haven’t tried it in a bundt at all, but I think doubling it would be correct.
Deb, yes, I will be another one of those commenters that tells you I made this recipe and then explain how I jacked it up. :D
I did swap the buttermilk for full-fat yogurt and then also added coffee (2 tablespoon of instant coffee mixed with 4 tablespoons of hot water), whose liquid was intended to replace some the liquid from the buttermilk.
It came out delicious, rich, and chocolatey in a way that satisfied that chocolate craving even without the frosting (too lazy and couldn’t wait for butter to thaw).
Thanks for the doable, approachable, ingredient-accessible recipe. :)
I doubled the recipe in a 9×13 pan for a birthday at work. I followed the baking instructions in the 2nd cook book to bake it for 38 minutes. The frosting is out of this world amazing, but I thought the cake was not that great. Not as moist as I thought it would be or very chocolatey. However, the frosting saves the day here! It still looks pretty and the thought that counts :)
I love this cake – basically my platonic ideal of what chocolate cake should be. That said i’ve found most buttercream frostings to be too sweet so I dialed the sugar back to 2/3 of what’s suggested here and it was perfect.
Thank you, for this recipe! I turned this into a dairy-free, stacked birthday cake with the following adjustments:
-doubled the recipe
-replaced the buttermilk with red wine
-made an orange cranberry filling
-frosted with a ginger spiced dairy free “buttercream”
The result was amazing-ness! The wine and cocoa married so well in this cake. The tart cranberries helped to cut through a bit of the rich chocolate and the frosting was smooth and creamy with just a little bite of ginger. I may turn this into a regular Christmas cake :)
Hey Deb,
I made this a few weeks ago, and made the frosting as written whereas normally I use powdered cocoa. I liked your frosting a lot, but the chocolate didn’t fully emulsify. It was still speckled. It was, admittedly, FABULOUS, but the speckling isn’t ideal for looks of course. Did I let it get too cool before I used it? Any other ideas?
ahh, you just need to adjust it this way: the speckling is a *feature* rather than a detriment. :;>
I actually made this last night and frosted it this morning for a 20-yr-old’s bd. I used an 8″ round for the cake, and put the “extra” in a small pyrex which my hubby and I devoured last night, without benefit of frosting. I’m here to tell ya, the frosting totally makes the cake! (but we still found the cake delish . . .)
Hi, I really want to make a chocolate orange cake. could i melt terry’s chocolate oranges and add them to the batter, or maybe orange zest and juice to the batter to mix the flavour?
SOS i have my boyfriends bday coming up and I know thats what he’d love!
ps: your banana bread recipe CHANGED MY LIFE
I’ve made this a few times and it always seems a little on the dry side. It has a tender crumb and is definitely fluffy and tasty (especially with chocolate frosting) but still kinda of sticks in the mouth. How can I fix this? Am I always Overbaking by a few minutes?
my unofficially sanctioned comment is that you probably are overbaking. Try shortening the bake time and then decide. I use a timer, but I really rely on the old toothpick test, which rarely lets me down.
I have some red wine to use and i would try making this cake with it. Is the swap 1:1 with buttermilk?
I have leftover red wine that i thought i would use to make this cake. Is the replacement 1:1 with buttermilk?
Hands down the best chocolate icing I’ve ever had! (I added a sprinkle of cinnamon to it also) thanks!!
This cake is delicious and a great size if someone does not want to make large cake. I made it yesterday for my husband for Valentines Day. He loves chocolate sweets, but I’m trying to eat better and curb our snacking especially sweets. It was really easy, nice treat. I did have to bake it for almost 35 minutes. I never made frosting in a food processor. What a great idea. Very easy clean up.
YUM. I’ve made this a few times and it’s turned out the best with whole milk yogurt (not ‘Greek’ yogurt) and a half to on teaspoon of instant coffee/espresso. I also used dark chocolate cocoa powder (not Dutch processed) because it’s all I had – it tasted great and gave me that same dark chocolate color.
I’ve loved every single Smitten Kitchen recipe I’ve tried, and these are no exception. They are DELICIOUS! And so easy to make. Followed the recipe exactly and made 14 cupcakes (baked for 19 minutes).
Delicious! Thank you so much. At last I have a chocolate cake recipie that tastes of chocolate! I decorated mine with Smarties! The ingredients & method are straightforward. I dont want to waste the leftover buttermilk so I will make it again & freeze it so I have one ready for easy entertaining!
I was attempting to recreate the birthday cake my boyfriend’s mom made him growing up: a chocolate cake mix+pudding mix based recipe. To make the homemade version I used this recipe with sour cream, 1/3 cup coffee liquor, and added chocolate chips to the batter. Turned out great – Thank you!
The cake was a little dry. I liked that it was not too sweet so the sweet buttercream was a nice compliment. Not sure I would make this cake again.
If I don’t have unsweetened chocolate on hand but have a 70% cacao (or higher) chocolate, will this work? Do I reduce the confectioner’s sugar?
The thing is, if you reduce the confectioners sugar, you’ll have less structure and more… chocolate and butter whipped together. I’ve kept the sugar about as low as you can get away with and still have a frosting, so if you do try, I’d limit it to 1 to 2T less.
This is a great cake! Guessing I posted here before as I make this cake all the time. It’s easy, moist, bakes in 25 min. and tastes great. Often I skip the frosting and it’s still good. And it’s not a large cake which might be helpful for some readers here.
This is a great recipe!! It’s very forgiving as well, we are moving (hence stressed-out me really needed cake immediately!) and I was almost out of everything — I combined some cream and some milk and a bit if apple cider vinegar since I didn’t have buttermilk and it worked great! Thank you, this one will become a regular go-to recipe for sure!!
I can’t wait to make this. Can I sub 2% milk for the cream/whole milk in the frosting? That’s what I usually have on hand.
I made this frosting with SK’s “best birthday cake.” I am not a fan of frosting, but this was delicious and has a silky texture.
This cake is perfect! kids loved it and so did parents who couldn’t stop having seconds.
I substituted buttermilk for greek yogurt and it worked just fine. I also did simple chocolate ganache instead of buttercream frosting
Hi I am trying to figure out how to adapt this to fit a 10.5 inch cake pan. 1.5 times the recipe? or should i just double it and add some cupcakes? how long would i bake for in a 10.5 inch (round) pan?
thanks!
Is it round or square? If round, you can probably 1.5x it.
Hi! This was my first butter-based cake, and I think it turned out quite well! I didn’t have electric beaters so I just forked the sugar and butter together well, and didn’t sift the cocoa powder, but it seemed to be ok. Oh, and used sour cream + water for the buttermilk. Baked 25 minutes in a convection oven. I also just oiled the pan well (no parchment), and I got lucky and it dropped out onto a plate after a couple seconds of patience (also my first time trying to get a cake out of its pan whole.) Topped with your chocolate sour cream frosting (a half recipe – together they use 1 smallish sour cream container) – which is the real star, I think. Or maybe I just really, really like sour cream. In any case, it is excellent.
This has been my kids birthday cake two years running! This year he wants colored frosting. I know you have other vanilla frosting recipes but I love making this one in the food processor—so easy and the texture is great. Do you think I could skip the cocoa and/or replace the weight with more powdered sugar? And maybe use vanilla bean instead of extract?
I make my vanilla one in the food processor too. Do you have Smitten Kitchen Every Day? In the book, I have a section with different flavor cakes and frostings built off of this one, including a vanilla-vanilla.
I want to triple this to make a 9 inch 2 layer cake and a dozen cupcakes for a birthday party, but I’d like to split up the work. Does this cake freeze well for a day or two before frosting?
Deb, I’ve just noticed you forgot to mention the buttermilk when adding ingredients. (I’m pretty confident it’ll be right if I add it just after the eggs and vanilla.)
It’s there — “Add the egg, yolk and vanilla and beat until combined, then the buttermilk and mix again.” :)
Doh.
About to make the best-est cake of all time; love this thing! It’s weirdly labourous but worth the time. I’ve made it now about 1/2 dozen times and the recipe has held up well over time.
INCREDIBLE cake! I made it for my mom’s birthday and everyone was really impressed.
Cake notes: I didn’t have buttermilk so I used 3/4 cup thinned (with water) whole milk yogurt. Checked it at 22 minutes and then after 5 more and 5 more after that – so next time I’ll likely check it at 33 minutes.
Frosting notes: I had super dark baking chocolate and used that instead of unsweetened for the frosting. Also – melted chocolate for a chocolate buttercream frosting?! Truly next level.
Thanks Deb for another classic.
I made this in a 6 inch pan as a two layer cake as someone else mentioned. Worked perfectly. It was a hit. Looked cute, tasted great and since it was only for 3 people, it was a perfect size.
Thank you Smitten Kitchen for previously suggesting the usefulness of a 6 inch round pan. I bought one and it is very handy. Since I only have one (short on storage space) it was not difficult to simply bake one layer at a time.
Do you have any adjustments for high altitude? I live at 6000 feet. Thanks!
I don’t have any personally tested high-altitude baking tips, but understand the ones on King Arthur’s site are great.
Delicious ! Will definitely make again. I added chopped walnuts instead of the sprinkles .
Looks fabulous can’t wait to try this cake as soon as I can get the ingredients together. I have one question, can I use gluten free flour? I have a daughter who would love this but is gluten free.
This is now our go-to recipe for any kind of chocolate cake. Cupcakes for my son’s birthday, a tiered-cake for my husband’s birthday, a snowy weekend afternoon that calls for chocolate cake… This is pretty much the only kind of cake we make now.
The frosting is also wonderful! One variation I have made a few times (for grown up cake-eaters) is to swap the milk for Bailey’s salted caramel. Divine!
I need enough frosting for a three layer cake – 8 inch rounds.
I’m going to triple the cake recipe but do you think I need to do the same for frosting? Or just double the frosting?
BTW, I have been following you since nearly the beginning and I feel as if I learned to cook with you. Because of you, my family eats cabbage/slaw, fritters, and more vegetarian. Blueberry Boy Bait is an all time comfort food around here – oldie but a goodie.
Sorry for the late response, even after such a nice comment! I would triple the frosting, especially if you wish to coat the sides as well.
This is by far my family’s favorite cake! The chocolate cake by which all other chocolate cakes are judged. We’ve made it dozens of time as an 8×8, but I’d like to make it as a 9×13 sheet cake for my daughter’s birthday. Would doubling the recipe be the right amount, and how would you adjust the baking time? Thanks in advance!!
Made this cake today for a belated birthday celebration (for me) and to do some Coronavirus anxiety baking therapy. 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. Rich as can be, uber chocolate-y, not overly sweet (an absolute hallmark of all Smitten Kitchen cakes, and why her cake recipes are THE BEST). The frosting was miles high, pillowy, gloriously swirly, and of course perfect with sprinkles.
Even if your batter is too thin and your frosting takes forever to thin to the right consistency – don’t lose heart. It will turn out great. Mine did.
Hello form the Corona days! I want to bake this beautiful for my daughter`s 14th bday Thursday. She insists on a layer cake and since we are all social distancing I don`t want to double the recipe. I`’ll use a 6 inch pan and wondering how to adjust the baking time. Tried to read most of the comments but mostly the conversions were for 9×13 or cupcakes. Sincere apologies if I missed the one for a 6′ pan.
Hi Deb,
I was just wondering if you could double this recipe to make a two-layer cake? I thought that I might use this for a birthday cake. Also, can you bake this in a round cake pan instead of a rectangular one?
Absolutely — it’s intended a building block. You can bake it in a 9-inch round. You’ll want the full yield of frosting for each layer, especially if you’re covering the sides.
I made this tonight and used your suggestion of red wine and yogurt if you’re out of buttermilk. Turned out great! I never would have thought of that combination. Thanks for sharing!
Was your yogurt full fat?
This was SUPER YUMMY. It’s really airy actually and isn’t overly sweet. I actually only made the cake part and I made it into cupcakes. For anyone curious, I cooked them at 15 minutes and it was just about perfect — I’d do 12-15 minutes for cupcakes to be safe!
Deb, as far as the buttermilk subs. Can I do part yogurt and part coffee? Equal parts using the coffee to thin out the yogurt?
Yes, although you won’t need much to thin it.
I made brownies and was looking for a chocolate frosting for them, so tried this. It’s the best I’ve ever had, hands down. Powdered sugar frostings sometimes have an unpleasant aftertaste to them that I don’t like, but this was fabulous – rich, chocolatey, buttery. I spread it thick on an 8×8 pan of brownies and sprinkled peppermint bits over the top. I might have eaten what was left straight out of the bowl with a spoon, but we won’t ask too many questions, right?
With the Dutch process cocoa this cake is a gorgeous deep devil’s food color. The frosting was a bit sweet for us, next time I will use less sugar and add some espresso powder. And its the perfect size to not hurt yourself :)
Another great Smitten Kitchen recipe.
I just put this in the oven! Is “don’t worry if your batter Is uneven” the understatement of the century, or is it not supposed to curdle like a putrid mess before becoming smooth? I kept going, because you can’t waste eggs in a pandemic, but a little worried if it’s safe to eat?
Made this and it was bone dry and crumbly. I suspect the culprit was too much flour, not enough moisture – I used whole milk mixed with buttermilk powder, and my cocoa is old too. I had to bake for the full 30 minutes, at 25 mins. it was still fully raw in the center.
I wisely made 1/2 batch of frosting which was for me the perfect amount. This frosting is HEAVEN.
I made this and used the measurement for table salt. The cake came out too salty and I really like salt! When reviewing the recipe I realized I should have lowered the amount when not using sea salt. I wish this had been in the notes! Making my husband eat it instead of me. Maybe this is a good thing! Ha!
Will try again another time.
Going to try out this recipe for my daughter’s birthday! We have an egg allergy in the family – has anyone tried making this recipe with an egg substitute? If so any specific recommendations?
Can I halve egg in the recipe by just omitting the yolk from the cake base?
Making this for Mother’s Day, and an 8×8 is too much cake for two people on the pandemic meal plan.
Thanks and happy early Mother’s Day to you!
To properly substitute non-Dutch cocoa you need to increase alkaline. Delete the baking power and increase baking soda to 3/4 teaspoon.
Deb,
This this will work as the filling for a wedding cake? Making your classic brown butter cake for a last minute wedding this weekend was thinking of using this for the bottom middle layer. I had to “test” the recipe and it is incredible! Just worried about it warming up and shifting.
I think so!
How can I make buttermilk???
You can make buttermilk by mixing a little white vinegar (somewhere between 1 tsp and 1 Tbsp) and the rest of the cup milk, it’ll curdle, and then you can use it as buttermilk!
Mine came out fluffier than I wanted – what should I adjust to get it fudgier? A little more butter / less flour?
I also did a messier job of splitting the egg than usual, and got a bit of the (second) egg white in there along with the yolk — is that likely the source of fluffiness, and doing a cleaner job of egg-splitting next time will take care of it?
This cake was a hit! My son requested a chocolate-chocolate cake for his 4th birthday so I doubled the recipe and got 3 6-in. rounds. It was rich but not overwhelming for little mouths and got rave reviews from the grownups too. He’s 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, it’s still moist and delicious. I will definitely make it again.
This is the BEST chocolate cake I’ve ever made. The cake is dense, rich, and not super sweet and the sugary, buttery icing balances it out beautifully.
I didn’t have buttermilk so I mixed one TBS of lemon juice with 3/4 c whole milk. I also didn’t have unsweetened chocolate so I used a couple TBS of cocoa powder in the frosting.
I love you. That is all.
If it wasn’t 8PM right now I would make this cake. It is so not fair that you gave me this craving this late in a very long day. Making this tomorrow morning, definitely.
I made this yesterday with normal cocoa (didn’t have Dutch process) and 70% dark chocolate for the frosting (didn’t have unsweetened, and neither did Yes market when I went out on purpose) and it is still delish.
I made this cake for my boyfriends birthday. It was really great. Not too rich. Perfect you can have two slices and one for breakfast the next day.
I was going to pick something more complicated, but it is great I did not because:
1. We did not make it to the grocery store until after we were both done with work and because its COVID times our trip took two hours so I started this cake at 7.
2. We were supposed to grill kabobs for birthday, but a thunder storm started so we needed to change the oven temperature for the kabobs and not the cake.
3. I messed up the icing (used four tbsp of butter instead of 8?! not sure what I was thinking) and spent a bunch of time probably twenty minutes until I realized my mistake.
And I still got this on the table at a reasonable hour. Thank you for not making this any harder then it needed to be, I could not have handled it.
We found this disappointingly dry and bland. It’s got neither the slight fudge-like tendencies of a rich chocolate cake, nor the depth of flavor you need in a good crumb-textured cake. A decent frosting can somewhat save it. But at some point, why not just eat the frosting by itself?
I wonder if you weighed your dry ingredients? Is your oven temperature accurate? Did you watch the clock and take out the cake when it was barely finished? A combination of too much flour, too little cocoa and too much heat or time in the oven will certainly dry out baked goods. Since there are so many positive reviews I’d look beyond the recipe for another cause of the dryness and blandness you experienced.
But yes, you can always eat the frosting by itself!
I ❤️ this chocolate cake!! I found it in March, around when quarantine started and for a couple of months, I made it every Saturday to celebrate another week of quarantine. We even put candles on it for the number of weeks we were celebrating. It is now known as ‘The Cake’ in our house. Can you PLEASE make ‘The Cake’ tonight mom?! Seriously, we love it so much!! I don’t change a thing about the recipe. And it’s the perfect size for our family. THANK YOU!!!
I made this cake (assuming it’s also the one in SK Everyday) in a double recipe for 23 cupcakes (one was victim to an unstable parchment paper liner. I stuck the unfrosted cupcakes in the freezer. I am about to make the vanilla frosting. I want to serve some (about 4) tomorrow and the rest on Sunday after a long car ride. Do I defrost 4, decorate them tonight and frost the rest just before serving on Sunday? Or do I defrost them all now, decorate and then… put in the fridge or freezer? Can I frost them while they are still frozen? If it makes a difference, I am coloring the frosting to make Pigeon and Hungry Caterpillar cupcakes.
THanks!
They keep at room temperature, so no need to put back in the fridge unless your car will be very hot.
Hi Deb, is this cake freezable? Thinking of getting ahead of my sons bday next weekend. I’m going to stack some to make a birthday cake…:
I’d freeze the cake layer, but not the frosting. It won’t have the same texture defrosted.
Did freezing work well?? I am also trying to prep for a busy birthday weekend….. (twin boys who want DIFFERENT cakes…. What’s a mom to do?? ;)
I don’t often write but I want to express my gratitude for Smitten Kitchen, Deb, and this cake. A friend who’s feeling low, had a birthday yesterday – at 3:30 or so he asked to hang out and what is a birthday without a few sprinkles, so… I started this cake at 5 and it was fully ready to go at 7 (and that was mostly cooling time). And we ate this delicious cake, marking time and friendship. We ate cake outside and in the rain because that’s how it goes in quarantine. Thank you for your generosity and for this cake in particular – it helped us support a friend who needed it.
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? I have extra and my kids don’t care for pudding so trying to figure out what to do with it.
I’m really not sure without testing it, or knowing what else is in the pudding mix, sorry.
This is a great recipe. I added slightly more salt just to bring out the flavour of the chocolate but all in all perfect!
Made this cake this afternoon. It is delicious! Thank you!
I doubled the recipe to make a 2 X 8 inch round birthday cake. I halved the sugar in the icing. The cake was incredible. Plush, soft, the icing was fluffy. So easy to make, this is my forever birthday cake. Thank you so much Deb.
I made this with regular cocoa powder from Trader Joe’s and it turned out amazing!!
Made this into a tiny layer cake for my antisocial pandemic birthday by baking it in two six-inch round Pyrex dishes. Divine- super moist and deeply chocolatey! Even my usually anti-cake husband liked it, which is saying a lot. 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 :)
My son’s birthday today. He tested covid +Ve and he is completely asymptomatic. We still have to quarantine for a whole week anyway. I made this cake and topped it with strawberries since I didn’t have sprinkles on hand. Super hit! Thank you!
Aw, I hope he feels better soon and that you are all safe.
I love this cake. It’s our family favorite birthday cake. I usually make it in an 8×8 square. Could it be made in a sheet pan?
You can double it in a 9×13
Deb, today is my husband’s 84th birthday and chocolate cake is his request. It’s cold here for S. Texas! but I shall brave the cold kitchen to make this chocolate cake. Thanks for the birthday prompt!
Hi Deb,
I love your recipes! 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? Just use one egg? I’ve been halving bundt cakes for years (very easy to do as all ingredients are easy to cut in half and bake in my junior bundt pan), and I’d like this smaller chocolate cake (I halve to halve it :) ) but am at a loss. Can you help? Thanks!
Thank you for a lovely, easy cake recipe in the ideal size! And for perfect timing!
My husband’s birthday is this week. My three year old and I are going to make this cake for him. Much tastier and more fun than the box mix I was about to do instead. Yay!
Deb, you’ve done it again! It was a small miracle when I received your weekly newsletter including small celebration cakes on the same day as my partner’s birthday. This cake was fantastic and was so easy to put together. I must admit, we had already finished off your raspberry buttermilk cake over the weekend, so the birthday boy got two cakes this year! Thanks again for your wonderful recipes, they never cease to impress me.
I am having trouble printing the recipe. When I click “Print Recipe” I am directed to another website, which requires me to do I don’t know what. It feels suspicious to me. I miss being able to download your recipes directly from your posts. Will you please advise me on this? Thank you!
That doesn’t sound good at all. I just checked and it was working for me. Are you clicking the print icon below the recipe? You can also type CTRL or ⌘ + P from any recipe post to get to the same print template, or use the Print option in your browser, usually under the File menu.
Looks amazing, making this today (because quarantine). I had to laugh at your comment about sweet potatoes. I’m currently 7 months pregnant, and I’m pretty sure I’ll never eat them again after A Very Unfortunate Incident involving your sweet potato tacos (RIP to my favorite SK recipe) in my first trimester.
Can I make this in a miniature bundt pan? thanks!
Not sure how much it holds, but probably.
We celebrated National Chocolate Cake day with this recipe, and it did not disappoint! I did have to make the substitution of sour cream thinned with milk for the buttermilk, but it was still a fantastic cake! Thanks Deb!
I made this with a mix of yoghurt and single cream, light brown sugar instead of dark, and caster sugar instead of granulated. I upped the amount of chocolate in the frosting to approx 80grams by accident but it tasted delish. I baked it in an 9×9 square, for just about 21 mins. A fantastic recipe!
This was one of the all time best chocolate cakes I’ve ever made. Or eaten. A perfect not too sweet cake with a cloud of fabulous frosting. This will be my go to recipe from now on.
I had a favourite chocolate cake for years and years…and then I made this one! I also used to subscribe to the view that cake is just a vehicle for icing…and then I made this cake. It is my new go to cake whenever someone in my house is craving chocolate cake.
Thank you!
This was the perfect amount of batter for 12 cupcakes. I baked them for 17 minutes, per the recommendation from another commenter, but they came out just the slightest bit dry. Next time I’ll try taking them out after 15 or 16 minutes instead.
Life changing! Followed the recipe exactly as written. Absolutely delicious it is now my go to birthday cake! Deb, you are always my go-to!
A perfect, quick, rich chocolate cake. Thank you, Deb! Made at 9:30 at night and it baked perfectly in 25 min.
I used labneh in place of the buttermilk since we didn’t have any, plus two Tbsp coffee.
One of those great Smitten Kitchen recipes that encourages me to make something I wouldn’t have otherwise made, and turns out great, even though I was sure I messed it up! I used non-Dutched cocoa, your coffee tip, and another commenter’s very helpful recommendation for subbing the unsweetened chocolate (i.e. 3 tbs cocoa and one tbs butter for one ounce of unsweetened chocolate). It turned out amazing, just as advertised, and I enjoyed eating it a lot :p
I am a nervous cake baker but I would like to make this for my son’s bday in a few days. I compared the recipe to your fudgy chocolate cake recipe in my copy of Smitten Kitchen Everyday, and I was happy to see they’re essentially the same (and the comments here are giving me extra confidence I can pull this off!). However, the book has a slightly different amount of baking powder (3/4 tsp). This seems silly to ask, but…which amount should I use? Does it truly not matter? Thank you! I’m also using your instructions from the confetti cake to make it an Elmo cake. Fingers crossed!
Both work, so it won’t matter. It’s possible the book version has a tiny bit more airiness to it, but nobody has ever complained here. Good luck with Elmo!
Hi! Possible to use oat milk in the frosting instead of cream/whole milk?
Yes, that should work fine.
Do you think this frosting would work to pipe with a star tip? I want it to taste good, but the birthday girl (a 6 year old) wants a very specific design. Thank you!!
Absolutely
This was fun to make and eat for my first gathering with a friend post-vaccination. I used King Arthur Double Dutch Dark cocoa, which gave the cake wonderful color and flavor. I halved the frosting, and it was a breeze to make. I don’t recommend trying to speed the cooling of the melted chocolate by putting it in the refrigerator though, things can change fast!
Making this cake right now for my son’s 16 bday. Find that I need to let the butter milk warm bit at room temperature or it hardens the butter when mixed in and makes it lumpy. Is that just me?! Lovely cake though, one of my faves!
Yes, that’s totally normal here. When I warned the batter might look uneven, this is what I meant. Hope it was a hit!
This is the most reliable chocolate snack cake recipe! Moist, flavorful and absolutely a winner every time I have made this. Thank you!
Oh, this is a great cake. Easy to make, took about 25 mins in a 9 inch tin, is chocolatey but not too rich or heavy the way a cake made with melted chocolate is, and just really soft and comforting. My child decided against buttercream or unicorn sprinkles so we just had it plain tonight (may do a frost-your-own-slice pudding tomorrow as we have guests) and I have to say she liked it way better than a brownie. I really want it with chocolate custard, like the school dinners I remember as a child. I used self-raising flour and half a tsp of baking powder. Didn’t have buttermilk so subbed yoghurt and milk. Worked fine.
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’s perfect.
Just made this with two 6-inch rounds (following Deb’s recent advice!) and am here to report that the frosting amount was also just right. Baking time actually remained about the same for some reason. An exceedingly cute mini-cake!
Great recipe. I followed it exactly. My baking tome was slightly less, but I always consider baking times rough estimates. I love that this is an eight inch square; such a perfect size. You’re not tired of it by the time it’s gone.
This cake was so easy to make and was well loved by all who tried it! I read other reviews by people who found it dry; I thought it was incredibly moist for a cake that’s not too dense. I will absolutely try this as cupcakes next time.
Deb, in a very saturated social media food scene, you are one of the OGs and my absolute favorite. I have steadily leaned on SK since I started baking and cooking 15 years ago. Thank you!
Hi Deb! Just watched you make this on YouTube and immediately felt compelled to make it happen in my home. As luck would have it, my husband’s birthday is tomorrow, so I’m using this occasion as my excuse!
After seeing your video, besides wondering if you could be any more adorable, I’m curious if this could be baked in a 9×9 metal pan? (The 8×8 I have on hand is glass, with rounded corners, which makes it seem so much smaller.)
Thanks in advance! Big fan.
Thank you! I think it could be it will definitely be thinner.
Thanks for taking time out to respond so quickly, Deb! I ended up snagging a more squared-off metal 8×8 while out running errands today, so thin-cake crisis averted. Just took it out of the oven and I can already tell by the smell that this thing’s going to be good. No surprise there though, considering the source! Thanks again!
I baked this beauty of a cake this evening for a welcome home dinner tomorrow, and didn’t 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. Obviously, I had to “test” a spoonful or two. Now I need a glass of wine to round out my palate. Darn! If you give a cook some frosting…
I was looking for a quick and easy chocolate cake recipe, so finally I tried this one and I am thrilled! This is absolutely a keeper. For a summer party I baked triple the amount on a large tray, with mascarpone raspberry topping. Held up great and was perfect. Unfortunately I can’t tolerate buttercream, though I love it the taste and texture it makes me sick for days. I’l try a simple ganache next time i bake it for myself. With lots of sprinkles, of course!
Making this as cupcakes for my son’s birthday party, but do I need to adjust cooking time or oven temperature??
Same temperature. Cupcakes bake for 14 to 18 minutes.
This is an amazing recipe. I made cupcakes for my daughters birthday. I doubled the recipe (cake and frosting) and it made 24 perfect cupcakes.
I saw this recipe and I wanted that chocolate cake for my birthday. My sweet son made it for me, sprinkles and all. It was delicious. My family enjoyed every bite. Thanks
Yum! This is calling my name. Can the frosting be made a couple days in advance and refrigerated or is it better the same day? Thank you!!
Better the same day. It’s hard from the fridge and would need to be warmed up a little and possibly re-whipped.
Really wanted to like this cake but it was dry…followed 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. Still on the search for a perfectly moist chocolate cake.
Sometimes where you live can play a factor in cake moistness! Things like humidity and elevation can even factor in. There are ways to adjust a recipe accordingly to your neck of the woods.
I have wanted to make this cake for quite some time. Finally did and I’m disappointed. I followed directions exactly including using Dutch processed cocoa. I’m a big baker so I know how to bake. It was a little dry around the edges. It took 36 minutes before the toothpick came out clean but the inside was moist. It just didn’t have the depth of flavor I had hoped for. Bummed.
This is a truly great cake!! I have made the recipe three times now. The first time as a cake and the second and third times as cupcakes. On the third round I added a 1/4 cup additional buttermilk to the batter. The cupcakes stayed moist and were flipping delicious. They baked for about 20 minutes. I also piped in seedless raspberry jam before frosting. Holy smokes ya’ll.
I cupcaked these and doubled the recipe. To the second batch I added guittard’s 66% chocolate baking chips. I didn’t measure the exact amount, just eyeballed. The second batch was even better than the first. The sweet frosting with this rich second batch hit the right spot. These, with the addition of the 66% baking chocolate chips will be my go to chocolate cupcakes from now on. Another stellar recipe!
I just want to say thanks for speaking my language! I specifically went looking for an “I want chocolate cake now and happen to have leftover buttermilk” recipe. And you delivered! Thank you! Making now!
Hmm, in the spirit of, I have to make this cake right now…I’ve just discovered I don’t have unsweetened chocolate for the frosting. I have bittersweet baking bars and cocoa powder. Would either be acceptable with modifications? Thanks!
I made this and I just wanted to say that it was so good. My kids loved it!
This frosting looks delicious–could it be piped, or will it not hold its shape?
Absolutely.
I’m new to receiving your blog, and I have (hopefully) two quick questions:
1. I’m trying to print some recipes, but the “print recipe” links that appear are not working (I use Google Chrome).
2. I’ve also wanted to PIN some of your recipes, but I can’t find PIN links anywhere, although the one here goes directly to your Pinterest page. Is that the route we need to take in order to PIN a recipe?
Thanks so much! I am enjoying your blog and recipes. :)
1. 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.
Other ways to print:
File > Print on a Mac
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
We will definitely make the button easier to find when we next redesign.
2. There is a Pin icon at the bottom of each recipe, where it says “DO MORE:” It will allow you to Pin just that post/recipe.
Oh, for goodness’ sakes. :) :) :)
That was TOO easy. Thank you for taking the time to let me know where to find the print and PIN links in the “To Do” line. Works perfectly! :)
I made this for my Anniversary last weekend (my husband forgot…) and this cake made the day. I had no buttermilk so substituted Greek yogurt. The cake was delicious and the frosting was AMAZING!!! Oh, and the offset spatula makes the frosting swirls so easy.
This cake was really delicious and quick to make, which I appreciated. But my batter didn’t seem as thick as in the video and it also didn’t rise very well (or as much as yours). What did I do wrong? :/
Just made this amazing cake for myself for my birthday and want to thank you for the gift the most foolproof recipe ever. I am not a baker and yet this turned out perfectly. Just as you described, the batter seemed curdled at first and suddenly turned into a luscious thick batter. Same with frosting. You rock, Deb!
My baking-phobic girlfriend made this for my birthday. It was awesome!!
WOW…just made this for my oversize cupcake cake. I added a heaping teaspoon of expresso powder…DELICIOUS AND EASY. This is definitely my go to frosting..will never need another. How can I make this a vanilla version? Thanks
I made this cake and it came out dry and dense. The same thing happened when I tried making the pink lady (strawberry) cake. Any thoughts about what I’m doing wrong? I use a stand mixer with paddle attachment. I also have a non-standard oven (AGA). I’m not sure what’s been happening with my cakes but would love ANY advice or ideas! Thank you!
Hello Jen, sometimes I avoid cake recipes like this that require creaming the butter and sugar, because I’ve heard that it’s actually tough to get that step exactly right. That could be the issue — too much creaming. (FWIW, I tend to make oil based cake recipes if I’m looking to avoid dry cake at all costs.) If you’re 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/
Deb, the best thing about this recipe is that at the drop of a hat you can make a delicious chocolate cake. Deb, the worst thing about this recipe is that at the drop of a hat you can make a delicious chocolate cake (for those of us who do not need more cake!). A family favourite in our house. Thank you!
I bought a six inch cake pan last year, and thought I’d try halving this recipe to make one six-inch layer. It worked so well and was fun for a small celebration for two people, though it could easily have served four.
If anyone is curious to try, here are the measurements I used for the cake (I used a different frosting recipe- “whipped ganache”):
3 tablespoons / 43 g unsalted butter, room temperature
6 tablespoons / 73 g dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon / 13 g granulated sugar
1 egg
6 tablespoons buttermilk (or, for ease of measuring, 1 / 4 cup + 2 tablespoons)
1 / 4 cup / 21 g dutch-process cocoa
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder (I used this instead of vanilla, purely based on personal taste)
1 /2 cup / 63 g all-purpose flour
1 / 8 teaspoon baking soda
1 / 4 teaspoon baking powder
1 / 4 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
I made a different cake, but wanted to try the frosting.
It worked really well. I thought it wasn’t quite chocolately enough (might’ve been the quality of my chocolate, to be fair), so I ended up adding a scant 1/4tsp of almond extract and 1/4 tsp of espresso powder, and that livened it up a little. The texture is great, and it’s a superb idea to use real chocolate. Thanks, Deb! Next time, I’ll try your cake recipe, too (only remembered I wanted to try this when the other one was in the oven!).
I only made the frosting part, but had to comment because it was fantastic and easy. Reminiscent of the store bought frosting in the tub but way way better
Good golly but this is fantastic, Deb! I am so impressed with how tender, moist the crumb is for such a low butter content (I used yoghurt rather than buttermilk) – will definitely be making this on repeat! and the flavour – oooft! perfection. chocolatey without being overwhelmingly rich (and thus, every excuse for a second slice ;-))
This was so delicious and easy to tweak to my weird idiosyncratic preferences. I wanted a thicker cake layer so halved the ingredients from the fudgy sheet layer cake recipe. I like blooming cocoa – mixed the dry cocoa with 1/2 cup boiling water; once the mixture was cool, added enough buttermilk to arrive at 1 cup of liquid total. The frosting turned out a bit too sweet–solved by beating in an oz or two of cream cheese to mellow it out.
We made this (as cupcakes) when we were quarantined for Halloween, and now we’re making them for Valentine’s Day and not in quarantine. Absolutely delicious, no matter what you’re celebrating.
Wow, just wow. This is amazing. I used closer to 2/3 cup of cocoa and I made it with gluten free flour. It was moist, but still firm, and tasted even better after a day or two in the fridge. I was generous with the icing, which brings this cake together. I made if for my daughter’s third birthday and it was a hit among kids and adults alike. Nailed it!
Used oil instead of butter (a scant 1/3 cup) and got great results. Didn’t bother to sift even though cocoa was lumpy and it was fine. Batter was quite runny; no worries. Got a really nice, which 8″ layer, which I topped with chocolate whipped cream and sprinkles. Truly a fast cake to whip up!!
Delicious 🤤 can’t believe how high mine rose and how moist and rich it was. Had to bake a lot longer than called for, but still yummy! Perfect Friday night dessert.
I LOVE your recipe blog!! So much inspiration on here. This is my ‘go-to’ for most of my recipes now, since my friend turned me onto here!
So I never have any luck with Chocolate cake, and I had exceptionally high hopes since I’ve made a few of your other cakes, but I actually found this to be fairly dry..we devoured it, and I even made a second one for a party tomorrow 🤪 but with vegetable oil instead if butter fit the batter.
But OMG the icing is fantastic!!!
Any suggestions on the dryness? Could it be that I used salted butter??!
Thank you🤗
It might have needed less baking time; it can happen. Vegetable oil can give it a more plush crumb, so it’s not a bad move.
SUCH a successful recipe!! So simple and so good. Thank you. Can’t wait to make it again!
Hello, Deb.
I have a large jar of Nutella sitting in a kitchen cabinet and was thinking it might be good mixed with marscapone as an alternative frosting. What do you think?
Thanks.
Lynda
Excellent, reliable cake. I’ve made it — in an 8-inch round pan — two years in a row for my husband’s birthday. Four-year-old grandson adds the rainbow sprinkles … and heartily endorses it.
Just putzen this cake into the oven- if it’ll taste anything like the uncooked batter I just liked off the bowl I’ll probably not make another chocolate cake recipe. I subbed joghurt for the buttermilk and reduced sugar to 100 g (sorry my German taste buds can’t handle the original sweetness 😆) and used white spelt flour instead of wheat flour. I make little bear shaped cakes (two in gummybear shaped silicon dishes and two mini bear shaped baking dishes) and added a couple fresh raspberries.
I made this cake yesterday. Delicious! The baking time was a bit of a problem! I may have taken it out a bit early, the rise went slightly down. So for my oven it will need 35 minutes or maybe more! But still it came out nicely, pretty dense almost like a brownie which was a plus. What I loved about it is that it was not too sweet which made the frosting necessary and special.
Thanks for this! Writing to say that the butter is amount is wrong. 1/2 cup butter is 8 oz not 4 ozs! I learned this the hard way :)
No, the recipe is correct and what you’ve written is not. I just wanted to correct you because I don’t want you to accidentally mess up anything you bake in the future as you would be using way too much butter. 4 oz is 1/2 cup (or 1 stick), 8 oz is 1 cup (2 sticks) – if you aren’t using US-sized full sticks of butter then disregard that number, but the weight and volume remain the same. Here’s a measurement converter from Land O Lakes but please feel free to Google the information from any website you’d like:
https://www.landolakes.com/kitchen-reference/measurements-abbreviations/
One of Deb’s many charms is that her recipes are accessible, using easily-obtained ingredients. I have made this cake dozens of times, it is easy and delicious. Today I used 20g of “black cocoa” in addition to 21g of Dutch cocoa, and I must say it makes for a very pretty chocolate cake.
Love this cake and it’s counter part in the party cake builder section of your book!! Do you think it would work as 2 6” rounds??
Hello! My name for this cake is “Why Haven’t You Baked Me Earlier” Cake. Regrettably it hadn’t survived long enough to be frosted with chocolate frosting, not to mention sprinkling it with sprinkles. Has anyone baked it in form of muffins/ cupcakes? Does it bake well this way?
You can bake this into 10 to 12 cupcakes!
This cake lives up to the title! 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. What a treat for a weeknight!
Fantastic chocolatey goodness. Came out perfect baked in a 9 inch round.
This is one of my favourite recipes from my mom! I hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I did (and still do!)
Deb, have loved your blog for years and some of your recipes are my go-tos! We made this for my mother’s birthday and were delighted, particularly with the beautifully light frosting. How would you adapt this frosting for other flavors?
Glad it was a hit! Do you mean other chocolate flavors or the style of frosting, in a food processor?
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.
I was thinking of making a vanilla version, and looking more carefully at the comments I see you’ve already offered an answer—decreasing the powdered sugar, increasing vanilla, and leaving out the unsweetened chocolate—but I’m glad to know there’s more in your new cookbook, I will check it out! Thanks for replying!
Hi Deb, I’m curious about the small changes from here to Smitten Kitchen Every Day’s version. In the book, you add a bit more baking powder and 5 grams more of flour.
Relatedly (maybe?), I’m trying to figure out why my layers formed a large dome but the sides of the cake didn’t rise very much. The middle is double the height of the sides so when I level it, I’ll lose a lot of volume. I baked it in round 9 inch pans.
Having watched your video (after baking of course) I wonder if I didn’t properly mix the rising agents before adding the flour and cocoa.
I’m not worried because it will be delicious no matter what. Just trying to learn for next time.
It’s 2023 and this cake is still very important to me! I call it my short on time, big on love cake, perfect for celebrations.
OK, the chocolate frosting from this recipe is my favorite frosting to make of all time, so much so that I basically only make cakes with chocolate frosting now because I don’t like to use any other frosting recipe. However, I am making a cake that has to be white. I have never made a vanilla buttercream that I liked, and I’m scared to try a meringue-based frosting. SO…I wondered if this method for making frosting could work for a vanilla frosting — using the food processor rather than stand mixer — and if so, what you’d do about quantities without the liquid that comes from melted chocolate here. I’d LOVE any advice you have.
Today my work email was hacked and my computer was down for several hours — so I baked this cake, because obviously it was a day that NEEDED CAKE.
I rescued a broken buttercream I’d attempted for a friend’s birthday and added freeze-dried raspberry powder to it. The result is a perfect pick-me-up cake on a weeknight.
HIGHLY recommend a mix of strong coffee and yogurt in place of the buttermilk, per the notes. The batter was so good I didn’t want to bake it, and the resulting cake is very rich but still so fluffy and light.
I can’t wait!!!! 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😊😊😊
Well, I only made the frosting, not the cake (I put this frosting on a box yellow cake) – but this is truly the best frosting I have ever made. It’s what I have always wanted my homemade chocolate frosting to taste like. It’s just like the soft, fluffy chocolate buttercream frosting I used to get on cupcakes from my old favorite cupcake shop, which I always wished I could replicate at home. I am quite pleased. Thank you!
Hi Deb!
I finally made this cake today (despite having seen the recipe many times) after being enabled by the Cup of Jo post. Just wanted to check in here and say how delicious this cake is!
I deviated ever-so-slightly by topping it with a cream cheese frosting, simply due to the vibe I was feeling. I’ll be making this cake again, post haste, but next time with the proper frosting.
And in case anyone who ever reads this comment wondered the same thing as me, I actually used two whole eggs, as I didn’t want a random egg white floating around that I’d have to account for.
The cake crumb is satisfying, yet really light, and so easy to eat – I could imaging scoffing a few slices before realising what had happened! As it was, I managed to stop after one so there’d be plenty left when my peeps come home from school and work.
These were absolutely delectable! I took these to a party and they received rave reviews! Make these for someone you love today!
I loved this cake. But why did I have little bits of chocolate in the frosting? I melted the chocolate until smooth?!
Can I use liquid whey (leftover from yogurt making) instead of buttermilk? I would rather save the actual yogurt for lunches. : )
Is the frosting recipe enough to frost a 8@ or 9” two layer cake recipe ?
Just one. Double it for a doubled cake portion.
I have made this cake twice—once with powdered buttermilk and once with yogurt. Both times it turned out wonderful. It has become my “go to”chocolate cake recipe. I frost it with a standard butter cream frosting which is simpler than the one suggested in this recipe – and I don’t have to clean up my food processor. I will be making it again today for a friend’s birthday lunch.
This recipe produced an adorable cake, which I handed off this morning to a mom-friend for her daughter’s second birthday party. I am sure miss baby will enjoy it.
I have a fix for over-processed frosting! I accidentally processed mine until it was limp and decidedly un-fluffy. To perk it up, I stuck the processor bowl in the freezer for a few minutes (maybe 15min), then popped it back on the machine and pulsed a few times. The cold stiffened up the butter and allowed it to re-aerate on pulsing. Looked great!
Hello!
My cake is in the oven now and smells delicious! I sampled the frosting and so yummy 😋
Question-my cake has cracks on the top-would you happen to know what I did wrong?
Thanks so much Deb!
Angie
Hi Deb — I want to double the batter (and keep the frosting the same or 1.5x) and bake it in a 13×9. How many would it serve? Could I cut it into 24 pieces (as 6×4)? It is for a first birthday party.
I’ve made this twice. Followed the exact recipe and it’s come out extremely dry both times. What am I doing wrong here??
It is so much fun to bake when your efforts produces a yummy result. I really dislike grocery store cake mix/frosting. No more :) Easy, quick and just a great little chocolate cake. Also, thank you for the weights on the flour, sugar, etc. I find it so much quicker to weigh ingredients. I really love your recipes!
I made this but without the frosting (simply because I have to cut down my sugar/butter consumption) but the sponge cake itself was so so good. I threw some walnuts into the batter, so it would kind of be reminiscent of a brownie and make it less boring without the frosting and they worked really well. Definitely making it again. I also recommend adding a couple of spoons of instant coffee if you want to intensify the chocolate taste a little.
I made this recipe into cupcakes yesterday, baking them for 21 minutes. They came out tender and so chocolate-y. The frosting is super sweet, AND delicious! The combination was such a treat. I sprinkled Betty Crocker “galaxy” nonpareils on them, since I didn’t have your fun sprinkles. They looked fabulous. My friend loved them, too. I’ll make them again and try vanilla frosting, just for something different. This cake would be great all on its own, too.
I’m eating one with coffee right now….
Hi, Deb: I made this chocolate cake this weekend for my chocoholic family members. I followed your directions and used all the ingredients as stated. I could tell from the thick consistency of the batter that the cake was going to be dense, but I was very disappointed that it was so dry. I am not sure where I went wrong or if the cake was meant to be so dry. Please respond because I am usually an avid fan of all your recipes.
I don’t recall if I shared my experience with this cake, but I can relate, as I have made it about 3 times and each time it has turned out very dry…I am also curious to see Debs reply!
What brand do you consider “fine sea salt”? Would flakey sea salt work or sel de fleur, or both?
Fine sea salt is equivalent to table salt in weight and texture, but some people prefer it. I often call for it in recipes because it’s more consistent between brands. Coarse or flaky salt can be harder to measure; it’s inconsistent. But you can use it here. I’d use double or a little more.
FYI-if you should need to make this fantastic recipe, but find you are fresh out of unsweetened chocolate for the frosting, it is my experience that 2 Tbsp. of Dutch processed cocoa works well.
I love this cake, I love chocolate, I love this site and I can’t wait to make it again with the unsweetened chocolate in the frosting…but sometimes-a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do!
Deb~ I made this today & it’s wonderful, thank you!
I have a question ~ may I ask where you got the square serving plate? I’m thinking it was a set, because your snack plate is square as well. Adorable.
Thanks again.
I have a bunch of Mercer plates from Crate & Barrel in round and square. I do find that the edges chip if you’re not careful (I am not careful) but they’re otherwise fantastic.
Incredible cake Deb! I took it to our church picnic last week and not a single piece left. Here’s a challenge: I need a cake, also for a church function, for people who, unbelieveably, might not like or be allergic to chocolate. I was thinking: 8X8 yellow cake with strawberry buttercream frosting? What do you think?
This is so easy and SO delicious. It has been requested that I add chocolate chips to the cake batter for some texture. Not sure how that will work. Thoughts anyone?
Dear Deb,
I never really bake a chocolate cake before, cause my mum did the best of all.
I lost her very few month ago, and yesterday I was in need of chocolate cake.
I remenbered your recipe and its pictures. It looks nothing as the one my mum made, so I thought it was perfect.
Your recipe is amazing, my kids enjoyed it very much!!!
Thank you:-))))
My mum would have love it too!
So, Merci beaucoup! baking great recipe is so conforting :-)
Sophie
May new favourite chocolate cake recipe.
I spontaneously made this one evening after watching the video: it is really simple, quick to put together (you probably have all ingredients at home) and ready to eat within 2 (?) hours. Colourful sprinkles are a must for wonderfully cheerful contrast. And it would keep really well in the fridge for a few days… if only it weren’t SO delicious!
Thank you Deb for this essential recipe!
I love your manner of cooking in such a casual way. And in such a tiny working space as well. Not to mention that your recipes sound delicious!
Plus you are so pretty. Just wanted to tell you that too.
Hi Deb, Love this cake! If I wanted to add malted milk powder to the frosting how much would you suggest and what other adjustments should I make? Maybe decrease the amount of powdered sugar or chocolate?
Super Delicious -and just the perfect amount of cake as I will surely eat this all by myself over the weekend! I will only feel a little guilty…not!
The week between Christmas and New Year’s is a baking conundrum, but this cake solved all my problems. It went in during the last 10 minutes of a Premier League soccer match and came out in time to halt the My Team Lost doldrums. Its fragrance wafted downstairs to comfort a high school senior frantically completing college applications. Sliced and served when I feared it was still too warm, it held its shape and was a perfect foil for a box of strawberries in need of a snacking partner. And because it was so chocolatey and delicious, it’s almost gone and I don’t have to spend a moment wrapping up leftovers. Happy holidays, Deb. You’re my favorite person.
Such a fun looking cake and very good, although I think the frosting is very subtle and could be a little more chocolaty. Maybe this is personal preference? I appreciate how easy the recipe is to make. For buttermilk I used almost 3/4 cup whole milk with 2 T vinegar, let sit for 10 minutes. Easy sub when you don’t have buttermilk. My square dish wasn’t available so I used a round cake pan. perfect!
I just want to pop back here to say this is a classic, easy and absolutely delicious cake that always gets finished in our house. I would go as far as saying this has become my go-to chocolate cake.
This year, I made it for my toddler’s birthday and it came out beautifully, even with his help.