(but we still found the cake delish . Thanks. ps: your banana bread recipe CHANGED MY LIFE. Ill have to give this a try for comparison. But seriously, that post about the carvel ice cream cake weeks ago is still haunting me. Next time, Ill try your cake recipe, too (only remembered I wanted to try this when the other one was in the oven!). I bet you could put in the same amount of cinnamon, for a Mexican chocolate vibe.). How will this work in a loaf pan?! Overall, absolutely delightful and delicious and will definitely enter my cake rotation. Im making this now for my little girls second birthday. So easy, I love that its not huge and the batter is deliciousnot that I tasted it ;). Or should I be strong by hand? Deb, Ive just noticed you forgot to mention the buttermilk when adding ingredients. Ive put it in an 8 inch round, cut in half and created a half layer cake. Just finished frosting the cake and Id recommend adding the salt. I guess it isnt done. Oh my gosh, this is happening tonight. I like the ease of this cake; every now and again I too just crave something like this mid-week, but dont feel like making a whole thing out of it. Hi, I really want to make a chocolate orange cake. To make the homemade version I used this recipe with sour cream, 1/3 cup coffee liquor, and added chocolate chips to the batter. My mind is blown! I know better than that. I laughed at the we cut it into 16 small squares. We ate cake outside and in the rain because thats how it goes in quarantine. I felt bonded to this woman Id never met through your cookbook. 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. 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. I made this cake for Christmas and it was extremely delicious. Susan Im not, although I may not have declared it behind me until 17-18 weeks. Im making this for my book club tonight and wanted to time it so I could ice the thing and then hop in the car and head out, only my icing is not fluffy but oily!!! Its expensive and I wouldnt encourage anyone to seek it out (I tend to price it out online, buy it in bulk and split it with baker friends) unless theyve tried it and, like me, found it impossible to buy anything else after that. Im here to tell ya, the frosting totally makes the cake! Thanks for sharing! My name for this cake is Why Havent You Baked Me Earlier Cake. 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. I really want it with chocolate custard, like the school dinners I remember as a child. Keep it in the fridge. I have some too-ripe bananas hanging around, and Id like to throw them into this recipe. Trying to make up my mind which to make tomorrow . This is so totally the wrong place for this, but I will ask anyway. 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. And the cardio/working out/yoga that followed. I cant find her recipe anywhere and am excited to try yours to see if I can make the dreams stop! Thanks for responding! I made this with regular cocoa powder from Trader Joes and it turned out amazing!! I have enjoyed the recipes although my husband and I find them quite fussy (we find your title misleading). Congrats! Could it be made in a sheet pan? A few weeks ago I was laying around feeling sorry for myself and my all-day sickness (morning sickness is a very inaccurate name!) HIGHLY recommend a mix of strong coffee and yogurt in place of the buttermilk, per the notes. It turned out so beautifully. I just asked my boyfriend what chocolate afternoon snack should I have today? I mean, its definitely on the sweet side, like all powdered sugar buttercreams. Next time Ill try taking them out after 15 or 16 minutes instead. Hope you feel better soon! This will be the first time hes been away for his birthday. Monday was my birthday. The cake is heavy, not sweet, a chore to eat, and the only redeeming thing about it is the frosting and thats because it has a half cup of butter in it! TMI? 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. Used Dutched cocoa I keep it on hand because I love the deep color and flavor. Such a perfect moist crumb on this cake it must be the buttermilk! Hosted by Pressable. Im 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. Some more info about coffee acidity can be found here. (fwiw-I used Sharfenberger unsweetened. I froze it and it thawed out great. Thanks! Im also pregnant and wanted chocolate cake so badly last week that I was practically begging anyone who would listen to bring some to me! Thank you for an awesome cooking blog! Did I let it get too cool before I used it? You just make the most lovely things. Was a bit nervous as we were having lunch at a v nice Italian restaurant and then coming back here for cake, but neednt have worried massive win and everybody demanded the recipe. Would that work? will take more time than simply making the frosting right then. Thanks! Not sweet-sweet, as in my younger kid will eat it, but I would like a lesser amount to suit adult (our) tastes. Fantastic recipe!! Sometimes when I really need chocolate cake I cant find this recipe! 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). Even the kiddies liked it! Nice job, as always, Deb. I baked it in a 8 square glass pan for 25 minutes. This was the perfect amount of batter for 12 cupcakes. I cant wait. I halved the frosting, and it was a breeze to make. 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 want real cake made with real butter and real sugar and good chocolate, I just try to limit portion size. Nailed it! 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. Forgot to add I only put in 130 grams of sugar because of marmalade. Its a winner. For a cake like this, thats flexible, you can use either what you get in volume (from your 1/2 cup) or weight (145 grams) and youll be fine. Its a very busy page, even with my ad blocker, so itd be nice if you could put up a Print Recipe link or some other manner to make it more legible. I find melting and cooling the chocolate to be the most annoying task, and have seen recipes that simply call for cocoa powder instead. I havent made one since a family birthday version last summer, but this looks awfully tempting. I cant wait!!!! Scoop the frosting onto the cooled chocolate cake and swirl it around. I wish this had been in the notes! Im not normally a chocolate cake person, but Ive been crazy for it this week. Ok, so I just made this cake. 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. Should the butter quantity for the frosting be 1/2 cup or 4 oz? I dont even like frosting but Im drooling at the sight of yours! All that to say, I enjoyed a piece of your chocolate cake for breakfast enormously. I will be making a mid-afternoon trip (through the snow!) What did I do wrong? Hi! I am a big chocolate cake lover, and this looks amazing. And in case anyone who ever reads this comment wondered the same thing as me, I actually used two whole eggs, as I didnt want a random egg white floating around that Id have to account for. The icing was fluffy goodness perfectly spreadable, delightfully lickable. Megan You could halve this in a 6-inch round. 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. but this cake is such a nice size, with a good frosting-to-cake ratio. Sad but true. Generously butter sides of pan and parchment round. I saw the title and that you started yours really late in the day too. ps Rebecca @ DisplacedHousewife, i didnt 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! Exact same pregnancy cravings, as I sit here eating another PB on English muffin. you know, something about being in the family way (im assuming thats whats going on???) 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. Ill quadruple the recipe (think I have that right!). Glad you enjoyed the cake in the end. I will never go back to regular. I made this (in a Transformer-shaped silicone cake pan) for my sons 6 year old birthday party last weekend. I like a center filled with frosting, which is one reason I have never been enamored of cupcakes either. Thanks for the fantastic recipe. :). The five-year-old said, as I was cutting, make sure that I dont just get a sliver!. Four years ago: Pina Colada Cake I learned this the hard way :). Does it bake well this way? It would be impossible to overstate the urgency of such a desire! Coffee does rank about 5, making it an acid. @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. The first time, I left out half the flour, so the cupcakes arent very cake-y, but they are delicious (and there are few sins frosting wont hide). Thanks DEB!!!! Hi, I used microwave chocolate mug cake when I had this craving, 5 min crave to product time. For softening butter, what anne said (I like to cut it in pieces first, so theres no melty spot in the middle of a big stick). Youll want the full yield of frosting for each layer, especially if youre covering the sides. If so, should I alter the other ingredients? Deb: Dont worry if it looks lumpy! Its an okay price, at least. Hi Deb! Do I still need to mix dry ingredients separately first? It is now known as The Cake in our house. The cake itself isnt very sweet, in hopes to provide contrast. I only made a half batch, iced the gift cupcake generously, and had enough to adequately ice the rest. Have a great one Deb! anyway, this is my go-to frosting recipe from now on! Thanks a lot Deb! Thank you for sharing the recipe. :). Best chocolate cake ever. I miss being able to download your recipes directly from your posts. Thank you!! I also didnt have unsweetened chocolate so I used a couple TBS of cocoa powder in the frosting. Looks amazing, making this today (because quarantine). The baking time was about 35 minutes, all told. What I loved about it is that it was not too sweet which made the frosting necessary and special. 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). Its 10pm otherwise Id get it started right now. Also can you recommend a baking pan for this cake? I tried to make this one today and it burnt to a crisp, even with my oven at the right temperature. If I dont have unsweetened chocolate on hand but have a 70% cacao (or higher) chocolate, will this work? Nina Not sure was the melted chocolate cooled? Can I halve this recipe to fit a round six inch cake pan? several times a year) and if anything, its on the sweet side. No, the recipe is correct and what youve written is not. I subbed joghurt for the buttermilk and reduced sugar to 100 g (sorry my German taste buds cant handle the original sweetness ) and used white spelt flour instead of wheat flour. I cant wait to make this. You mention that the frosting is generous for an 88, but is it enough to cover a 913 (to satisfaction)? Thoughts on a little white vinegar in regular milk to make buttermilk? O.M.G. Not sure how much it holds, but probably. It came out slightly dry. I feel like Im talking to a celebrity!! Have visited this page many times, but thinking about making it for the first time for my roommates birthday! 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. Is dont 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? Generously butter the bottom and sides of three 8 round cake pans. Ive doubled the recipe and its currently in the oven in a 913. If so, then it was the decrease in sugar. That said ive found most buttercream frostings to be too sweet so I dialed the sugar back to 2/3 of whats suggested here and it was perfect. chocolatey without being overwhelmingly rich (and thus, every excuse for a second slice ;-)). I have made this several times and absolutely love it! good luck and thanks for the beautiful cake! It was rich but not overwhelming for little mouths and got rave reviews from the grownups too. Youll want to make 4x this recipe; it makes 1 dozen. It was really easy, nice treat. The Best Smitten Kitchen Recipes, According to Eater Editors The only thing available to me that was vaguely cake-sized and shaped was a glass pie dish. It was incredible. I just made your best birthday cake with the addition of chocolate chips for my fiances birthday, and he requested a chocolate buttercream frosting. One year ago: Morning Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel (you should totally make it this weekend) I noticed Mels comment, but was wondering if you have any ideas about making this frosting without a hand/ stand mixer. Is this the chocolate frosting that was on the Monkey Cake, because that was amazing, and got rave reviews at my sons birthday party! Ive made your version of this food processor frosting a bajillion times and its amazing. OH.MY.GOD. And, you know, now. I added slightly more salt just to bring out the flavour of the chocolate but all in all perfect! It came out perfectly baked, not very risen. Deb- Yes! You really should regulate your comments. Are you clicking the print icon below the recipe? 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. Let the pound cake cool completely. I want chocolate cake! 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! I have 2 teenage boys. I cooked the cake for 20 minutes in a 9 inch round pan and it was slightly over done. 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. Is it true that 1/2 teaspoon sea salt has about 1/2 the sodium of table salt? Ive had so much trouble finding good ones. 5 minutes outside on a winter day, its good to go. For the buttermilk substitution, could you use stout in this? Also I only made 1/2 the frosting (good gravy, so much butter!) Its a recipe like this that makes me want to brave the snow and go to the grocery store to get the ingredients. This is a truly great cake!! I hope I can get to the bottom of it. Holy stinkin cow this cake is GOOD! The batter is a touch saltier but I like that in a layer against such a sweet frosting. 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. This is the cake that inspired me to comment. I liked that it was not too sweet so the sweet buttercream was a nice compliment. The only edit I would make is to halve the amount of frosting. Turns out baby now had taste buds! Also, for the buttermilk, I mixed 1/2 cup black tea with 1/4 cup yogurt, and that worked really well. 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 Debs 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.