We’re tying up loose ends in preparation of not only the start of a new month, but a brand (Chinese) new year. We’re cleaning out our queue, which includes a recipe and post for That Chocolate Cake.
Wait, which chocolate cake?
That Chocolate Cake. You know, That Chocolate Cake from Scharffen Berger’s Essence of Chocolate cookbook. That Chocolate Cake with rich, moist layers, and a thick, creamy frosting. That Chocolate Cake that you will bake every time. For all time.
Oh.
That Chocolate Cake.
We originally baked the cake for National Chocolate Cake Day (January 27), but we had trouble typing up the post with all that frosting on our fingers. So we’re posting it up now. With a note that yes, yes we did get all kinds of greedy and actually baked an additional half-recipe to make a third layer for the cake.
We weren’t unhappy about that.
You won’t be either.
That Chocolate Cake
from The Essence of Chocolate cookbook
makes 1 9-inch round cake, 8-10 servings
Ingredients:
for the cake:
Unsalted butter and flour for pans
2 cups granulated sugar
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup canola oil
1 cup whole milk
1 cup boiling water
for the frosting:
1¼ cups granulated sugar
1 cup heavy cream
5 ounces 99% Cacao Unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions:
To Make Frosting:
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and cream and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and simmer for 6 minutes. Add the chocolate and butter and stir until melted. Pour into a bowl and stir in the vanilla.
Let the frosting cool, whisking gently from time to time. Don’t overwhip or you’ll create air bubbles.
To Bake Cake:
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter the bottom of two 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom with parchment paper, then butter and flour the parchment and the sides of the pans.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, mixing on low speed. Mix in the eggs, oil, and milk.
Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the water. The batter will be soupy.
Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then turn the layers out onto the rack and cool completely.
When the cakes have cooled, check the frosting. It should have the consistency of mayonnaise. If it is still too thin, allow it to cool longer.
To Frost Cake:
Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread the frosting with a hot palette knife or icing spatula to give the frosting a beautiful shine. Run the knife under hot tap water and dry with a towel. Spread about ¾ cup of the frosting over the top of the first layer. Top with the second layer. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake, heating the knife again as necessary.
{ 52 comments… read them below or add one }
Fantastic chocolate cake!!! I definitely will try this one!!! I am a Chinese, since you mentioned Chinese new year, do you wanna try this “apple dumpling recipe “?
http://www.fourgreensteps.com/community/recipes/desserts-a-goodies-/baked-apple-dumplings
Just incredible!!!!Congratulations for this recipe!!!
I went to D Bar a couple weekends ago in Denver and they serve something called “Cake and Shake”. Best piece of chocolate cake to hit my taste buds. I’m going to have to try making this cake to see if it’s close.
I am also in Denver and lust for D Bar’s chocolate cake.
Did you ever try this recipe to compare? Did it measure up??
Yes. I now badly want that piece of chocolate cake! I bet you ate it without me. Sigh…
Laura
This looks beautiful! I have to try this and the frosting looks just perfect. Thanks for sharing.
And now I’m going to have to try baking it. It looks awesome.
When do you add the 1 c boiling water to the cake batter? With the milk? Combine it with the cocoa?
Just kidding, apparently I can’t read.
happens to all of us ;)
That cake was/is to die for. Way to go on the great recipe!
The cake in the picture looks wonderful, but the recipe calls for only 2 layers. I’d like the recipe for the 3 layer cake in the photographs!
Oh. My. Goodness. You’re right. I’ll never make another chocolate cake recipe again. This is life changing. Eating a slice right now. It’s incredible.
Oh, yum! This looks scrumptious!
Thanks for the great find. I made this cake on the weekend, and it was amazingly delicious.
So simple, and so delicious. Thanks for posting this.
Nice recipe but i could do it without the eggs.. thanks,..
It’s like heaven in a plate! simple, delicious and scrumptious.
Wow, this is the exact recipe for Hershey’s chocolate cake that’s listed on their box of cocoa except for the baking soda measurement. I’ve been using it for years. It’s a great cake.
I’ve made this recipe and it is outstanding. Don’t skimp on the chocolate quality, use these exact ones or similar quality, you won’t regret it!
I made this cake the other day for a farewell, and oh my!! It was rich, decadent, and such a show stopper! It is definitely “that” chocolate cake for any momentous occasion! Thanks :)
I think there is an error with the baking soda measurement. I believe it should be 1 1/2 teaspoons NOT 1/2. I followed the “Scharffen Berger That Chocolate Cake Recipe” which is identical to this recipe except for the baking soda. The cake was super moist and the frosting is superior and puts butter cream to shame. This is a keeper.
I googled Chocolate and then got this page, the chocolate cake looks amazing, simple but elegant. Thanks for sharing!
Very funny thing, you post it at the first month of 2011, and I leave this comment at the end of this year. Merry Christmas! =D
We made this cake using some enhanced butter. Mmm… highly recommended.
Gosh… I’m so confused about the frosting
I’m Brazilian and I never know the difference between the heavy cream and the canned cream we have here…. The heavy cream is fresh and doesn’t cut when it comes to a boil???
can I use any cream???
Omg…. Essentially the best chocolate cake of life . Baked it for my dads birthday and was told it was to die for. I added strawberries on top; made it even better .
Definitely understand why it is called “that” chocolate cake
Hi! I was wondering if I could use organic milk instead of whole milk? Would that change the flavor and outcome of the cake?
I tried doing this cake but all turned out wrong, the cake batter was too liquid because of the water and the cream was also too liquid I don’t know what I did wrong ://
Best recipe for a chocolate cake ever, and the frosting was great. I made it twice now; the first time with the original recipe and the second I had added orange zest and orange juice was sooo Yummmy. <3 thanks so much for the recipe.
Great cake, I made it and it was a hit….awesome.
awesome..best recipe..wt is heavy cream..can I use any cream???
I have made several different chocolate fudge cakes and was really disappointed with this recipe. My cake ended up like two hard slabs and the icing has taken over an hour to cool enough to use. Sorry won’t be using the again.
OMG, I NEED to make this – it’s stunning and I can taste the chocolate from here! :)
Thanks!
I made this cake. Easy and AMAZING. I will never use another chocolate cake recipe.
My mother baked this cake for my little one’s birthday, and it was delicious! Very moist, and the sweetness was perfect! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
i made this cake for my birthday a few years back not sure what to expect. having made it many many more times since then i can unequivocally say its the best damn chocolate cake EVER! nothing else even comes close
I’m going to try this recipe today for a couple of friends’ birthday party. Excited :) Oh and for those who don’t know what heavy cream is-it’s also called Double Cream.
I’ve been making this cake for years, and it has no equal. Just the most delicious, beautifully balanced chocolate cake. My sister, who doesn’t like cake, said it was fantastic. Love this recipe. :o)
Hi. I would love to make this cake. I just have this dilema of baking cakes with more than one layer since i have a small oven and 2 cake pans won’t fit on the same rack. How do i go about this problem? Do i bake them together, with one pan in the middle rack and the other one in the bottom? Or do i just wait for 1 to finish and then put the other one after?
Baked this cake. It’s absolutely awesome!
I just made this cake last night… AMAZING!! I ended up baking a 9×13 cake for about 29 mins… and I used 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda and baking powder per the Scharffen Berg recipe. I also used Scharffen Berg cocoa powder in the cake. It ended up being so moist and it had the perfect crumb. This recipe was very easy to follow thank you for sharing it!!
Does this frosting stay creamy at room temp or does it harden like most chocolate frostings….it looks great, I’ve been trying to find a frosting that stays creamy! Thanks
Hi, first time on your blog, i’m italian food blogger and I don’t speak very well english but I know a fantastic cake like yours!
Super!
Bye
Laura
ok so my cake is baking now but i’m kind of disappointed because the batter wasn’t enough for a 2 layer cake as I saw in the picture. I realize it said 1 9 inch cake but I saw the picture and then the directions also called for prepping two 9 inch pans so I thought it’d be enough. I suppose it’s OK if you want two thin layers…but I was making for a customer so I was afraid it’d look too short so I’ll have to make another layer as I only have enough to fill a third of the pan up.
This is simply delicious! I have to admit, I was a little skeptical of the frosting at first, but be patient, it is totally worth it! It took about 2 hours to cool. During the last half hour, I put it in the fridge and took it out to stir every 5 minutes. The cake is light and chocolatey, and the frosting has a deep chocolate flavor that is not too sweet. I multiplied the recipe by 1.5 to make 3 layers. It’s a hit with my friends!
Sincerely the best chocolate cake I have ever had! We bake it for every birthday in my house and never get tired of it! Really, really moist and the frosting is delicious. Going to keep this recipe around for a very long time.
Just baked this cake, it looks gorgeous and i cant wait to tuck in tonight :-) thanks for this simple delicious recipe..!
Chocolate…
Looks great
Hi! I was wondering how I would adjust baking time if I wanted to make this a “smash” cake size (in a 16 oz corningware dish!) Thanks!
How much orange juice did you add? Did you lessen any liquid ingredient?
I have successfully made the layered cake using three 8 inch pans.