Anyone have a great WH Chocolate Cake Recipe?

[GlorifiedRice]

Hi

I decided that Im gonna make all my desserts with Whole Wheat flour...

I made this one the other day and it is dry and no chocolate flavor

http://www.wholegraingourmet.com/recipes/41-cake/25-decadent-chocolate-cake.html

Anyone got a truly decadent rich, moist WH chocolate cake?

[annabelle]

Why did you decide you want to do this, GR? Whole wheat pastry flour is okay, but to my taste it needs to be cut with cake flour or AP flour or it is just too dense.

[GlorifiedRice]

Because its heathier and lower glycemic

[GlorifiedRice]

I only eat whole wheat bread (even hot dog and hamburger buns)

I love cake but i always get a food hangover afterwards and I didnt when I made that WH Chocolate Cake (from that URL above)

[prasantrin]

Did you use whole wheat pastry flour or regular whole wheat flour?

I read the comments, and not a one (though I only looked at 4 out of 7 pages of comments) complained about dryness or lack of chocolate flavour.

I suspect the problem was in execution rather than the recipe, itself.

If you're looking for "rich" and "decadent", I'd be looking for recipes that call for almond flour. Lower glycemic than recipes using all-purpose flour, though really, very few cake recipes out there are healthful. So you're sort of fooling yourself into thinking you can make a cake that is. If you want a moist cake that uses whole wheat flour, you're going to have to up the fat content--hardly making it more healthful.

Edited May 16, 2013 by prasantrin (log)

[Mjx]

My first thought was 'What sort of chocolate did you use?' 'Unsweetened' is pretty vague, and the differences in the various types out there are probably going to affect your results.

I'm inclined to recommend the Devil's food cake in The Best Recipe, swapping in wholemeal pastry flour for the plain flour (PM me if you you're interested and don't have access to the book). You'd probably need to tweak it a bit to make it work, but it is extremely chocolatey and moist, the most chocolately cake recipe I've come across (it uses cacao, not chocolate, but you bloom the cacao, which amps the chocolate factor almost unbelievably).

Apart from that, I'm inclined to agree with prasantrin's comment (I grew up in a wholemeal-only household, and wish I could say I have fond memories of the baked goods involved, but this was the era of the gnarly wholemeal goods, gritty and dry).

[djyee100]

A whole wheat devil's food cake from King Arthur Flour recipes. I haven't tried this one, but the KA recipes are usually good. I did try the whole wheat brownies, and they weren't half bad. (As you can tell, I'm not much of an enthusiast for whole wheat flour in sweets.)

Whole wheat devil's food cake:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/whole-wheat-devils-food-cake-recipe

Whole wheat brownies:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/tasting-is-believing-whole-grain-brownies-recipe

The higher protein content of whole wheat flour absorbs liquid, and that's why there are complaints of dryness in the resulting baked goods...or so I surmise.

I like prasantrin's suggestion about almond flour. Actually, nut flours are used in Eastern European and Scandanavian baking, with yummy results. Much tastier than whole wheat flour, IMO.

[ChrisZ]

Because its heathier and lower glycemic

Have you considered ditching flour altogether and using almond meal (or other nut meals) instead? Better in every way.

[GlorifiedRice]

I used WW PASTRY flour. (Why Im shortening it to WH in the title is beyond me! LOL)<br />I measured exactly and followed the recipe exactly. I think.<br /><br />Maybe Im used to Devils Food cakes and Im thinking that all chocolate cakes should taste like that.<br /><br /><br />Im not a baker, so this is all new to me. Usually I resort to a mix. and no one makes a Whole Wheat Chocolate Cake mix.

[Mjx]

The dryness may have been due to a bit too much flour; when you're working with volume, it's really hard to control how much flour you're getting. Maybe try again with a couple tablespoons less flour? If you have a scale, weigh your volume measures for future reference, so when you get things just right, you can replicate it.

[HungryC]

I've used the King Arthur WW chocolate cake recipes, and they're pretty tasty. But all use a blend of WW and AP; I don't think any of them is 100% WW.

Your complaint seems to be about the lack of chocolate flavor, rather than the cake's texture. I suggest changing brands of cocoa powder, adding a tiny bit of instant coffee/espresso to the cake, and/or using part melted unsweetened chocolate to flavor the batter. Seriously, though, start with a quality cocoa powder...not dutched, but natural.

[Mjx]

I've used the King Arthur WW chocolate cake recipes, and they're pretty tasty. But all use a blend of WW and AP; I don't think any of them is 100% WW.

Your complaint seems to be about the lack of chocolate flavor, rather than the cake's texture. I suggest changing brands of cocoa powder, adding a tiny bit of instant coffee/espresso to the cake, and/or using part melted unsweetened chocolate to flavor the batter. Seriously, though, start with a quality cocoa powder...not dutched, but natural.

HungryC, the recipe GR used only uses chocolate, not cacao at all!

[HungryC]

I've used the King Arthur WW chocolate cake recipes, and they're pretty tasty. But all use a blend of WW and AP; I don't think any of them is 100% WW.

Your complaint seems to be about the lack of chocolate flavor, rather than the cake's texture. I suggest changing brands of cocoa powder, adding a tiny bit of instant coffee/espresso to the cake, and/or using part melted unsweetened chocolate to flavor the batter. Seriously, though, start with a quality cocoa powder...not dutched, but natural.

HungryC, the recipe GR used only uses chocolate, not cacao at all!

Well, that's an easy thing to fix. Add 1/4 or more of quality cocoa powder! More chocolate is better. Isnt' that the first rule of chocolate baking?

[annabelle]

I only eat whole wheat bread (even hot dog and hamburger buns)

I love cake but i always get a food hangover afterwards and I didnt when I made that WH Chocolate Cake (from that URL above)

Thanks for answering. I also eat whole grain breads, but draw the like on sweets. They are supposed to be a treat, yes? I don't like the texture of WW cakes, myself. I consider it a job well done if a dessert has fruit in it.

All that said, have you thought about skipping the flour altogether and making a flourless chocolate cake?

Edited May 16, 2013 by annabelle (log)

[Mjx]

. . . . I suggest changing brands of cocoa powder, adding a tiny bit of instant coffee/espresso to the cake, and/or using part melted unsweetened chocolate to flavor the batter. Seriously, though, start with a quality cocoa powder...not dutched, but natural.

HungryC, the recipe GR used only uses chocolate, not cacao at all!

Well, that's an easy thing to fix. Add 1/4 or more of quality cocoa powder! More chocolate is better. Isnt' that the first rule of chocolate baking?

Absolutely Something would have to be adjusted to compensate for the increased amount of dry ingredient, though.

[HungryC]

The Omega 3 chocolate cake from the KA website is nice. Not WW, but plenty of flax. Bakes up beautifully, definitely NOT dry.

[tomweir]

I would do a French style five or six egg chocolate cake and substitute the flour entirely with ground almonds. Moist, flavor filled, gluten free.

1 cup salted butter

9 oz dark and semi-sweet chocolate, very best quality.

6 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

3/8 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup ground almonds

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

[Alleguede]

Hi,

I have read throught the different posts. Whole wheat flour is a little tricky. It has many proteins but a weak gluten. Also the bran in your flour makes it much heavier. It will absorb the water but not really bind it ( not sure if that is clear). You can eventually try using a different type of flour like spelt, or a durum flour. As for your health choice, I can suggest you grains like red fife or osprey that are older grains. We have had decent results with gluten sensitive people.

I can only agree with the others as to replace flour by nuts/nut pastes but it doesn't work that easily as a converted element. Flourless, could be a way to go but you will need to add yolks to bind your sponges/cakes.

Chocolate depending on the result you want demands stronger bitterness or not. You can enhance the flavor with cocoa powder such as extra brute or cocoa mass.

Good luck

[GlorifiedRice]

I made that King Arthur Devils Food Cake, it looks wonderful and smells fabulous!

I used 100% WW pastry flour, a few extra squares melted chocolate and added an extra 1/2 cup milk.

One I will frost with ganache and the other Ill have with the Cool Whip chocolate frosting...

Its perfect! Nice and moist and great chocolate flavor! YaY!

TY

[annabelle]

I'm glad you found one you think will work for you. (I am also secretly pleased that you are eating CoolWhip. *cyber-fistbump*) Please let us know how it turned out.

[Rozin Abbas]

Does WW flour impart any flavours that make it interesting? That's one of the things I enjoy about using a variety of flours in pasta making, as it lends a specific kind of texture or flavour that makes it more interesting. Pizzoccheri is a perfect example of this.

@HungryC: Good lord ... That cake looks fantastic.

Because its heathier and lower glycemic

Whole wheat flour isn't "healthier." It's something perpetuated to the uninformed who readily accept such notions. (Unfortunately examining study methodology isn't exactly up everyone's alley, so I suggest Alan Aragon's Research Review as well as his body of work for reliable, analytical, myth-busting genius). If core refined flours aren't making up almost your entire diet then you have no reason to start baking whole-wheat cakes.

Edited May 18, 2013 by Rozin Abbas (log)

[GlorifiedRice]

Whole Wheat is healthier than White Flour..

It has more fiber and the fiber slows the absorption of the carbs

It also has more nutritional content

[Mjx]

Whole Wheat is healthier than White Flour..

It has more fiber and the fiber slows the absorption of the carbs

It also has more nutritional content

In an absolute sense, this is true, but unless you're eating a lot of cake (which I doubt, since it sounds like you care about your health), the difference is not going to be anywhere near as significant as it is when you switch from white bread to wholemeal bread. Part of this has to do with the fact that, compared to bread, cake has proportionally less flour, and a good deal more sugar and fat. While the fibre may slow the absorption of carbs, there is so much more sugar, the effect is pretty much cancelled out.

When it comes to sweets, if you can get results you love using wholemeal flour, that's great, but I wouldn't make myself crazy over it.

[prasantrin]

I love the idea of serving cool whip with a more "healthful" cake. The contradiction tickles me pink!

[Rozin Abbas]

Whole Wheat is healthier than White Flour..

It has more fiber and the fiber slows the absorption of the carbs

It also has more nutritional content

Merely based on semantics, I don't believe in foods being "healthier" or foods being "unhealthy." This implies that somehow they make a difference in a small space of time. Rather, there are "healthy" and "unhealthy" diets since their composition over an extended period of time are what matter. This is why it makes no sense for a person to complain about consuming cake if it's a rare occasion It makes even less sense for someone who is active, as metabolic and cardiovascular diseases are incredibly rare amongst athletes despite their high intake of sucrose, fructose, and refined core grains.

Now, to me, if whole wheat were healthier then eating 100% whole wheat should mean it's better than eating 80% whole wheat. A great meta-analysis by Peter Williams in Nutrition Reviews concluded the following:

The totality of evidence shows that consumption of up to 50% of all grain foods as core refined-grain foods

(defined as foods based on refined grains without significant added fat, sugar, or sodium) is not associated with any increase in disease risk. Nonetheless, eating more whole-grain foods remains an important health recommendation, and most consumers will need to reduce their current consumption of refined grains to no more than one-third to one-half of all grains in order to meet the targets for whole-grain foods. It needs to be noted that this conclusion about refined grains only applies to core refined-grain cereal foods. In all communications with the public, the importance of limiting cereal-based foods that are high in added fat, sugar, and sodium still needs to be emphasized.

Cool right?

As a side note, this isn't a "study" per se. It's a meta-analysis, which examines a large body of studies to conclude what is known about a certain topic. So, you see, eating up to 50% of your diet from core refined grains is fine. I don't entirely agree with everything he says because it does seem like he has a "whole wheat agenda" but I provided this quote from someone who essentially has that kind of agenda and still is telling people that 50% from refined sources is FINE.

And more fibre and nutrients doesn't always mean something GOOD. Why can we consume 50% more core refined grains without any negative health effects? Here is why I have never forced myself to eat whole wheat rice:

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Comparison of the nutritional value between brown rice and white rice

Callegaro Mda D, Tirapegui J. Arq Gastroenterol. 1996 Oct-Dec;33(4):225-31.

Cereals are considered an important source of nutrients both in human and animal nourishment. In this paper nutritional value of brown rice is compared to that of white rice in relation to nutrients. Results show that despite higher nutrients contents of brown rice compared to white rice, experimental data does not provide evidence that the brown rice diet is better than the diet based on white rice. Possible antinutritional factors present in brown rice have adverse effects on bioavailability of this cereal nutrients.

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I want it to be made known I'm not trying to make you a cake-eating fiend. Rather, you can relax a bit and realize it's OKAY to eat something here and there. Stress, more than anything, is worse for you than your dietary habits. Unfortunately, stress isn't as chic and suave as dietary restrictions.

As one last note, some people believe the following notion: "You can find any study to support any position." The only people who believe that are people who don't understand methodology or the scientific method.

Ultimately, it's your decision. I honestly feel bad for people who worry about what they're always eating, how they should eat, etc. Food is a magical, wonderful thing. I only have one life and I refuse to miss out on the majestic world of food. That's why I exercise regularly so that I can not worry about food.

Edited May 19, 2013 by Rozin Abbas (log)