Finding the Best Chocolate Cake Recipe (Part 1)

[middydd]

I love the Black Magic Cake also, especially with a few tweaks. I decrease the sugar significantly (instead of 2 cups, I use 1 1/3), I use half the amount of salt, nonfat plain yogurt instead of buttermilk, and brewed espresso instead of coffee.

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My tweak to the original Black Magic cake recipe is to melt about 2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate in the coffee before adding it to the cake batter. It rounds out and deepens the chocolate flavour.

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Sounds good. Do you use the original sugar and salt amounts? Do you use espresso or strong coffee?

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I follow the original recipe exactly and just add the bittersweet chocolate. The result is very much like the Epicurious Double Chocolate Cake recipe but makes a slightly smaller cake.

[middydd]

My tweak to the original Black Magic cake recipe is to melt about 2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate in the coffee before adding it to the cake batter. It rounds out and deepens the chocolate flavour.

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Sounds good. Do you use the original sugar and salt amounts? Do you use espresso or strong coffee?

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I follow the original recipe exactly and just add the bittersweet chocolate. The result is very much like the Epicurious Double Chocolate Cake recipe but makes a slightly smaller cake.

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Oh, and the coffee is decaf Starbucks Sumatra, it's fairly strong. Never tried it with espresso but it sounds good.

[merstar]

I use a decaf espresso - it's very very strong - you'd never know if was decaf. It really enhances and deepens the chocolate taste. I'm going to try your idea with the bittersweet chocolate next time with all my tweaks. It should be great.

[Patrick S]

Oh, and the coffee is decaf Starbucks Sumatra, it's fairly strong. Never tried it with espresso but it sounds good.

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You have good taste. Fresh ground Sumatran and Kenyan beans are both awesome to use with chocolate. I like the convenience of espresso powder, and as long as it is kinda in the background in a cake, tastes just fine. But if I am using a ganache that calls for espresso, for instance, I always use very strong coffee made with Sumatran or Kenyan beans. Its the same difference between instant coffee and fresh ground.

[merstar]

Oh, and the coffee is decaf Starbucks Sumatra, it's fairly strong. Never tried it with espresso but it sounds good.

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You have good taste. Fresh ground Sumatran and Kenyan beans are both awesome to use with chocolate. I like the convenience of espresso powder, and as long as it is kinda in the background in a cake, tastes just fine. But if I am using a ganache that calls for espresso, for instance, I always use very strong coffee made with Sumatran or Kenyan beans. Its the same difference between instant coffee and fresh ground.

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I think you misunderstood. We were talking about using brewed espresso or brewed decaf espresso, not instant.

[Patrick S]

Oh, and the coffee is decaf Starbucks Sumatra, it's fairly strong. Never tried it with espresso but it sounds good.

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You have good taste. Fresh ground Sumatran and Kenyan beans are both awesome to use with chocolate. I like the convenience of espresso powder, and as long as it is kinda in the background in a cake, tastes just fine. But if I am using a ganache that calls for espresso, for instance, I always use very strong coffee made with Sumatran or Kenyan beans. Its the same difference between instant coffee and fresh ground.

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I think you misunderstood. We were talking about using brewed espresso or brewed decaf espresso, not instant.

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My bad. For me its a moot point though, because I find that the very fine, powdery grind used for espresso makes it taste overwhelmingly bitter and generally not as good as plain old strong coffee made with a coarser grind. Maybe I just haven't had good espresso?

[merstar]

Oh, and the coffee is decaf Starbucks Sumatra, it's fairly strong. Never tried it with espresso but it sounds good.

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You have good taste. Fresh ground Sumatran and Kenyan beans are both awesome to use with chocolate. I like the convenience of espresso powder, and as long as it is kinda in the background in a cake, tastes just fine. But if I am using a ganache that calls for espresso, for instance, I always use very strong coffee made with Sumatran or Kenyan beans. Its the same difference between instant coffee and fresh ground.

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I think you misunderstood. We were talking about using brewed espresso or brewed decaf espresso, not instant.

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My bad. For me its a moot point though, because I find that the very fine, powdery grind used for espresso makes it taste overwhelmingly bitter and generally not as good as plain old strong coffee made with a coarser grind. Maybe I just haven't had good espresso?

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I know what you mean. I used to get a nice "sweet" (can't think of a decent description, but it's less harsh), decaf espresso blend at Fairway when I lived in Manhattan, but alas, those days are over. So now, what I do is, I buy some ground espresso (luckily, I have a very good source, but it's not as "sweet" as the Fairway blend), and I add some decaf hazelnut to it to round it off/take the edge off, and give it a slightly sweeter taste. I make espresso very strong, actually in a drip coffeemaker, and drink it in mugs with a touch of half and half. Since I drink a much larger portion than a typical shot of espresso, I need the edge taken off a little, so the decaf hazelnut works great. I do about 5 rounded Tbsp espresso to 2 heaping Tbsp hazelnut. It's still very strong, but delicious. When I was in Spain, I used to always get Cafe Cortado, which is a shot of espresso with a tiny bit of milk on top - I can't quite take it straight!

As far as adding to cakes, it's also a matter of how bittersweet one's taste runs. I tend to like desserts very bittersweet, as opposed to a few years ago, when I liked things a little less bittersweet, and a few years before that when I liked things even less bittersweet, and many many moons ago, when I hated anything bittersweet and only liked milk chocolate. LOL

Edited January 20, 2006 by merstar (log)

[DiH]

I made the Double Chocolate Cake the other day... and I now totally understand what true addiction is. Ultra high rising, ultra moist and ultra chocolatey... I'm SOLD!

Di

Edited January 21, 2006 by DiH (log)

[freddurf]

Here's my favourite chocolate cake. (It's CanadianBakin's favourite recipe too!  ) I don't use the frosting recipe, though. My old favourite recipe was a dark chocolate one by Martha Stewart.

(From Epicurious)

Ingredients:

3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut

1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee

3 cups sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)

2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

3 large eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Method

Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease pans. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper.

Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well. Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

Here's what the cake looks like out of the oven, cooling. I like how the cake bakes up evenly, and it is rich and moist with a tender crumb. It is not too sweet, and goes nicely with Italian buttercreams.

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Ling, I made your cake yesterday and it was so good. Very moist with lots of chocolate flavor! Is this one still your favorite or have you found a better one within this thread?

[Ling]

Hi Fred, this is the same recipe that has been re-worked a few times...I believe the new version calls for slightly less sugar, and 1.5 ounces unsweetened and 1.5 ounces bittersweet chocolate. Also, half the vegetable oil has been replaced with melted butter for better flavour.

Here's a link to the revised version: updated Double chocolate cake recipe, from Epicurious

I like both the original recipe and the one that was re-worked by some very talented bakers in this thread. I haven't had them side by side, but they are obviously very similar in taste, with the re-worked version having a deeper flavour and being slightly less sweet.

Edited January 22, 2006 by Ling (log)

[freddurf]

I've tried both versions and you're right, the first one is sweeter than the revised one. I filled the first one with a chocolate caramel ganache, so it really satisfied my sweet tooth.

[Ling]

I've tried both versions and you're right, the first one is sweeter than the revised one.  I filled the first one with a chocolate caramel ganache, so it really satisfied my sweet tooth.

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Did you use PH's caramel ganache recipe? That's my absolute favourite thing with this particular chocolate cake recipe!

[freddurf]

Yes, that's the one. So good! Does anyone know if I substituted dark choc. for the milk choc. if it would cut down on the sweetness? I'm wondering if it would mess up the scientific part of the recipe by changing the fat and cocoa solid ratio. (should I post this question on the PH thread?)

[Patrick S]

Yes, that's the one.  So good!  Does anyone know if I substituted dark choc. for the milk choc. if it would cut down on the sweetness?

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I do this all the time, and it works fine.

[freddurf]

Thanks Patrick. I'll try that next time.

[Anna Skigin]

I made the Double Chocolate Cake. I filled it with ganache to which I added some prunes and walnuts. That was GREAT! I also tried to freese the ready cake and it was as tasty as the fresh one. I slightly changed the recipe - added less sugar and more chocolate

[CaliPoutine]

I just got the new MSL and there is a devil's food cake that looks good. Anyone try that?

Here is the recipe.

3 sticks butter

3/4 cup dutch process cocoa

1/2 cup boiling water

3 cups cake flour

1 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/4 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 tbls vanilla

1 cup milk.

There is an accompanying recipe for Mrs. Milman's frosting which includes chocolate chips( the recipe specifies using cheap supermarket choc. chips) and corn syrup and heavy cream.

[merstar]

I haven't tried it, but I can tell by looking at the ingredients, it would be too sweet and not chocolatey enough for me - too much sugar and butter in proportion to the cocoa.

If you want a fantastic Devil's Food Cake, try the "Devil's Food Cake with Fluffy White Frosting" from Chocolatier. I've made it at least 3 times, and both the taste and texture are excellent. I omit the white frosting, and almost double the chocolate ganache filling, which I use for both the frosting and filling.

***Caution: The recipe doesn't indicate this, but use greased and dusted parchment paper for the layers (I dust it with cocoa powder). Otherwise, the cake layers are so moist they stick to the pans like glue! (Don't ask about the horrible time I had getting them out of the pans the first time I made this cake).

http://www.godiva.com/recipes/recipe.asp?id=518

Edited January 28, 2006 by merstar (log)

[Patrick S]

I just got the new MSL and there is a devil's food cake that looks good.  Anyone try that?

Here is the recipe.

3 sticks butter

3/4 cup dutch process cocoa

1/2 cup boiling water

3 cups cake flour

1 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/4 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 tbls vanilla

1 cup milk.

There is an accompanying recipe for Mrs. Milman's frosting which includes chocolate chips( the recipe specifies using cheap supermarket choc. chips) and corn syrup and heavy cream.

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That recipe is almost identical to the "Ms. D's Chocolate Cake" I tried a few months back. While maybe not my favorite overall, Ms. D's had in my opinion a great buttery flavor.

[skyflyer3]

I made the latest version on Sunday for my spouse's bday.  I wasnt that impressed.  It was a tad dry( I might have overbaked a bit) and while it was very chocolaty, I found it no better than my go to chocolate cake( Black Magic by Hershey's).  I frosted with a sour cream ganache and used some cherry butter in between the layers.

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I made this cake last night (this time mixing the butter with the other wet ingredients), and found it a little dry as well. I think I may have overbaked it, though - I kept doing the toothpick test, and getting crumbs on the tester. It was springing back fine, though. How do y'all gauge done-ness for this one?

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Ok, I tried this recipe one more time, with full-fat buttermilk, 3/4 cup oil and 4 oz butter, split over three pans for 45 minutes, and the cake came out very nice. Moist, good flavor, very soft texture - almost too soft. Someone told me there wasn't enough protein holding this puppy together. I used cake flour vs. AP - should I switch to AP and give it another try?

I also tried the Hershey's Black Magic Cake, and the texture was good, the flavor was ok. Actually, it was a lot like a cake mix cake. My current fave continues to be Cooks Illustrated Velvet Chocolate Cake. It doesn't rise as much as the Double Chocolate Cake does, but I love the flavor and texture combination.

[Dailey]

i tried the hersheys black magic cake as well and had similair results as skyflyer3, definitley not my favorite.

i'm gonna have to try the CI chocolate velvet cake, scott woolleys brownie cake is my absolute favorite but its always fun trying out different recipes.

[merstar]

Cook's Illustrated's CHOCOLATE SOUR CREAM BUNDT CAKE is superb. Very deep, deep chocolatey with a fine crumb. Even better when wrapped and left to sit out overnight.

Edited February 3, 2006 by merstar (log)

[skyflyer3]

I made the Chocolate Chiffon Cake from Spago Chocolate, and I think it is tops of all the recipes I've tried so far. Good chocolate flavor, nice well-developed crumb, excellent structure - I love it. The only thing I would change is that I wish it were a little more dense, as it is more of a spongy cake. But otherwise, it is fantastic. I filled it with a light whipped milk chocolate ganache with chopped almonds, and finished it with a dark chocolate glaze - so tasty!

[Patrick S]

I made the Chocolate Chiffon Cake from Spago Chocolate, and I think it is tops of all the recipes I've tried so far.  Good chocolate flavor, nice well-developed crumb, excellent structure - I love it.  The only thing I would change is that I wish it were a little more dense, as it is more of a spongy cake.  But otherwise, it is fantastic.  I filled it with a light whipped milk chocolate ganache with chopped almonds, and finished it with a dark chocolate glaze - so tasty!

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I tried that back in Jan 05, and also loved it. IIRC, Fernwood loved it too. If you want to make it more dense, maybe you could just leave the whites unbeaten, or use less whites?

[skyflyer3]

I made the Chocolate Chiffon Cake from Spago Chocolate, and I think it is tops of all the recipes I've tried so far.  Good chocolate flavor, nice well-developed crumb, excellent structure - I love it.  The only thing I would change is that I wish it were a little more dense, as it is more of a spongy cake.  But otherwise, it is fantastic.  I filled it with a light whipped milk chocolate ganache with chopped almonds, and finished it with a dark chocolate glaze - so tasty!

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I tried that back in Jan 05, and also loved it. IIRC, Fernwood loved it too. If you want to make it more dense, maybe you could just leave the whites unbeaten, or use less whites?

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Patrick - Do you like it better than the other cakes tested on this thread? Let me know your thoughts on the comparisons.