The Easiest Chocolate Cake Food

EASY CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan; line bottom with wax paper. Butter paper; dust with cocoa powder, tapping out excess; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture alternating with sour cream, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
• Spread batter into prepared pan. Tap pan firmly on countertop several times to force out large air bubbles. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven, Cool 10 minutes in pan, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely (bottom side up). Set rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Pour glaze over; spread gently to coat entirely. Let stand until set. Garnish with chocolate shavings. Serve with whipped cream.

EASY CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Butter the base and sides of two 20cm round sandwich tins and line the bases with baking parchment.
• In a large bowl, beat together 200g golden caster sugar, 200g softened unsalted butter, 4 large eggs, 200g self-raising flour, 2 tbsp cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp vanilla extract, 2 tbsp milk and a pinch of salt until pale.
• Divide the mixture between the prepared tins. Bake for 20 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
• Leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the buttercream, put 100g chopped milk chocolate in a heatproof bowl and melt in the microwave, stirring every 30 secs. Leave the melted chocolate to cool for 5 mins.
• Mash 200g softened butter and 400g icing sugar together with a fork, then switch to a wooden spoon or electric beaters, if you have them.
• Sift in 5 tbsp cocoa powder with a pinch of salt and pour in the melted chocolate and 2 tbsp milk. Mix again until smooth.
• On a cake stand or large plate, sandwich the cakes together with half of the buttercream, then spread the rest on top. Decorate with chocolate shards, if you like.
• To make chocolate shards: melt 50g dark chocolate and pour it onto a tray lined with baking parchment or foil.
• Now melt 25g milk chocolate and 25g white chocolate and drizzle them over the dark chocolate before it sets.
• Shake the tray gently to level the mixture then leave to set somewhere cool. Chop into shards.

BASIC CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat two 9-inch-round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
• Whisk the cocoa powder and 1 1/2 cups boiling water in a medium bowl until smooth; set aside. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl until combined. Add the eggs, vegetable oil, sour cream and vanilla and beat with a mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low; beat in the cocoa mixture in a steady stream until just combined, then finish mixing with a rubber spatula. (The batter will be thin.)
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans and tap the pans against the counter to help the batter settle. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pans and turn the cakes out onto the racks to cool completely. Remove the parchment. Trim the tops of the cakes with a long serrated knife to make them level, if desired.

THE BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Arrange a rack in the center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds and lightly coat the paper with nonstick spray. Dust the bottom and sides of each pan with Dutch-process cocoa powder, tapping out excess.
• Sift the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda and baking powder into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on low speed to combine. Add the eggs, egg yolks, brown sugar, sour cream, oil, vanilla, salt and 1 cup of hot water. Beat on medium speed until completely smooth, about 3 minutes.
• Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Smooth the tops. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until a tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let the cakes cool for 30 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the cakes and invert onto the wire rack. Remove the parchment and let the cakes cool completely.
• Trim the domes of the cake rounds with a large serrated knife so the tops are flat.
• For the frosting: Melt the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over simmering water in a medium saucepan. Remove from the simmering water and let it cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• Beat the butter and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, drizzle in the chocolate and beat until completely blended. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla. Increase the speed to high and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• To assemble the cake: Place one cake, cut-side down, on a platter. Spread 1 1/2 cups of the frosting evenly over the top. Place the remaining cake, cut-side down, on top. Spread the top with 1 1/2 cups of the frosting. Frost the sides of the cake with 3/4 cup of the frosting and smooth out completely to make an even crumb coat. (It's ok if some of the cake shows through. This is just a base layer.) Refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the frosting set.
• Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides, swirling decoratively.

THE BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE EVER

Steps:

• Sift together dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
• Add oil, coffee, and milk; mix at medium speed for 2 minutes.
• Add eggs and vanilla; beat for 2 more minutes. Batter will be thin.
• Pour into 2 greased and floured 9 inch cake pans.
• Bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes.
• Cool cakes for 15 minutes before removing from pans. Cool completely on wire racks.
• To make the icing, combine the milk and flour in a saucepan and cook until thick, stirring often to prevent it from being lumpy. Cover and refrigerate until cool.
• In a mixing bowl, beat butter, shortening, sugar, and vanilla until creamy.
• Add chilled milk/flour mixture and beat for 10 minutes.
• Frost cake after is it completely cool.
• Refrigerate cake until just before serving.

JACQUES EASY CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 10-inch cake pan with vegetable cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with a 10-inch parchment paper circle. Spray the top of the parchment paper circle with vegetable cooking spray.
• Place both chopped chocolates in a bowl and melt over a double boiler.
• Combine the sugar and water in a 1-quart saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil until all of the sugar is dissolved. Pour the hot syrup into the bowl of melted chocolate. Whisk until the mixture is homogenous. Add the butter and whisk until well mixed.
• Use an electric mixer to beat the eggs and sugar until well blended. Use a rubber spatula to fold this mixture into the chocolate mixture. Be careful to mix gently.
• Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Place a baking sheet with one-inch sides in the oven. Place the filled cake pan on the baking sheet. Fill the baking sheet with water so the water covers the bottom inch of the cake pan. Bake until the cake surface appears dull and taut when pressed in the middle, about 40 minutes.
• Remove the cake pan from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack. Turn off the oven and let the baking sheet and water cool before you attempt to remove them.
• TEMPERING CHOCOLATE: Tempering is important because it determines the final gloss, hardness, and contraction of the chocolate. Those factors are evidence that the cocoa butter in the chocolate has been correctly crystallized. Chocolate is purchased in its tempered form. It snaps when you break it, usually has a nice shine to it and it is hard. In order to use it, you need to melt it. When you melt chocolate, the molecules of fat separate and you lose the temper (crystallization). If you want to use the chocolate for molding or coating, it needs to be tempered. Tempering chocolate means putting the molecules of fat back together. There are a variety of ways to do it.
• One of the easiest ways to temper it is to place the chocolate in a glass bowl and put it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time on high power until the chocolate is melted. Be very careful not to overheat it. Keep an eye on it; the chocolate will not look like it has melted because it retains its shape. The chocolate should be only slightly warmer than your bottom lip. You may still see lumps in it but, don't worry; the residual heat of the chocolate will melt them. You can also use an immersion blender to break up the lumps and start the recrystallization process. Usually, the chocolate begins to set (recrystallize) along the side of the bowl. As it begins to crystallize, mix those crystals into the melted chocolate and they will begin the recrystallization process. I like to use a glass bowl because it retains the heat and keeps the chocolate tempered a long time.
• Here is another easy way to temper chocolate. In this method, tempering is achieved by adding small pieces of unmelted chocolate to melted chocolate. The amount of unmelted chocolate to be added depends on the temperature of the melted chocolate but is usually one fourth of the total amount. I use an immersion blender to mix the 2 together.
• The classic way to temper chocolate is call tabliering. Chocolate is melted over a hot water bath to a temperature between 88 and 90 F (31 to 34 C). White and milk chocolate are melted to a temperature approximately 2 F less, depending on the amount of milk fat they contain. 2/3 of the melted chocolate is poured on a cold table or marble surface. The chocolate is spread out and worked with a spatula until the temperature of the chocolate is approximately 81 F (27 C). At this stage, it is thick and begins to set. This tempered chocolate is then added to the remaining one third of non-tempered chocolate and mixed thoroughly until the mass in the bowl has a completely uniform temperature. If the temperature is still too high, part of the chocolate is further worked on the cold table until the correct temperature is reached. This is a lot of work, requires a lot of room and makes a big mess.
• Here is a tip: Temper more chocolate than you need. A larger quantity will hold its temper longer than a smaller quantity (just like a large cup of coffee will stay hot longer than a small cup of espresso). You can always reuse the extra chocolate. Most people have trouble tempering because they use too small of an amount. Don't forget to use a glass bowl.
• A simple method of checking tempering is by applying a small quantity of chocolate to a piece of paper or to the point of a knife. If the chocolate has been correctly tempered it will harden evenly and show a good gloss within 5 minutes.
• Remember, just like everything else in life, practice makes perfect. If your chocolate does not temper the first time, you can still eat it! Now that is an incentive!

THE EASIEST CHOCOLATE CAKE YOU WILL EVER MAKE

Steps:

• Sift together dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.
• In a small saucepan melt together butter, coffee and cocoa over low heat and blend until smooth, set aside.
• In a glass measure mix together buttermilk, eggs and vanilla until blended, set aside.
• Take the chocolate mixture and blend it with your dry ingredients until incorporated. Once chocolate mixture is blended then mix in buttermilk mixture until smooth. Pour into a prepared (greased and floured) 9x13 pan and bake for 30 minutes at 350F degrees. Cool on wire racks. Frost when cooled if desired.

EASY CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Line 20 tin with baking paper, preheat oven to 180C (350F).
• Cream margarine and sugar.
• Add all other ingredients.
• Beat with electric mixers for 3 minutes.
• Pour into tin and bake about 30 minutes.