Chocolate-Chocolate Birthday Cake

I recommend using Droste-brand Dutch-processed cocoa. But if you have regular cocoa, it works, too. However, easiest and the best-ever frosting is a 12 oz package of chocolate chips, melted, then blended with a pinch of salt and 1 c. of sour cream. That is what goes on the birthday cake my husband bakes for me!

My husbands hips were killing him today so I decided to make a half batch as cupcakes. A sweet treat to take his mind off the agony. As we're at 5700 feet I made a few adjustments to the recipe. The cupcakes are light with good chocolate depth. The frosting can border on cloying, as usual for American buttercream. Whip it until it is gossamer light and then sprinkle on some cocoa nibs which add a crunch of cocoa that tempers all of the sweetness . Hip therapy indeed.

S. Snedeker. Yes, the best frosting! Helen Evans Brown, from the James Beard Cookbook.

Ok, so I don’t bake that often and I can lack foresight, but really - “beat confectioner’s sugar and cocoa and butter on high speed”? I did - and have billows of sugar and cocoa now decorating my kitchen. Recommend that you stir first to blend the butter and sugar, start slow, and then increase speed.

Ten times out of 10, the cake is done before the recipe says it will be. If internal temp is around 190-200 Fahrenheit, that is the sweet spot. Get a top notch thermometer to test for doneness starting several minutes before recipe says.

According to a recent article in Cooks Illustrated, it matters less whether the cocoa is dutched or natural, and more whether it's high fat or low fat. Their testing revealed that low-fat cocoa produced cakes that had a higher rise, but were dry, whereas high-fat cocoa produced cakes that were more dense, but moist. Their "expert tasters" preferred Droste cocoa (dutched), although plain ol' Hershey's (natural) was also recommended.

*I recommend using Droste-brand Dutch-processed cocoa. Regular cocoa works, too. However, easiest and the best-ever frosting is a 12 oz package of chocolate chips, melted, then blended with a pinch of salt and 1 c. of sour cream.

and? you'll have one twelfth of that once a year. enjoy it! or don't, you know? you could always make a different recipe if this one doesn't appeal to you. but ~3T of butter really isn't a big deal.

The cooking gods must have been with me. First time I have tried a home made chocolate cake. The cake is light and airy - not too sweet or dense as others found- not dry at all. Baked for exactly 25 minutes (started checking at 20 minutes). For what it is worth I used Scharffenberger unsweetened natural cocoa powder and Guittard bittersweet chocolate - used paddle attachment on standard mixer. Baked in spring form pans. This will be my go to- it is fabulous- sorry other had problems with it.

I just made this and came back to comment on how good it is. I am seeing lots of notes that this is too dry or too sweet. I used Trader Joe's 72% chocolate in the cake, an extra egg yolk and a splash more buttermilk because the batter was so thick. I used Lindt 85% chocolate in the frosting. Yes, the frosting is sweet but the cake is not which I think is a good combination. Mine came out moist and delicious. I also used some stabilized whipped cream frosting for contrast. I will make it again!

Hmm... 5 sticks of butter for 8 slices cake? Way too much sugar, this goes back to Betty Crocker insulin shock baking! My favorite recipe for chocolate cake is Devils Food Cockaigne from the Joy of Cooking—impeccable.

You probably can do it since the pans are 9-in round (recipes for 9x13 or three 8-inch cakes will also fit). Fill to 1-1/4 inch from top and reduce temp to 325 and expect to bake longer. Tube cakes are denser than layer cakes and the lower temp will help keep the outside from baking too quick and drying out as the inner part catches up. So you don't deflate it, check with toothpick after you see it has finished rising, at about 40 min or so. It can take up to an hour or longer to bake.

This is my standard birthday cake beloved by all children, old and young alike, but I use only Valrhona cocoa and no chocolate in the cake. This produces a light, moist cake that only improves a day later. It is the addition of chocolate that is resulting in the heaviness and over sweetness that others complain of, I believe. I also use a lighter frosting--one stick of butter, no cocoa and two cups of sugar. Here I sometimes use a darker chocolate to intensify the richness of that flavor.

So I read all of the reviews about the cake being too dry and I get why you would say this, but the truth is it is just not a moist cake recipe- the ingredients read more like a recipe for cookie dough (butter, flour, sugar) and not a typical cake batter with oil or even water (check out Hershey’s chocolate cake recipe). Instead of dry, I would say this recipe creates a very dense cake that holds up to a rich, creamy, delicious frosting like the one in this recipe.

What type of cocoa powder? Natural or Dutch Process?