For A Glimpse At Some Of My Earlier Chocolate Cakes:
I actually used a non-perfected version of this recipe earlier this year with some success on my sons Sesame Street Elmo Birthday Cake. BTW Ive published some awesome FREE Sesame Street Birthday Printables to help families decorate for a Sesame Street Themed birthday party. It is one of my all-time highest viewed posts. Make sure to check it out if a Sesame Street Birthday party is in your future.
One of my earliest attempts were these cookie monster cupcakes . They came out OK but were sunk down instead of raised. I shot the photograph of the cakes from above to hide some of the indentation. Ive adjusted the recipe to accommodate for this new cupcakes will not sink.
I hope these tips for creating the perfect high altitude chocolate cake are helpful for you. If you use these tips and bake a cake, send me a photograph Id love to feature you on my blog.
Happy Baking!
P.S. I blog to encourage moms, offer free preschool tools, and share ideas for family fun. If you enjoy recipes, free printables, crafts and games for little ones, ideas for family fun and encouraging posts for moms, sign up and have Happy and Blessed Home delivered to your inbox. Simply enter your e-mail address here:
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Heavenly Deep Dark Chocolate Cake Recipe
Heavenly Deep Dark Chocolate Cake
From iffyo 14 years ago
Its simply heavenly,u all will luv it no doubt about it.,!
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How to make it
- Directions:
- 1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round pans or one 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
- 2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla beat on medium speed of electric mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water . Pour batter into prepared pans.
- 3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes for round pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with ONE-BOWL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING. 8 to 10 servings.
- ONE-BOWL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
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High Altitude Chocolate Bundt Cake
* Please keep in mind that all text is machine-generated, we do not bear any responsibility, and you should always get advice from professionals before taking any actions.
* Please keep in mind that all text is machine-generated, we do not bear any responsibility, and you should always get advice from professionals before taking any actions
How To Make Chocolate Cake:
Mix Dry Ingredients. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.
Addwet ingredients:. Eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla and mix until well combined.
Add boiling water. Stir to combine . Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool in the pan for a few minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.
Assemble and Frost: Place one cake layer on serving tray. Spread a generous amount of frosting on top. Add second cake layer. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting.
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What Does The Espresso Powder Do
A tablespoon or two of espresso powder enhances the flavor of chocolate, but isnt enough to make the cake taste like coffee. It also adds acidity, which reacts with the leavening to help the cake rise, and give it a fluffy, tender texture. I use Medaglia DOro Instant Espresso Coffee, which I can find at my local grocery store.
High Altitude Friendly Chocolate Cake
A rich, moist chocolate cake that wont sink at high altitudes and still bakes beautifully at low altitudes.
As I mentioned in my last post, Six Reasons Your Cakes Are Sinking, Ive had some trouble with my favorite chocolate cake recipe that I adapted from Sweetapolita. Since moving to Utah a year and a half ago, the cake has been sinking during the last few minutes of baking and when I take it out of the oven. My heart breaks each time this happens and even more so when I hear it happens to some of you. I did love hearing that like me, you didnt toss it, but instead filled in the middle with trimmed cake pieces from leveling the cake. We cant waist perfectly good tasting cake!
I did a lot of research as to why my chocolate cake was sinking and tested each possible culprit.
I checked my oven temperature with an internal thermometer and its right on target. So that wasnt the problem. I checked all the expiration dates of my leavening agents. That wasnt the problem either. Then I started working on my ingredients. Most sources I read said for high altitude baking , youre likely going to have to adjust the ingredients. So, I started with my baking powder and reduced it a bit. I also reduced my sugar too, and added a bit of flour and an extra egg to help create a stronger foundation and stabilize it. I also increased my baking temperature just a tad.
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My Version Of The Hersheys Perfectly Chocolate Cake Recipe Instructs You To Freeze The Cakes Overnight
Although I was impressed with the original Hersheys Perfectly Chocolate Cake recipe, I agreed with the criticism that the cake is hard to frost. Why? The cakes crumb is REALLY soft and moist. It can be hard to frost the cake without indenting it and/or loosening crumbs into the frosting.
Freezing the cakes overnight solves this issue. A cake thats been frozen solid is much easier to frost than a room temperature one. Crumbs are less likely to shake loose, and the cake will hold its shape under a generous amount of frosting.
In general, I always recommend making the cakes for a layer cake ahead of when youre planning on assembling and frosting everything. Doing so gives you more control over your schedule. Why? Typically, cakes need to be cooled completely before frosting. However, cooling a cake completely can take HOURS. It turns a simple layer cake recipe into a full day of waiting and working in the kitchen.
But if you freeze the cakes overnight , you can pick up the project any time that works best for you. Pro-tip: if youre into this kind of recipe time management, I highly encourage you to check out my cookbook, Weeknight Baking. All cake recipes are broken down in this way!
Choosing A Cocoa Powder
This chocolate cake gets its dark, rich color from Dutch processed cocoa powder. While seemingly similar products, Dutch-processed cocoa powder and natural cocoa powder have different chemical properties, so their roles within a recipe are unique. There are so many cocoa powders available, ranging from mild to dark and rich, and they will all make a very different tasting chocolate cake.
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Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder Vs Natural Cocoa Powder
Dutch processed cocoa powder begins with cacao beans that have been washed in an alkaline solution of potassium carbonate. The wash neutralizes their acidity, so the cocoa powder made from these beans is non-acidic. The alkalization process creates a cocoa powder thats darker in color and more mellow in flavor, for a rich, deep chocolate flavor and color in your baked goods.
Natural cocoa powder is made from beans that have not been alkalized, so they are natural. Its acidic and bitter, with a very strong flavor.
Keto Hersheys Chocolate Cake
Are you doing a keto diet and missing Hersheys Perfectly Chocolate cake recipe? You know the one thats on the back of Hersheys cocoa powder box.
Well, this keto Hersheys chocolate cake, is the best keto chocolate cake recipe to silence that craving!
Having grown up making Hersheys chocolate cake, I was bound to start craving this rich chocolatey recipe.
Needless to say, a Keto Hersheys Chocolate Cake recipe would become a must for this girl. This recipe is like the majority of the keto ones I share, usually start with an intense craving for the high-carb version.
Its what fuels me to find a way to bring it back into my world without the need to cheat and then share it with you all.
Im loving the idea of creating Hersheys cocoa keto recipes that will help keep the keto community on track.
If youre a fan of chocolate cakes, you might also want to try our Keto Chocolate Cream Cheese Pound Cake recipe.
Its another rich dark chocolate cake that will shoosh your chocolate cravings.
I also have a keto chocolate coconut flour pound cake that uses Hersheys cocoa powder. This makes it a nut-free option.
In case you dont know, I have a complete list of Keto Cakes that any cake lover doing keto would enjoy exploring.
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How To Make The Hersheys Perfectly Chocolate Cakerecipe
Whenever I bake a layer cake, I break down the recipe to make its different components over multiple days. Why? It can be really time-consuming to make the cake all in one day! First, you need to bake the cakes and wait for them to cool completely. Then, you need to make the frosting, assemble the layers and frost a crumb coat, and wait for it all to set. After that, you need to finish decorating the whole thing! You can see how this recipe is turning into a full days worth of work.
To make sure Im not stuck in the kitchen all day, I broke down the work for the Hersheys Perfectly Chocolate Cake recipe over two days. Heres what I did:
My Version Of The Hersheys Perfectly Chocolate Cake Recipe Gives You The Option To Go The Extra Mile
I found it interesting that, in The Kitchn article that ranks the most popular chocolate cake recipes, the winning recipe was actually pretty similar to the Hersheys Perfectly Chocolate Cake recipe! Specifically: Jesse ranks Ina Gartens Beattys Chocolate Cake recipe as the winner. Erika does in her chocolate cake bake-off as well.
However, when I compared the Hershey recipe to Inas recipe, I was shocked. They basically had the same ingredients and methodologies. The only differences? Hersheys Perfectly Chocolate Cake recipe uses milk and hot water. Inas Beattys Chocolate Cake uses buttermilk and coffee. Thats it!
But those small differences are apparently enough of a difference. Buttermilk has a tangy flavor that helps bring down the overall sweetness of the cake. Similarly, coffees bitter flavor can enhance the chocolaty flavor of the cake. So if youre interested in finessing the Hersheys Perfectly Chocolate Cake recipe to suit your tastes more, definitely check out the variations on how to do so!
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Faq: Hersheys Perfectly Chocolate Cake Recipe Troubleshooting
Help! My cake came out weird. Its top looks bubbly in the center. What did I do wrong?
Ah! Im so excited to answer this question because I learned the answer straight from bakers at Hersheys test kitchens themselves! And according to them, this texture comes from undermixing the cake.
Specifically, after adding the hot water to the recipe, you need to whisk the batter for the amount of time listed in the recipe. Seriouslyset a timer. It helps! Whisk at a steady pace thats neither too fast or too slow. At the end, the batter will be thin in texture but uniform in color. There should be no streaks or differing shades of brown. If it looks even a little bit streaky, the batter needs more whisking!
Help! I froze the cakes like you instructed but now water is beading through the cake and frosting. What did I do wrong?
To answer this question, we need to understand where that water is coming from. That water is condensation from the frozen cake thawing as it comes to room temperature. Its similar to how the outside of a glass full of ice water is wet on a hot day. Luckily, the cake is still perfectly safe to eat. The condensation just makes an ugly cake .
And in the recipe below, I instruct you to start the cake assembling process by first removing the cakes from the freezer. Doing so allows them to thaw slightly while you make the frosting, helping prevent this condensation issue. If you skipped this step, youre more likely to have this issue.
Making The Hersheys Perfectly Chocolate Cake Recipe Even Better
First, I tried the original Hersheys Perfectly Chocolate Cake recipe without any modifications. I wanted to see if, after all these years and a cookbook later, Id changed my mind. I also wanted to see if I would agree with any of Jesses criticisms against the recipe.
To my surprise, I STILL thought that the original, unmodified Hersheys Perfectly Chocolate Cake recipe produced a delicious cake. I especially loved the super soft and moist cake crumb. I thought the chocolate frosting was a dream to work with. Its texture was super silky and creamy, making the cake easy to frost!
But that being said, I also understood where Jesse was coming from. I could see why he thought the cake was overly moist and sweet. So in my version of the recipe below, I updated the Hersheys Perfectly Chocolate Cake recipe to address some of his major criticisms. Learn more in the next section!
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Which Cocoa Powder Should You Use
Understanding the chemical properties of cocoa powder is important, so you know when you should use each. If the recipe doesnt contain any leavening, for example pudding, ice cream, buttercream or brownies, you can use either one.
But for recipes containing leavening, first youll need to understand the difference between baking powder and baking soda. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, which requires an acid and a liquid to become activated and help baked goods rise. On the other hand, baking powder includes sodium bicarbonate, as well as an acid. It only needs a liquid to become activated.
Generally speaking, Dutch processed cocoa powder will be paired with baking powder . And natural cocoa powder will be paired with baking soda . Now, this is a big generalization, because most recipes contain many acidic ingredients . So even if you use Dutch processed cocoa powder with baking soda, but your cake contains other acidic ingredients, its likely that your cake will still rise just fine. I make my chocolate cake with Dutch processed cocoa powder, and use both baking soda and baking powder.
If a recipe doesnt specify which cocoa powder to use , then a safe bet is that natural cocoa powder was used.
My personal favorite cocoa powders to use are Rodelle, Drost, Cacao Barry Extra Brute, and King Arthur Baking Company.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Faq: Hersheys Perfectly Chocolate Cake Recipe Techniques
Why do I need to add boiling water to the cake batter?
Great question! Ive been doing a lot of research to answer this question for some time now. I believe its a trick gleaned from old-fashioned chocolate cake recipes. According to my research, the hot water helps get rid of any stubborn lumps in the cocoa powder. Most old-fashioned chocolate cake recipes instruct you to make the batter by hand with a whisk. And if youre a seasoned baker, you know how hard it can be to whisk lumps out of batter.
Furthermore, the hot water blooms the cocoa powder, deepening the cocoa powders chocolate flavor. Its similar to how coffee and tea become more flavorful when steeped in hot water.
And finally, all that extra water makes the cake super moist.
Why do you recommend freezing the cakes overnight?
Why do I recommend freezing the cakes overnight? Well, I already mentioned how doing so gives me more control of my time. Typically, you need to wait for cakes to cool completely before frosting them. Otherwise, the frosting will melt! And it can take a while to bring cakes down to room temperature. So making the cakes a day ahead means I dont have to sit around for hours waiting. Instead, I can just frost and assemble the cakes any time I want on the next day!
Okay, but I dont have room in my freezer. Can I refrigerate the cakes instead?
Do I really need a crumb coat for the Hersheys Perfectly Chocolate Cake?
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Day : Make The Hersheys Perfectly Chocolate Frosting And Assemble The Cake
First, make the chocolate frosting.
Then, assemble the cake.
Finally, finish frosting the cake.