Why This Recipe Works
Popularly known as a war cake, wacky cake or a depression cake, this recipe was first invented during the World War 2 as a result of introducing the rationing system by the British government to overcome the food shortages.
This cake was baked during those times as it needed only the basic ingredients like flour, oil, baking soda and sugar. Ingredients like eggs, milk and butter which were in shortage were not used. So this recipe is tried, tested and enjoyed across the globe by countless number of folks.
This eggless cake recipe & a no bake biscuit cake recipe had been very popular almost a decade ago and had come in many food magazines and columns.
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Almond Extract Vs Clear Vanilla Extract:
Almond extract is used in a white cake. We know that some people arent fond of almond extract, or feel the flavor is too strong. Almond extract is clear so it is ideal for a white batter. You can buy clear vanilla extract to use if you prefer that flavor. The almond extract in this recipe can also be reduced by half if desired. We prefer the traditional almond flavor.
My Everyday Chocolate Cake
Easter aside, I call this my everyday Chocolate Cake because its just that my new favourite to make for any occasion. There will be times that call for a mud-cake like Fudge Cake made with both cocoa powder and melted chocolate. There will be times that call for intensely dark chocolate cakes. There will be times that you need / want the nutty brownie-like Flourless Chocolate Cake. And there will be times youre after one thats light-as-air, a delicate chiffon cake.
This one is for all the other times when you just want a great, classic Chocolate Cake. Which in my world, is 80% of the time! Nagi x
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What Makes This Cake So Good
I know there are so many chocolate cake recipes out there, but this one seriously is a must try. After testing many chocolate cake recipes, this one is hands down the best. Heres why:
- Its easy to make. Only one bowl!
- Uses simple, easy to find ingredients.
- Has rich chocolate flavor with a moist, fluffy crumb.
- Is covered is an easy chocolate buttercream frosting. This adds even more chocolatey richness!
- Is drizzled with chocolate ganache. Even more chocolate!
How To Make Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Simply add butter to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat until fluffy and lighter in color, 2-3 minutes. Add in cocoa powder, confectioners sugar, milk and vanilla extract. Beat until thick and creamy. If frosting is too thick add more milk. If it is too runny add more powdered sugar. Set aside until you are ready to frost the cake. The frosting can be stored up to a day in advance in the refrigerator.
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How To Make Chocolate Box Cake Better With Extra Frosting
Avoid store-bought frostings.
Take an extra five minutes to whip up your own Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting.
Theyll be so distracted by the amazing homemade frosting they wont even be thinking about the cake!
Also, adding extra frosting boosts moistness.
Use a layer cake slicer to create extra layers.
The extra frosting and/or ganache adds flavor and keeps your cake from becoming dry.
Tip: Warm cake melts frosting.
Cool the cake for at least 2 hours, then frost the entire cake surface thoroughly, this will keep it from drying out.
What Youll Need For This Recipe
Coffee: I like to use a very strong coffee from a Moka pot but you can really use any coffee on hand. It amplifies the chocolate flavor, but if youre not a fan just use water or milk instead.
Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips: You can use bittersweet, or any other dark chocolate to make chocolate buttercream for this recipe.
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Smooth On A Thick Layer Of Frosting
Add a thick layer of chocolate buttercream around the cake and smooth it using a bench scraper. This is a very forgiving cake design, so dont worry if the frosting isnt perfectly smooth!
Were going to cover it completely with mini chocolate chips, so no one will know what it looked like before.
Carefully press mini chocolate chips into the frosting on the sides and top of the cake until its completely covered.
How To Make Chocolate Box Cake Better With Mix
Amp up your cake batter with 1/2 a cup of chips, raisins, candy, nuts, or banana.
They add texture and homemade flavors to your chocolate box cake.
Remember to coat your mix-ins in some flour or cocoa powder so that they dont sink to the bottom of your batter.
You can also add a mashed banana and use it as a substitute for eggs and oil.
If you do this, you will need a 1 1/2 cups or 12 ounces of Greek yogurt or sour cream, plus the mashed banana mixed in.
Add a little bit of water if your cake batter is too thick.
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Why Is There Coffee In The Cake Can I Omit It
This recipe calls for strong hot coffee to be added to the batter at the end. This creates a nice silky batter as well as emphasizes the chocolate flavor in the cake! You can also substitute espresso powder if you dont have coffee on hand. I typically use instant coffee mixed with warm water. Dont worry you cannot taste the coffee in this cake. If you are not a fan of coffee you can just use hot water instead!
How To Store Chocolate Cake
Chocolate cake will store in the refrigerator for 1 week. To properly store a chocolate cake you must wrap it in foil or plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.
You can keep this cake at room temperature if youd like. However, the cake will only keep for 2 days at room temperature. I always advise to store cakes in the fridge if the frosting has any store of dairy in it.
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Substitutions & Swaps: Chocolate Buttercream
Below are some great swaps and substitutions that can be made in this recipe.
- Unsalted Butter If you only have salted butter on hand you can use it in place of the unsalted butter. Just be sure to omit the salt that this frosting recipe calls for. You can also use vegan butter in its place!
- Dark Cocoa Powder If you cant find dark cocoa powder or dont have any on hand, you can use regular unsweetened baking cocoa or add additional powdered sugar in its place.
- Heavy Cream Whole milk or alternative milk can also be used to make the frosting.
- Dark Chocolate You can use dark chocolate chips, baking chocolate, or good-quality chocolate bars to melt and add into the frosting. Alternatively, you can also use milk or semi-sweet chocolate if you have a strong preference.
Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
In a large bowl, beat together butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer for best results
Add in cocoa powder and vanilla extract. Beat until combined.
Beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Add milk as necessary to make a spreadable consistency. The frosting should be very thick and will thicken even more if refrigerated.
This cake will satisfy even the most die hard choc-o-holic.
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The Ultimate Chocolate Cake Recipe From A Box
Learn how to make the ultimate chocolate cake recipe from a doctored chocolate cake mix. No one will ever believe this easy dessert wasnt made from scratch.
The ultimate chocolate cake recipe is something that you always want to have in your back pocket. But this delicious chocolate cake is from a doctored chocolate cake mix. And your friends or guests will never be able to tell!
Hi, there Kenarry readers! Im Meaghan from Cook. Craft. Love. My little slice of internet where I serve up simple, low cost, low effort desserts. Who says you cant have an insanely easy dessert that looks like it took all day?
Ive contributed recipes to Kenarry in the past. You might remember this cherry pie ice box cake or these easy donut sugar cookies or these amazing ice cream sandwich cookies. But this is my first time putting fingers to keyboard to chat with you directly. And Im very excited to be here sharing this ultimate chocolate cake recipe!
Because this recipe was too good and too easy not to share with you myself. So here we go!
Picture itSicily19
No, wait. Wrong story.
A few months ago I attended a birthday party where a friend of a friend supplied the cake. And this cake, yall. Let me tell you. I dont often ask beg for other peoples cake recipes . But this cake was SO chocolatey and SO moist and SO delicious that I just had. to. have. it.
Ingredients For Chocolate Cake
- Flour: This recipe calls for all purpose flour however you can substitute equal parts gluten free flour to make this a gluten free chocolate cake.
- Sugar: I use a mix of granulated sugar and light brown sugar for extra softness and flavor.
- Cocoa powder: I recommend using good quality unsweetened cocoa powder. I like using Hersheys unsweetened cocoa powder however Dutch processed dark cocoa powder can be used for an even richer / bitter chocolate taste.
- Baking powder and Baking soda: Act as leaveners for the cake.
- Salt: Adds flavor to the cake and balances out the sweetness.
- Milk: I use 2% in this recipe.
- Canola oil: I prefer oil in this cake instead of melted butter. It produces a moister cake with better crumb. You can substitute melted coconut oil in place of the canola oil if you prefer!
- Eggs: They make the cake rich and fudgey. Make sure to bring your eggs to room temperature for a smooth batter.
- Vanilla: Adds the perfect amount of flavor to the cake.
- Hot coffee: Strong hot coffee intensifies the chocolate flavor and creates a silky batter!
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Moisturize Cake With Simple Syrup
Baking is done, but your chocolate cake texture still looks too dry? No worries, you can still fix it! Simply brush a thin layer of simple syrup on top of the cake. Brush it with the simple syrup when the cake is completely cool. The cake will absorb it and youll now have a moist chocolate cake. To make a simple syrup, all you have to do is boil the water and granulated sugar together and let it cool before brushing. You can flavour the syrup with other fluid such as lemon juice and vanilla extract for extra flavor
Bake Eggless Chocolate Cake
17. Pour the eggless chocolate cake batter into the prepared cake pan.
18. Tap the sides so that the extra air bubbles are let out.
19. Bake the eggless chocolate cake in a preheated oven for 200 degrees Celsius for 35 to 40 mins.
TIP: For baking in a convection mode of a microwave oven, preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius for 15 minutes. Then bake at 180 degrees celsius for 30 to 35 minutes.
Note: Since temperatures vary from oven to oven be sure to keep an eye on it. Do not open the oven door many times as this will cause your chocolate cake to sink in the center. Only open the door after three-fourth of the baking is done.
The temperature vary widely from oven to oven, which is why I recommend getting a stand-alone oven thermometer. Generally it takes 35 minutes for this cake to bake. But if your oven is very hot or cool, it will take less or more time for baking.
20. For doneness check the chocolate cake with a bamboo skewer or toothpick. The bamboo skewer should come out clean.
If the toothpick is sticky with the batter, then place the chocolate cake back in the oven and continue to bake for some more minutes. Once the eggless chocolate cake cools down enough to handle, remove it from the baking tin and place it on a wired rack to finish cooling. Before frosting, let the cake cool completely.
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Why Do People Put Coffee In
Coffee brings out and amplifies the chocolate flavor in baked goods like cake and cupcakes. Add ing a little bit will make things taste more chocolatey without giving a coffee flavor. Adding a LOT of coffee will create a mocha flavor. If you would like to omit the coffee from this recipe just substitute for warm water or milk. Ive done this and the cake still tastes great! Just a little toned down in my opinion.
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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Make The Chocolate Ganache & Add More Frosting
Technically you could just stop right here. By this point youll have an amazing chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting! But if you want to go a bit fancy, this chocolate ganache is an easy way to do it.
To make the chocolate ganache:
- Add the chocolate chips to a medium sized bowl .
- Heat the heavy whipping cream just until it begins to boil, then pour it over the chocolate chips. Allow it to sit for 2-3 minutes, then whisk until smooth.
Thats it. Just two steps! Then you add the ganache to your chocolate cake:
- Drizzle the chocolate ganache around the edge of the cake, then pour the remainder of the ganache on top of the cake and spread evenly. I like to use a squeeze bottle for drizzling around the edges. See my tips on making a chocolate drip cake.
- Allow the ganache to firm up a bit
- Pipe the remainder of the frosting around the top edge of the cake and pipe a border around the bottom. I used Ateco tip 844.
How To Doctor Chocolate Cake Mix Without Pudding
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