Dark Chocolate Vs Milk Chocolate
Its important to note that this recipe uses dark chocolate for a reason. Because were adding cream, butter, and powdered sugar to the chocolate, the flavor gets diluted just a bit. If you use milk chocolate chips instead of dark chocolate chips, youre going to lose a lot of the chocolate flavor. Additionally, the buttercream will simply taste overly sweet. Now, dont get me wrong I love all things sweet, but its important to have balance. The dark chocolate in the layers and the buttercream help provide a balance to the sweetness because dark cocoa is bittersweet. However, the cake and buttercream frosting dont taste bittersweet because weve added other ingredients to them .
So trust me on this one. Use dark chocolate!
Whisk In Oil Sour Cream Eggs And Vanilla
When you use butter in cakes, it often means that you need to wait for it to soften, and then use an electric mixer to beat it until light and fluffy before proceeding with the recipe. Here, canola oil is used instead, creating an especially moist crumb without any extra effort. Along with the oil, you’ll add sour cream, which delivers that wholesome dairy taste you would have gained from the butter . Four large eggs and a dose of vanilla extract follow, then you just whisk everything until smooth. No need to pull out the electric mixer.
Expert Baking Tips For The Best Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe
- Use a neutral tasting oil like pure sunflower oil for the cleanest flavour to let the chocolate taste stand out.
- Do not reduce the sugar the right amount of sugar will make cake moist because it binds water so that it stays tightly in the batter and doesnt evaporate excessively during baking.
- Keep an eye on the baking time. Set a timer for the first time stated in the recipe and check with a skewer it should come out clean.
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Easy Moist Chocolate Cake
If theres one thing I love about this blog, its getting to play around with new recipes and share them with you. It can be so hard to find just the right cake and its always my goal to give you that. For me, that often begins with having the right base cakes meaning a wonderful vanilla and chocolate cake . One of my goals over the next few weeks is to provide you with the best of the best as far as basics are concerned. Today we are starting with chocolate cake!
You may or may not have already tried my Best Chocolate Cake. I still get major heart eyes for that cake. Love it! But Im not one to be satisfied with just one version of a classic. I like options. Plus, not everyone has the same idea of the perfect cake, so variety is good.
And when you bake as much as I do, every so often I decide its time for something new. Problem is, when you already have an amazing chocolate cake, how do you make the best even better?
To Use Butter And Other Oils:
I have tested the chocolate cake recipe with additional oils, as well as butter. Ive tested using an equal amount of melted coconut oil to the vegetable oil called for in the recipe. Ive also tested using the same volume of melted butter in place of the oils in the chocolate cake. While it does make the cake texture slightly different, it is still delicious and worth trying if youd prefer to use butter in place of oils in your chocolate cake.
Whew! See what I mean! This is the chocolate cake of everyones dreams, I think!
Do let me know how you like it.
Here are a few additional ways I like to make this cake!
Chocolate Cupcakes
If you are looking for cupcakes from this recipe, Ive shared my recipe for the best chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting. This recipe makes a perfect dozen so that you can scale the recipe to make as many chocolate cupcakes as you need! Talk about easy!
9×13 Chocolate Cake
I love this version! It is a delicious, scaled-down version that is just the thing for potlucks, reunions, tailgates, and travels perfectly! Ive also scaled-down the frosting so that has the frosting to cake ratio that my family prefers. It is a definite winner!
Large Chocolate Sheet Cake
And there you have it. There are so many ways to enjoy this delicious cake. Practically one for whatever need you might have. But, if Ive missed one, be sure to let me know and Ill work on it for you!
Enjoy!
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First Melt The Chocolate Chips With Hot Coffee
Why start with chocolate chips instead of chopped chocolate? It means one fewer prep step. Just pour the chocolate chips into a bowl. Another shortcut here: Instead of melting chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water, just pour freshly brewed coffee over the chocolate, let the mixture stand for two minutes, and then stir until smooth. You’ll be melting the chocolate while adding an even deeper flavor, thanks to the coffee.
How To Make Moist Chocolate Cake:
The ingredients below all help to create a moist, tender, and fudgy cake.
Oil vs. Butter in Chocolate Cake
This recipe calls for vegetable oil instead of melted butter. Oil creates an ultra moist texture and open slightly spongy crumb. Cakes made with oil feel more moist because the fat is a liquid at room temperature so it coats the tongue. Be sure to use fresh vegetable oil. Give it a sniff before using to make sure it doesnt have any off flavors.
Feel free to use melted coconut oil instead of vegetable oil!
Sugar
This recipe uses a combination of granulated and brown sugars, which creates a cake thats flavorful, moist, and fudgy. Brown sugar is my hygroscopic, which basically means it draws and attracts moisture more than granulated white sugar. I also like the slightly complex butterscotch flavor it adds.
Eggs
The more whole eggs a cake recipe has, the richer itll be. Since the yolk contains most of the fat in an egg, it also lends richness to cakes. Adding an egg yolk to this recipe also helps increase the fudge factor. Be sure your eggs are at room temperature so they blend into the batter smoothly.
Can I bake a chocolate cake without eggs?
Eggs are a critical part of this particular recipe. If you replace them with a substitute. youll likely end up with a texture thats much less rich and fudgy. However, if you cant have eggs then my friend Gemma has a great tutorial on replacing eggs in baking recipes.
Why use sour cream in chocolate cake?
Cake layers:
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What Ingredient Makes A Cake Rise Baking Soda Or Baking Powder
Both raising agents are used in this recipe to ensure it rises enough. The sponge itself contains oil, which is quite a heavy ingredient that normally creates a dense result. Using both raising agents together balance this out to provide just the right amount of rise.
If your cakes turn out flat, make sure you check expiry dates. Keep in mind both baking powder and soda will lose their effectiveness if kept too long in your pantry.
Can I Make It In Advance
This chocolate cake recipe freezes beautifully and Ill typically make it a few days in advance when preparing for a party.
Just wrap the cooled cakes well in plastic wrap before popping them into freezer bags. Freeze them until ready to use, and you can frost them while still cold . I do make sure that its at room temperature by the time its served for best texture .
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Why Youll Love This Recipe
The best part is that this recipe starts with a Devil Foods cake mix making it so easy! It is then doctored up with some chocolate pudding and sour cream and a handful of chocolate chips giving it amazing texture and taste. No one will ever know it came from a box mix and isnt made from scratch!
Everyone that tries this recipe agrees with me that this is indeed the best chocolate cake from a box or from anywhere!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
I dont know about you, but life sure seems better when you are enjoying a piece of Chocolate Peanut Butter Bundt Cake. Maybe its the endorphins from the chocolate, maybe its just because its chocolate, or maybe its because life seems sweeter when you are enjoying sweets.
If this yummy dessert has you desiring more recipes, dont worry, I have you completely covered! Here are a few of my familys favorite cakes and I think they will be for you as well.
Granted, this is more of a fair food type of dessert, but my easy Funnel Cakes will take you right to the fair. If you love desserts, but arent a big fan of sweets, this Lemon Dump Cake might be exactly what you are looking for.
Now, if you are following a Keto diet, my Chocolate Mug Cake will be perfect.
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How Do You Keep A Cake Moist Overnight After Frosting
The best way to keep a frosted cake moist is at room temperature. Cover it with a glass dome. The frosting itself will insulate the cake and feed it more moisture as it sits.
The refrigerator stales cakes and breads several times faster than it would natural stale on the counter.
I dont advise keeping it in the fridge unless you are using a whipped cream or cream cheese frosting .
A frosted cake with buttercream can stay at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Sift The Dry Ingredients
Yes, this cake is simple. Yes, its a one-bowl wonder.
But yes, Im highly encouraging you to sift the dry ingredients:
It makes a huge difference, especially because cocoa powder is notorious for getting those pesky lumps which dont whisk/mix out very well. And no one likes to get a clumpy, dry cocoa powder bomb in the middle of a bite of cake.
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Chocolate Cake Recipe Variations
This chocolate cake recipe has been the most popular post on Foodess.com for years it has been pinned hundreds of thousands of times, and for good reason! Everyone who makes it falls in love, and everyone who tastes it asks for the recipe. You wont be disappointed. Its still my go-to, no-fail, delicious chocolate cake recipe for every birthday, celebration, or Valentines Day.
Ive made many variations on it since it was originally posted, and due to popular request have shared the Fluffy Chocolate Frosting recipe to go with it. Ive also made it as Moist Chocolate Cupcakes with Oreo Cream Cheese Frosting and as Caramallow Cupcakes chocolate cupcakes filled with creamy caramel and topped with deliciously sticky marshmallow frosting. That frosting, also known as seven-minute frosting, was the way we enjoyed chocolate cake most often when I was a kid and is still probably my top choice. Another favourite way to enjoy this beloved cake is very simply with sweetened whipped cream and fresh berries. Hope you love it, too.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Easy to make this cake can be made in one bowl with a whisk. You dont need a mixer, although I often use my electric hand mixer to make it.
- Moist chocolate cake the cake is SO super moist! It has the softest texture and stays moist for days without drying out.
- Fudgy chocolate frosting I use a rich chocolate ganache made with sour cream for the frosting. It is so easy to make and you dont need softened butter nor icing sugar. Its simple and so decadent and fudgy! Many people have told me this is the best frosting theyve ever made!
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Make Ahead And Freezing Instructions:
The cakes and the chocolate frosting can both be made ahead of time. Allow the cakes to cool completely and then wrap each layer in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to three month. Cakes can be frosted while frozen.
The homemade chocolate frosting will keep well in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to two weeks, or in the freezer for up to three months. Remove the frosting from the fridge about an hour before youre ready to frost your cake to allow it to come to room temperature.
What Is The Best Chocolate To Use In Ganache
It’s okay to experiment with chocolate morsels in making ganache however, stick to semisweet and splurge on a more premium chocolate like Ghirardelli or Guittard. Because there are so few ingredients in ganache, the shiny glaze will benefit tremendously from using a premium chocolate bar. Bars melt differently than chocolate morsels, which contain stabilizers that impede on the melting process. For the best ganache, pick a premium, semisweet baking chocolate bar.
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Inas Genius Chocolate Cake
The secret is a cup of hot coffee in the batter. You dont really taste the coffee, just more of the chocolate. At first, I was a little worried about the coffee, but who are we to question Ina?
The chocolate comes from cocoa powder, which makes the cake really easy to make. Simply combine dry ingredients the usual suspects of flour, baking soda, baking powder and cocoa powder. Then mix into the wet ingredients which include buttermilk and vegetable oil both help keep the cake moist.
For the frosting we went with a simple combination of melted chocolate, butter, powdered sugar and milk. Its not what Ina calls for, but it never fails and tastes great. Sometimes we fill the middle with the frosting, but also like to add jam instead. In the photos, we used lingonberry jam . It isnt too sweet and is really tasty with the chocolate cake.
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Recipe updated, originally posted March 2011. Since posting this in 2011, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. Adam and Joanne
Add Some Of Your Favorite Coffee To The Mix
Many chocolate cake recipes call for adding boiling water to the batter right before the cake goes into the oven. This thins the batter so the cake wont be so dense, activates the chemical leaveners to give the cake a pre-bake lift, and it also blooms the cocoa powder to help release all of its yummy flavors. But water is also bland, so I prefer to use something with a lot more flavor, like a cup of delicious dark-roast coffee. You want to use something thats robust and rounded and make sure its boiling hot. Bonus: Coffee will enhance the flavor of chocolate without making your cake taste strongly of coffee.
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Frost Your Cakethen Frost Again
Start building your cooled cake layers on a platter or cake stand, with strips of parchment or wax paper arranged slightly under the bottom layer of cake for easy post-frosting clean-up. Using an offset spatula, spread a generous amount of frosting between each layer, and then frost the sides and top of the cake, too. Stash the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up the frosting, and then frost the top and sides of the cake again for maximum lusciousness. And there you have it: The Ultimate Chocolate Cake is born.
How To Make The Best Buttercream Frosting
To get this silky smooth buttercream, make sure you follow my tips: HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM
- Sift your powdered sugar
- Beat for 5 minutes
Youll want to check out the post linked above for more details on each step to make sure you get the best buttercream frosting. And remember, these steps can be used for any buttercream recipe on my blog.
IMPORTANT For chocolate buttercream specifically, remember to heat the cream and chocolate together first. Youll then stir the mixture until it becomes a smooth ganache. Once the ganache has cooled slightly, youll add the mixture to the butter and continue making the buttercream according to instructions.
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Can You Add Flavor Extract To Box Cake Mix
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When youre making a vanilla cake mix, add more of the flavoring youve already used, such as a teaspoon of vanilla extract or a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste. To make a chocolate cake mix with espresso, add a pinch of espresso powder .
If you want to make almond extract, add half a teaspoon to most recipes. To improve the flavor, use it in short bread cookies, breakfast scones, pound cake, and Biscotti. For a stronger flavor, add a teaspoon of extract to the beverage. Almond, peppermint, rum, coconut, or lemon extract are all good options. An extract is made by combining ethyl alcohol and almond oil, which are derived from bitter almonds. Almond extract has a strong flavor that makes it an excellent substitute for a little bit of salt. Although it is possible that some recipes will be overly sweet as a result of Almond Extract, this is not always the case.
The best way to reduce the bitterness is to add a teaspoon of maple syrup. Vanilla is most commonly found in cakes for weddings. Vanilla cake is a favorite among brides and grooms. Chocolate mousse, chocolate buttercream, and other flavors are also available, as are a variety of nut flavors like hazelnut, Italian, carrot, lemon, spice, chocolate mousse, and more.