Recipes

The 'I Want Chocolate Cake' Cake

For when you want chocolate cake today, not a project. One small square pan, one bowl's worth of creaming, and a frosting that comes together in a food processor while the cake cools.

Total time
1 h 45 min estimated — the source gives no total time
Cook
35 min
Serves
16

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Main ingredient Chocolate

Techniques creaming baking

Dietary looks vegetarian Inferred from the ingredients below, not a certification. Check them yourself if it matters.

Tags small-batcheveryday

Ingredients

Cake

  • 85 g (6 tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 145 g (3/4 cup) dark brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 25 g (2 tbsp) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 175 ml (3/4 cup) buttermilk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 41 g (1/2 cup) Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 125 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Frosting

  • 55 g (2 oz) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
  • 180 g (1 1/2 cups) powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
  • 115 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt, optional
  • 1 tbsp cream or whole milk
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • rainbow sprinkles, to finish

Equipment

  • 20 cm square cake pan (8 in)
  • Food processor, for the frosting — there is a hand-mixer method below if you don't have one

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 175 °C (350 °F). Line the base of a 20 cm square pan (8 in) with parchment, then butter the parchment and the sides, or use nonstick spray.
  2. Beat the butter with both sugars until fluffy, then scrape down the bowl.
  3. Add the egg, the yolk and the vanilla, and beat until combined.
  4. Mix in the buttermilk, then scrape the bowl thoroughly — it will look curdled at this stage, which is fine.
  5. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt directly over the batter.
  6. Stir on low speed only until no dry flour remains, and scrape the bowl once more.
  7. Scrape into the prepared pan and smooth the top flat.
  8. Bake for 25–35 minutes, until a toothpick pushed into the centre comes out clean.
  9. Cool in the pan on a rack for 5–10 minutes, then turn the cake out onto the rack and let it cool completely before frosting.
  10. For the frosting, put all the frosting ingredients in a food processor. Pulse to combine, scrape down the bowl, then run for 1–2 minutes until smooth and slightly fluffed.
  11. Without a food processor: beat the butter, powdered sugar and salt until fluffy, pour in the melted chocolate, milk and vanilla, beat until combined, then beat one minute more to whip it further.
  12. Spread over the cooled cake, swirling with a small offset spatula from the centre outward. Finish with sprinkles.

Notes & tips

From the source.

  • Storage: keeps at room temperature for 1–2 days, or refrigerated for up to a week.
  • Buttermilk substitutions: yoghurt or sour cream thinned with milk or water; red wine in the full amount; or 120 ml (1/2 cup) strong coffee plus 60 ml (1/4 cup) buttermilk.
  • Cocoa: Dutch-process is preferred. Natural cocoa works but the cake comes out lighter in colour.

Variations

The same batter fits a 20 cm or 23 cm round pan (8 in or 9 in), or makes 12 very generously frosted cupcakes. Doubled, it fills a 23 × 33 cm pan (9 × 13 in).

Source

Deb Perelman, Smitten Kitchen, February 2015. Instructions rewritten and quantities converted to metric; the author's own gram weights are used where she gives them.