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Chocolate Cake

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Makes At least 10 servings 1x

Time About 1 hour

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened, plus more for greasing
  • 2 cups cake or all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups milk
  • 1 batch of Cream Cheese Frosting (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour the bottom and sides of two 9-inch or three 8-inch layer cake pans, or a 13 × 9-inch sheet cake pan.
  2. Melt the chocolate in a small saucepan over very low heat or in a double boiler over hot—not boiling—water, stirring occasionally. When the chocolate is just about melted, remove from the heat and continue to stir it until smooth.
  3. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Use an electric mixer to cream the butter in a large bowl until smooth, then gradually add the sugar. Beat until light in color and fluffy, 3 or 4 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, then the vanilla, and finally the chocolate. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the batter a little at a time, alternating with the milk. Stir just until smooth.
  4. Wash and dry the beaters thoroughly, then beat the egg whites in a medium bowl until they hold soft peaks. Use a rubber spatula to fold them gently but thoroughly into the batter. Turn it into the pan(s) and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake(s) comes out clean, about 30 minutes for layers or 20 minutes for a sheet cake. Let the cake cool in the pan(s) for 5 minutes, then invert onto a rack to finish cooling.
  5. Frost or glaze or sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar if you like and store at room temperature. If you’re not frosting right away, you can wrap each layer tightly with plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or with plastic wrap and foil and store in the freezer for up to a few months.

— Recipe from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Recipe variations

VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE Use 1/2 cup cocoa powder instead of the chopped chocolate; whisk it with the other dry ingredients. Swap the butter for ¹2₂ cup good-quality neutral-tasting vegetable oil and the sugar for 1 cup maple syrup. Omit the eggs. Substitute 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond or soy milk for the dairy milk; add 1 tablespoon cider vinegar to the milk and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes before using. You can also use these substitutions to make any of the variations.

CHOCOLATE-ORANGE CAKE This cake is especially decadent with rich ganache: Beat 2 tablespoons grated orange zest into the butter mixture. To assemble the cake, spread a thin layer of Orange Glaze on the first layer of the cake. Frost the remaining cake with Chocolate Ganache or Vegan Chocolate Ganache flavored with 1 tablespoon grated orange zest.

CHOCOLATE-ESPRESSO CAKE Beat 3 tablespoons instant espresso powder into the butter mixture. Frost the cake with Chocolate Ganache or Vegan Chocolate Ganache. If you like, decorate the cake with chopped chocolate-covered espresso beans.