Chocolate Cake Recipes

These chocolate cake recipes are for tasty and moist chocolate cakes. I do not know how you feel, but I hate those dry and tasteless chocolate cakes coffee shops sometimes sell. These chocolate cake recipes do not fall in that category. Do have a look at the sheet cake a little further down, it is surprisingly easy to make and really tasty. You will never go wrong if you try to treat your family with a chocolate cake. Enjoy!

Chocolate Buttermilk Cake

Ingredients for this chocolate cake recipe:

The Cake:

• ¹/₃ cup cocoa
• ^2/₃ cup boiling water
• 1 1/2 cups castor sugar
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 cups cake flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• A pinch of salt
• ²/₃ cup buttermilk
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 4 egg whites

Filling/Topping

• ^2/₃ cup sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp coffee powder
• 1 1/2 cups coconut
• 1/2 tsp orange essence

Method for this chocolate cake recipe:

The Batter:

1. Mix the cocoa with the boiling water and allow to cool.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
3. Grease two 9inch layer cake pans.
4. Cream the castor sugar and butter.(for this one of the Cuisinart SM-55 5-1/2-Quart Stand Mixers are ideal)
   
5. Add the egg yolks and cocoa mixture and mix well.
6. Sift the cake flour, bicarbonate of soda, cream of tartar and salt together.
7. Stir into the cocoa mixture.
8. Add the buttermilk and vanilla essence and mix well.
9. Whisk the egg whites until stiff but not dry.
10. Fold lightly into the batter.
11. Pour the batter into the pans.
12. Bake for 25-30 minutes until done.
13. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

The topping or Filling:

1. Heat the sugar and milk to boiling point.
2. Add the coffee powder and mix well.
3. Stir in the coconut and orange essence.
4. Allow to cool. (If the topping is too soft, stir in more coconut).
5. Spread the topping on the cake layers and sandwich them together.

Tip:If you do not have buttermilk, use unflavored yogurt or even sour milk.

As in the previous recipe, the buttermilk in this cake makes it really tasty. If you do not have buttermilk normal sour milk will do the trick.

Ingredients for this recipe:

Batter

• 2 cups cake flour
• 2 cups sugar
• A pinch of salt
• ¼ lb butter or margarine
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup safflower oil
• ½ cup cocoa
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 extra large eggs

Icing

• 5 tbsp butter or margarine
• 3 dessertspoons buttermilk
• 2 tbsp cocoa
• 1 ½ cups icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Method for this recipe:

The Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. Grease a 12x10x2 ½ inch grilling pan or baking sheet.
3. Sift the cake flour, sugar and salt together.
4. Heat the butter, water, safflower oil and cocoa in a saucepan until boiling briskly.
5. Cool slightly.
6. Then pour over the flour mixture and mix well.
7. Mix the buttermilk and bicarbonate of soda.
8. Beat the eggs lightly and mix with the buttermilk.
9. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and mix well.
10. Pour the batter into the pan.
11. Bake for about 25 minutes until done.

The Icing:

1. Heat the butter, buttermilk and cocoa to boiling point.
2. Remove from the stove.
3. Sift and stir in the icing sugar and vanilla essence.
4. Pour the hot icing over the hot cake.
5. Allow the cake to cool, cut into 2 ½ x 2 ½ inch squares and serve.

Chocolate Buttercream

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• ½ tsp vanilla essence

Method:

1. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Beat well to a smooth spreadable consistency.

Continental Chocolate Buttercream

Ingredients:

• 3 egg yolks
• 3 oz castor sugar
• 2 ½ fl oz water
• 7 oz unsalted butter, softened
• 3 ½ oz continental plain chocolate, melted

Method:

1. Beat the egg yolks together in a bowl.
2. Gently heat the sugar and water until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Bring to the boil and boil until the sugar has reached the soft ball stage, 115°C (240°F) on a sugar thermometer.

Moccha Buttercream

Ingredients:

• 3 oz butter or soft margarine
• 1 ½ cups icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 tsp cocoa powder dissolved in 2 tsp boiling water
• A little coffee essence

Method:

1. If using butter, allow it to come to room temperature so that it can easily be creamed. Sift the icing sugar.
2. Put the butter in a bowl.
3. Add about ¼ of the icing sugar and beat with a hand-held electric mixer until fluffy.
4. Using a metal spoon, add the remaining icing sugar, a little at a time, beating well with the mixer after every addition. (Icing sugar is so fine that if you add too much at one time, it tends to fly out of the bowl).
5. Beat in a little of the dissolved cocoa – the mixture should be light and creamy, with a spreadable consistency.
6. Add a bit more of the cocoa – but not too much.
7. Add the coffee essence.
8. Use as a filling or topping on layer cakes or cup cakes.