At Gourmet Orchards we’re always on the look out for extra-special recipes, those one-of-a-kind concoctions that round out our recipe box; and no recipe box is truly complete without a Classic Chocolate Cake Recipe. So last week we went on the hunt to find the best chocolate cake recipe we could get our hands on. A recipe that commanded respect by all those who tried it, and left them wondering, “How did they do that?” (we always like those kinds of reactions – it makes us seem like we’ve got some type of gourmet super powers).
We found this chocolate cake recipe at add a pinch, that claimed to be the best chocolate cake recipe ever, we couldn’t help but try it out to see if it was worthy of such a title. We jumped into the Gourmet Orchards Kitchen, put on our aprons, rolled up our sleeves, and got to work and as it turned out, this particular recipe completely lived up to all the hype; and we just had to share it with our readers! Although this isn’t a Gourmet Orchards Original, we have added a few changes here and there to make it our own. Bon appetite!
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups, all-purpose flour
- 2 cups, white granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup, cocoa
- 2 tsp, baking powder
- 1 & 1/2 tsp, baking soda
- 1 tsp, salt
- 1 cup, milk
- 1/2 cup, vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp, vanilla extract
- 1 cup, boiling water
Chocolate Frosting
- 1 & 1/2 cups, butter
- 1 cup, cocoa
- 5 cups, confectioner’s sugar
- 1/2 cup, milk
- 2 tsp, vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Prep two 9-inch cake pans by buttering and then lightly flouring
- Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large mixing bowl and mix (we like to use a stand mixer).
- Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and add boiling water to batter. Beat on high for approximately 1 minute to ensure batter is well aerated.
- Pour batter evenly into both prepared cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes (hint: use the toothpick test to determine if the cake is done baking).
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Chocolate Frosting
- Combine melted butter and cocoa powder into large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Add confectioners sugar (1 cup at-a-time) and milk (1 tablespoon at-a-time). After each addition, mix thoroughly for approximately 1 minute until all confectioners sugar and milk have been added.
- Add vanilla extract and mix well.
Frost and decorate cake and place chocolate shavings on top for decoration (see instructions below for how to make chocolate curls).
How to Make Chocolate Curls for Chocolate Cake Decoration
What you’ll need:
- 1 tablespoon, Crisco
- 3 ounces, semi-sweet baking chocolate (usually 3 blocks)
How to:
- Add chocolate and crisco to stove and heat, stirring occasionally until melted
- Pour chocolate onto upside down cookie sheet and spread chocolate into a thin layer
- Place cookie sheet in freezer until chocolate has hardened (it took about 3 minutes on our end)
- Pull cookie sheet out and let sit for approximately 1 minute
- Take metal sharp edged spatula and scrape chocolate from the cookie sheet (note: you’ll only have a few minutes to do this before the chocolate gets too soft)
- Once you’ve scrapped all the chocolate off the pan place curls on plate and place back in freezer.
Here in the Gourmet Orchards’ Kitchen we’re always looking for new ideas around amazing food. If you’ve got a recipe you’d like us to work on, contact us, fill us in and you may see your recipe on the gourmet blog.
