Chocolate cake can be an indulgence, but it doesn't have to be — at least when it comes to your wallet. While whole cakes can top $30 at a fancy bakery, any self-respecting chocolate lover with an oven and a mixer can make one at home for much less, even with top-quality ingredients. Most cakes are easy to make and can be in the oven with about 10 minutes of prep time. Here are 17 recipes to fulfill every cake lover's dreams.
There is nothing more classic than the chocolate cake recipe on the back of a can of Hershey's cocoa powder. The thin batter makes a chocolatey three-layer cake (or a sheet cake, or even cupcakes) with a simple chocolate buttercream frosting.
Recipe: Hershey’s
Some people remember this from their parents' or grandparents' kitchen. It's remarkably simple, and using mayonnaise instead of butter makes the cake moist, rich, and cheap. The recipe recommends a sour cream chocolate frosting, but there's no reason not to use the classic Hershey's buttercream, or even a dusting of confectioner's sugar for minimalists.
Recipe: Serious Eats
Made in individual ramekins, these cakes ooze chocolate when they're cut. A version by the renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten takes minutes to prep and less than 15 minutes in the oven. No icing is required, but ice cream or sorbet would go nicely. Using the best-quality chocolate makes a difference, and bakers can decide whether they prefer semi-sweet or bittersweet. (Ramekins go for as little as $9 for four.)
Recipe: ABC News
An ultra-indulgent cake for a special occasion, this truffle cake is a diet disaster but heaven for a chocolate lover. It's baked in a springform pan, then cut into three layers and brushed with a rum syrup. The light cake is a base for a chocolate truffle ganache that's spread throughout the layers and over the top for a remarkable hit of richness.
Recipe: Saveur
There's no reason vegans can't have their cake and eat it, too. This recipe substitutes oil for butter and has no eggs, but otherwise is like most other chocolate cake recipes. This is a one-layer cake with a thin glaze that won't harden much, since it has no corn syrup.
Recipe: Vegan Baking
Due to texture differences, people on a gluten-free diet cannot simply substitute gluten-free flour for regular wheat flour in any chocolate cake recipe. This cake is tender and moist owing to the addition of xanthan gum — an odorless and mostly taste-free powder that, in larger doses, may cause side effects in people sensitive to it. It makes a nice, big, two-layer cake, and almost any frosting will do.
Recipe: King Arthur Flour
Guests will drool over the cherry chocolate cake from Cookie and Kate. It's the perfect dessert for feeling fancy while still eating healthy — diners get the nutritional benefits of whole wheat flour and fresh cherries, plus it's vegan.
Recipe: Cookie and Kate
Another gluten-free option (and also a great dessert to file away for Passover) is a dense, rich chocolate torte — a cake with little or no flour. Beaten egg whites give the cake some leavening and structure. A rich chocolate and cream glaze finishes it off, although a raspberry sauce posted on Allrecipes might cut a bit of the richness.
Recipe: Epicurious
When the occasion calls for a light dessert, or the diet is still important but the desire for chocolate is strong, a chocolate angel food cake fills the bill. Angel food cakes are made with a lot of egg whites but no yolks or butter; they contain no fat or cholesterol. This version adds cocoa powder and a smidge of semi-sweet chocolate, which increases the chocolate flavor without adding a lot of calories.
Recipe: Martha Stewart
This cake looks complicated, but it's really easy. This version is a very simple, super sweet, three-layer cake made with buttermilk. It's really all about the frosting — a gooey confection of evaporated milk, pecans, and coconut.
Recipe: Betty Crocker
Maida Heatter is chocolate cake royalty; her book of desserts is a go-to for chocolate lovers. This cake has just enough coffee to boost the chocolate flavor without making it taste like mocha. The cake needs nothing on top but a sprinkling of confectioner's sugar.
Recipe: Tasting Spoons
Brownies are something between a cake and a cookie, but it would be derelict to leave them out. Brownies are so simple to make that they are often a child's first baking project. For people torn between cakey and fudgy brownies, the recipe on the back of the Baker's unsweetened baking chocolate box has variations to suit either taste. (The original one-bowl recipe is on the fudgy side.)
Recipe: Kraft
Red wine and chocolate, while more difficult to pair than most people realize, is a wonderful combination when it works. The red wine flavor comes through to enhance the rich, fudgy character of the cake. This is a delicious use for leftover wine.
Recipe: Smitten Kitchen
The combination of chilies with chocolate is not new or unconventional, particularly in Mexican chocolate, but mixing jalapeños into a chocolate cake can still feel strange. The heat from the peppers enhances the natural earthiness of the chocolate and the sweetness of the other ingredients simultaneously. For anyone who loves spice, it’s well worth sampling.
Related: What's Cooking America
This traditional German dessert combines dark chocolate, cherries, and kirsch, a cherry liquor. To make an alcohol-free version, substitute cherry juice. This layer cake needs to rest in the fridge for the flavors to meld, so plan accordingly.
Recipe: Genius Kitchen
Beets have such a high natural sugar content that they are farmed for the purpose of extracting sugar. Some bakers might raise an eyebrow at the idea that beets’ strong, earthy flavor has a place in desserts, but the root flavor of the beets is barely perceptible in this recipe, complemented by the earthiness of chocolate. Instead they contribute a moist texture and extra nutrition.
Recipe: Martha Stewart
No compendium of chocolate cake would be complete without a nod to Rose Levy Beranbaum, author of "The Cake Bible." Her recipe is a bit more complicated than the rest, but worth it. The ingredient list includes cake flour rather than all-purpose flour, and an espresso ganache is spread between the layers and around the top and sides.
Recipe: Food & Wine