I've come to the conclusion (and had a complaint recently) that my chocolate cake recipe has a tendency to get dry. It's from the cake bible and I've now decided this book needs to go as whatever I've tried from there is on the dry side!

I found a divine yellow cake, but I need a GREAT chocolate cake for a scratch baker - not a fluffy crumbly cake, but something that is denser and moister, but still "birthday cake" style.

Melissa

I'd like a recipe for a great chocolate cake, too. Would anyone like to share their favorite?

Anyone have any suggestions? I'm looking for a recipe for my own birthday cake. Thanks!

My Recipe/Favorite:

3 oz Semisweet or Bittersweet baking chocolate
1 1/2 C Hot Liquid (I use coffee for adults and water for kids)
1 1/2 C Cocoa
1 Stick Butter, melted
4 Eggs
1 1/2 C Sour Cream
2 tsp Vanilla
2/3 C Oil
2 3/4 C Flour
1 C Brown Sugar
1 1/2 C Sugar
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Salt

Preheat oven to 300. Combine both Sugars, Flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Combine Hot liquid, baking chocolate, cocoa and melted butter. Stir until combined.

In electric mixer beat eggs until thick. Add in Oil; mix til combined. Add in Sour cream and mix til combined. Slowly add in melted chocolate mixture and vanilla. Mix til smooth. Add in sugar and flour mixture. Mix until smooth.

Pour into well greased pans and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or just with a few crumbs.

Don't move them around too much while baking or they might fall in the center.

berryblondeboys...hope this will help...I recently read a post (on Rose Beranbaum's site) from someone who figured out the reason for a dry cake using her recipe from the Cake Bible...seems that one of the steps called for hot or boiling water added to cocoa?? Well, the poster discovered that as much as 2oz. was being lost while the mixture cooled, due to evaporation...I believe they said they re-measured then added in water to make up the amount missing, and that cleared up the problem.

I just bake as a hobby, so keep my inexperience in mind, but here are two of my family's favorites (the first with butter, the second with oil):
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/DARK-CHOCOLATE-WEDDING-CAKE-WITH-CHOCOLATE-ORANGE-GANACHE-AND-ORANGE-BUTTERCREAM-13244

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/DOUBLE-CHOCOLATE-LAYER-CAKE-101275

And here's a link to a thread testing different chocolate cakes -maybe one will fit your needs!
http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-602014.html

Hi!
Just the other day I stumbled upon this recipe which has buttermilk. I didn't have time to go to the store to get sourcream which my other chocolate cake recipe called for so i tried this recipe. It is sooo incredibily moist, chocolately, dense, and soft! It was the exact same consistancy as a boxed mix if not more dense. And it carved beautifully unlike the boxed mix. I didn't add the 3 oz. of semi sweet chocolate that it called for and it still had a very rich chocolate flavour. The batter is very thin so I wouldn't suggest using a spring form pan...learned it the hard way! Anyway, I found it right here on cake central.

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-2095-3-Chocolate-Layer-Cake.html

My new favourite!

Here's mine. It's dense, very moist, and great for carved cakes. (The Hershey's recipe and Butter Recipe Chocolate crumble when being carved).

1 box chocolate cake mix (dark chocolate mixes seem to be even more dense)
1 c cake flour (or 3/4 c AP flour + 2 tablespoons cornstarch)
3/4 c sugar
1/4 c cocoa powder
1/2 t salt
1 pkg instant chocolate pudding
1 1/2 c brewed coffee (doesn't have to be hot - it enhance the choc flavor but doesn't leave a coffee taste behind)
3 eggs
1 c sour cream
3 T oil

Mix dry ingredients with a wire whisk. Add everything else. Blend til' well mixed. Bake at 325 til done.

Fills two 7" pans. Can be doubled or tripled (or whatever). Triple recipe will fill one 12" pan and two 9" pans.

I know this uses a cake mix, but it is DELICIOUS! There are similar recips in the recipe section

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake

1 white or yellow cake mix (I use Pillsbury Plus White)
2 small packages chocolate pudding mix (not instant or sugar-free)
1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 cups water
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips
Mix cake mix with whisk before you start to make sure there aren't any lumps. Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips for about 2 minutes with mixer. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 until done. It's a little tricky with the toothpick method since the top forms a firmer surface than most cakes. I baked a triple recipe last night at 325. You can also bake in a bundt pan.

Try it once-- you'll love it!

I like the double chocolate layer cake from Epicurious.. very moist. They also have a Chocolate Stout Cake that is out of this world too.

Just last weekend I tried out a new choc cake recipe and my family loved it!
It's from the Whimsical Bakehouse and it's their Chocolate Butter Cake in their book 'Little Cakes'. I've also had good luck with Confetti Cake's Chocolate cake recipe in her book 'The Confetti Cakes Cookbook'. But I find Confetti's to be much more dense and rich.

My favorite and the only one I use is the Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake . I also use the icing recipe. If I need to carve it I freeze it first then carve, no problems.

HERSHEY'S "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING(recipe follows)
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.

VARIATIONS:
ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.


"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Note: Yellow cake and chocolate fudge icing is an excellent combination .

Also, recently discovered Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa and this recipe for mousse. This is the absolute best mousse recipe ever. It firms up so well that it makes an excellent filling. I've had 4 orders for this cake/icing/filling combo in the past week!


Dark Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients:
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1/3 cup boiling water
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa
2 cups (1 pt.)cold whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in small bowl; let stand 2 minutes to soften. Add boiling water; stir until gelatin is completely dissolved and mixture is clear. Cool slightly.

2. Combine sugar and cocoa in large bowl; add whipping cream and vanilla. Beat on medium speed of mixer, scraping bottom of bowl occasionally, until mixture is stiff. Pour in gelatin mixture; beat until well blended. Spoon into dessert dishes.

3. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Garnish as desired. Store covered in refrigerator. 8 servings

Chocolate Stout Cake, all the way!! You can get the recipe on Epicurious

My boss is a chocoholic. He LOVES chocolate. Every year for his birthday and for his anniversary, I make him a chocolate cake, and he always raves that it is the best cake he's ever had, better than the ones his mom used to make. This man is 82 years old and has had a LOT of chocolate cake in his life!!! I got the recipe from food network, it's from Gale Gand.

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
3 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/3 cups sour cream
1 1/2 cups hot coffee
Frosting:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
16 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
8 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
1/2 cup cooled coffee
4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
6 cups confectioners' sugar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans. Cut 3 circles of waxed paper or parchment paper to fit the bottoms of the pans, then press them in.

In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and eggs and mix until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla, cocoa, baking soda and salt and mix. Add 1/2 of the flour, then 1/2 of the sour cream and mix. Repeat with the remaining flour and sour cream. Drizzle in the hot coffee and mix until smooth. The batter will be thin. Pour into the prepared pans and bake until the tops are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a few crumbs are okay), about 35 minutes. Halfway through the baking, quickly rotate the pans in the oven to ensure even baking, but otherwise try not to open the oven. Let cool in the pan 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks and let cool completely before frosting.

Frosting: In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Drizzle in the melted chocolate and mix. Add the coffee and vanilla and mix. Add the sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Mix until well blended and fluffy. To frost the cake, use a spatula to cover 2 of the cake layers with frosting. Stack them together. Flip the third cake layer over and rest it on the top to create a very flat top for the cake. Frost on the sides and top. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

I don't use the frosting usually, I make my own version of a chocolate butter cream, but the frosting is good too. The cake is absolutely wonderful, so moist, so chocolatey, and dense. The cake scraps almost taste like brownies!!

Like you I've searched high and low for a great recipe and stumbled on this one which is simply fantastic! I hope you like it.

Ingredients
200g good quality dark chocolate , about 60% cocoa solids
200g butter , cut in pieces
1 tbsp instant coffee granules
85g self-raising flour
85g plain flour
1â4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
200g light muscovado sugar
200g golden caster sugar
25g cocoa powder
3 medium eggs
75ml buttermilk (5 tbsp)
grated chocolate or curls, to decorate
FOR THE GANACHE200g good-quality dark chocolate , as above
284ml carton double cream (pouring type)
2 tbsp golden caster sugar

Instructions
Butter a 20cm round cake tin (7.5cm deep) and line the base. Preheat the oven to fan 140C/conventional 160C/ gas 3. Break the chocolate in pieces into a medium, heavy-based pan. Tip in the butter, then mix the coffee granules into 125ml/4fl oz cold water and pour into the pan. Warm through over a low heat just until everything is melted - don't overheat. Or melt in the microwave on Medium for about 5 minutes, stirring half way through.
While the chocolate is melting, mix the two flours, bicarbonate of soda, sugars and cocoa in a big bowl, mixing with your hands to get rid of any lumps. Beat the eggs in a bowl and stir in the buttermilk.
Now pour the melted chocolate mixture and the egg mixture into the flour mixture, stirring just until everything is well blended and you have a smooth, quite runny consistency. Pour this into the tin and bake for 1 hour 25- 1 hour 30 minutes - if you push a skewer in the centre it should come out clean and the top should feel firm (don't worry if it cracks a bit). Leave to cool in the tin (don't worry if it dips slightly), then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
When the cake is cold, cut it horizontally into three. Make the ganache: chop the chocolate into small pieces and tip into a bowl. Pour the cream into a pan, add the sugar, and heat until it is about to boil. Take off the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.

I'm metric challenged, and I do not know what golden caster and muscovdo sugars are. Can anyone translate for me?

So sorry! Caster sugar is superfine sugar but I thibk you can use regular sugar. For Muscovado sugar, I just use plain brown sugar. This link might help with the conversations http://www.recipegoldmine.com/kitchart/kitchart2.html

Thanks for the clarification. I might just give that recipe a try now!

OMG you have soooo many recipes to choose from! I myself have made the Epicurious Double Chocolate Layer cake, Hershey's perfectly chocolate cake, and One Delicious Cake. None of them even held a candle to the tweaked version of the Scott Clark Woolley Fudge Brownie cake IMHO. I have never found a better chocolate cake, not made by myself, and not made at a bakery, since discovering that recipe. It is incredibly moist, dense but still cakey (i.e. not dense like a brownie as the name suggests), rich and chocolatey.

Here's the link, it's on p3 of another thread. http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopic-52587-30.html I finally had someone post back with their results (different thread than the above one) and they were thrilled; her husband said it was the best CAKE he'd ever eaten. I had the same feedback the very first time I baked it.

Note, the egullet mod who posted the recipe is the one who stated (in the recipe notes) that the top domes and cracks. I personally don't have that problem with this cake.

This cake is dense and yummy!!! I substitute the sour cream for prepared instant chocolate pudding! Always a big hit!!!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sandys-Chocolate-Cake/Detail.aspx

You are most welcome! I am psyching myself up to make a partial batch of the recipe into cupcakes, then I'll freeze them and save them for cake fixes. They are stunning with vanilla IMBC but equally good with a ps cream cheese frosting, and utterly divine with whipped dark ganache. And yet the cake is so mouthwatering it can even handle being bare.

*drools*