Deep Dark Chocolate Cake

“DELICIOUS!!! This is the same recipe I had found awhile ago on another website, except it had a different name, (Black Magic Cake). Regardless of what the recipe is called, it is excellent! Very moist, deep chocolatey, and fluffy. I used brewed expresso instead of strong coffee, and I used nonfat plain yogurt in place of buttermilk. I also used Dutch Processed Cocoa instead of natural Cocoa in both the cake and the icing, then I lightly frosted the cake with my fatfree icing made with brewed expresso, cocoa powder, and confectioner’s sugar. “

“Fantastic taste, and an unbelievably soft and spongy texture! I made this for a friend’s birthday, and the poor guy got only 1 tiny piece because all my other friends gobbled this up! The only problem I had with this cake was that it got stuck to the pan even after greasing and flouring it. Some Zaar folks suggested greasing and flouring the pan, then lining it with parchment paper, and greasing and flouring it again. Or, next time, I’ll just serve this straight out of the pan! I don’t have a hand blender, so I whisked the liquid ingredients separately using a wire whisk, and then added them to the flour mixture, whisking vigourously. I iced this with Sharlene’s Silky Vanilla Butter Frosting (#23715).”

“Wow.. what a cake! I took your advice Lennie and made this for a birthday.Everyone loved it.The only problem was that the cake stuck to the pans.I did grease and flour it, but I didn’t think to put waxed paper on the bottom.For anyone who is going to make this cake as a layer cake, grease, flour, and line the bottom of your tins with wax paper. I frosted this moist and yummy cake with Classic Buttercream Frosting by ~Christine~ and it was FABULOUS! A perfect pair.”

“Wow, Lennie! You have gone and DONE it!! This is incredible. I read Anu’s review, so used the parchment paper. It came out of the pans perfect. This is so moist, rich, soft, delicious!! This cake is wonderful!!! I used my hot fudge sauce with this, only because that’s what the family wanted. And some of them plopped a scoop of ice-cream alongside! What a treat. We all stuffed ourselves! This is going to get a lot of use! Thanks Lennie!”

“This is “way yum” as the kids would say. Only problem- it stuck to the pan a little. Used a loaf tin so it took a little longer to cook, I think my oven has been over worked. Will definitely be making this again. Super moist, super chocolaty.”

“This is a superb chocolate cake! Very moist with an extra richness of flavour given by the coffee. I’m not usually a fan of chocolate cake but I made this for my husband and had to test it. I ended up having two pieces! This really is the best one I have ever tasted. I used Vanilla Butter Icing #23465 on it. Just fantastic, thanks!”

“This is a great cake!! I made it yesterday .. I frosted it with vanilla frosting, a layer of chocolate frosting and another of vanilla in the middle .. heavenly”

“Honestly, I think I have died and gone to heaven. My goodness, this cake is indescribably good. It it truly good. I didn’t have buttermilk so I did the old vinegar and skim milk, but it still came out surpassing my expectations! I used chocolate frosting rather than white, only because if you are going to have chocolate this good, why spoil it. Lennie, thank you for sharing!”

“I saw that people were having trouble when using the 9″ rounds.I put a good flour coating on the pan and they came right out with minimal flour on the cake that brushed right off.Everyone raved about this cake.I also used the Classic Buttercream Frosting #10211 which was perfect with this cake.”

“A true five star recipe.Cake doesn’t get much better, or simpler to make than this.I used a 9X13 pan, but did encounter a bit of difficulty getting it out (must buy parchment paper).While it may have looked a bit funny, its taste was incredible.Moist and rich, with an ultra-chocolately taste.An incredible treat.Thanks Lennie.I followed Anu’s lead and also used Sharlene’s Silky Vanilla Butter Frosting (#23715), which was just perfect (though the cake was just fine without frosting too).”

“Wow!5 stars is selling this recipe short.Not only is it simple to make, the taste & texture are out of this world!!! I did not change a thing.I greased & floured a 13×9 pyrex & the cake did not stick at all.Silky Vanilla Butter Frosting by Sharlene~W was perfect.This cake should be in a chocolate cake Hall of Fame.It was even better next day out of the fridge.I doubt it will make it to tomorrow – but I do have more buttermilk in the fridge.Thank you Lennie for sharing this recipe!”

“How could this only get a four and a half star????It was the most wonderful chocolate cake that I have ever tasted!!!!!!!!!Thank you Lennie.”

“Excellent recipe! I used Sharlene’s frosting (23715).I got rave reviews from the family. One secret my sister told me that worked great– when you pull the pans (I made round layer cake) from the oven, put them directly into the freezer for about an hour. This stops the cooking process faster and the condensation keeps the cake ultra moist and they come right out of the pan if you prepared the pans well to begin with. Give it a try and see if it works for you!”

“This review is well overdue. I have made this cake at least once a month (often more) since I found the recipe about a year ago. Absolutely perfect every time! Have made it in sheet pans, layer tins, bundt pans, cupcake moulds and it always turns out wonderfully. Moist, fluffy chocolatey and not too sweet even with the two cups of sugar. And so easy and so reliable. I even have a bad habit of forgetting things or substituting ingredients (eg orange juice for the coffee) and it withstands all of this. Plus everyone I make it for raves about it and begs for the recipe. Thank you so much. If I could give it ten stars I would.”

“Rich, moist, and delicious.I could not find my favorite recipe for chocolate cake and remembered reading great reviews about this recipe.The recipe is very similar to my version (in particular the addition of coffee), so I really wanted to give this a try.This made an excellent birthday cake and was very well received by all tasters.Thanks!”

“I’m 16 and i made it for afriends birthday party. I’m telling you, I’ve never seen achocolate cake go so fast than in a room full of teenage girls. I used the parch ment paper and had no problem with sticking. I used betty Crocker white icing and it was great. Really good cake. ;)”

“Yummy!I made this for my daughter’s first birthday, and everyone loved it.It was very easy, and I didn’t have any problems with sticking.Highly recommended!”

“I made this for my daughter in law’s birthday last weekend.It was easy to make, and just to be sure I used baking paper to line the pan, grease and sprinkled with graham cracker crumbs.It had to rest and cool but came out of the pan easy after that.Everybody loved it, thanks, ingrid”

“The absolute best, moist and rich chocolate cake ever!!!!I did add slightly more cocoa. I made two layers and I think next time I might do a batch and a half as the layers were not as high as I would have liked. I also used this tremendous, yet very simple ganacherecipe for the filling and topping:Ingredients* 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used chocolate chips)
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 1 tablespoon dark rum (optional)Directions 1. Place the chocolate into a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, watching very carefully because if it boils for a few seconds, it will boil out of the pot. When the cream has come to a boil, pour over the chopped chocolate, and whisk until smooth. Stir in the rum if desired.
2. Allow the ganache to cool slightly before pouring over a cake. Start at the center of the cake and work outward. For a fluffy frosting or chocolate filling, allow it to cool until thick, then whip with a whisk until light and fluffy.For the filling and sides of the cake I made one recipe and put it in the fridge to firm up. For the topping I made one recipe and coolded it slightly at room temp and pour over top of cake and let it drizzle down sides.I added some white chocolate drizzles to make it look pretty.Tasted like a chocolate truffle cake.It was a huge hit with everyone who tried it.”

“MAde this for a birthday cake..it was fantastic! I had no trouble with sticking..I did use 9″ rounds and parchment paper…but in all my infinite wisdom, forgot to grease or flour the sides of the pans..no problem, just used a sharp knifeto run along the edges after cooling a bit and they popped out perfectly. This relaly made a moist fluffy chocolate cake that stood up to the buttercream frosting I used to decorate it with. Too bad I can’t get a nice smooth finish with frosting…but nobody seemed to care a bit, they LOVED this cake.”