Page 22 - CMA PROfiles Winter 2014

SHOPCHEF The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever

Chocolate Cake with decadent Chocolate Frosting that will
quickly become your favorite!

Recipes from Our Round Table Ingredients 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup boiling water
2 cups sugar
¾ cup cocoa Chocolate frosting
2 teaspoons baking powder 1½ cups butter (3 sticks),
The Best Chocolate Cake 1½ teaspoons baking soda softened
Recipe Ever 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup cocoa
5 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon espresso powder
½ cup milk
by Joe Knobbe 1 cup milk
ince I do a portion of the bak- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup vegetable oil
ing in our house, I decided ½ teaspoon espresso powder
S that I would make a cake with 2 eggs
a theme that paid homage to my
woodworking career – this is the Instructions
result and the recipe! Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spray-
ing with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring.
The best chocolate cake recipe. Ever?
There are plenty of claims for the For the cake:
best chocolate cake recipe. I get that. 1. Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt
But with one bite of this chocolate and espresso powder to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand
cake with chocolate frosting, every mixer. Whisk through to combine or, using your paddle at-
single person around the table com- tachment, stir through flour mixture until combined well.
mented that this was the best choco- 2. Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture
late cake they’d ever tasted.
and mix together on medium speed until well combined.
Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake
So as for my house, this chocolate cake recipe now holds that honor.
batter. Beat on high speed for about 1 minute to add air to
As the compliments continued, I didn’t begin to tell them how easy it the batter.
was to make. 3. Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared
cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick or
In all honesty, it is probably one of the easiest cakes I’ve made in a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
long time, really, but I just smiled and thanked them.
4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 min-
As we continued on gobbling up the cake, drinking our coffee or iced utes, remove from the pan and cool completely.
cold milk, the compliments just kept coming.
5. Frost cake with chocolate frosting.
Then the requests for the recipe started.
For the Chocolate Frosting:
1. Add cocoa to a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer. Whisk
That’s generally when you know that folks really like what you’ve
made if they ask for the recipe and tell you for what event they plan through to remove any lumps.
to serve it. 2. Cream together butter and cocoa powder until well-combined.
3. Add sugar and milk to cocoa mixture by adding 1 cup of
As a cook, that really is one of the highest compliments you can
sugar followed by about a tablespoon of milk. After each
receive – well, at least in my book.
addition has been combined, turn mixer onto a high speed
It was great to hear that they thought the cake was just as good after for about a minute. Repeat until all sugar and milk have
their last bite as they thought it was with their first. been added.
4. Add vanilla extract and espresso powder and combine well.
Here’s another great thing about this recipe. The cake batter really can
be made in a bowl without the use of a heavy duty mixer. Of course, 5. If frosting appears too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon at a
that just makes things easier, but this is easily a recipe my Grandmoth- time until it reaches the right consistency. If it appears to wet
er would have enjoyed making in her tiny kitchen with a whisk and a and does not hold its form, add more confectioner’s sugar, a
bowl. And I’m sure it would have turned out perfectly, too. tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.

I’m not going to kid you, this makes a very rich, moist, and abso- Prep time Cook time Total time
lutely luxurious chocolate cake recipe. So if you are a faint of heart 15 mins 30 mins 45 mins
chocolate cake person, this is not the cake for you. ❖
22 PROFILES • Volume 14 • Issue 1, 2014 • www.cabinetmakers.org