The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons water
1/2 cup milk
1 cup flour (cake flour)
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 pound butter
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Butter and flour 2 8-inch round cake pans.

Place the cocoa, 3 tablespoons sugar, and 3 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring, until smooth and blended.
Remove from the heat and stir in the milk. Set aside

In a medium bowl cream the butter. Next add the vanilla and 1/2 cup of sugar and beat until fluffy and light. Beat in the egg yolks and then the cocoa mixture. Mix very well!

In a small bowl sift together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Add to the first mixture and blend well.

Beat the egg whites until foamy. Slowly add a 1/2 cup of sugar and beat until the whites are stiff.

Fold the egg whites into the batter gently with a spatula.

Spread the batter into the 2 cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes. Take out of the oven when a toothpick stuck in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let cool in the pans for about 5 minutes and then invert the cakes onto cooling racks

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups egg whites
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/4 cups cake flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

In a medium bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, cake flour, and cocoa. Sift twice. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whip egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar together with an electric mixer on high speed. Whip until very stiff peaks form. Fold in white sugar 2 tablespoons at a time while continuing to mix. Fold in flour mixture, a little at a time. Add the vanilla.

Pour batter into a 10 inch tube pan.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour, or until cake springs back when touched.

This cake is very easy to make because you can cheat. You have the option to use a pre-made cake mix rather than make your own cake from scratch.
If you want Chocolate Chip Cookie Chocolate Cake use a chocolate cake mix. For a standard Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake use a yellow cake mix.

Ingredients:
Yellow (chocolate) cake mix (no pudding in the mix)
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
2 tablespoons of water
2 eggs
6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate morsels.

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a medium size bowl except the morsels.

Fold in the semi-sweet morsels.

Spread dough in a 15 1/2 inch greased pizza pan or on a 15 or 17 inch long cookie sheet.

Bake approximately 15 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick stuck in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let cool and then frost or decorate.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE CAKE RECIPE
If you want a chocolate chip cake that resembles a cake rather than a giant chocolate chip cookie than follow this recipe:

Ingredients:
8-inch square cake pan.
1 1/2 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 pound of butter
1/2 cup of milk
1 egg
1 cup (6 ounces) of semi-sweet morsels.

Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Butter and flour your 8-inch cake pan.

In a large mixing bowl mix the baking powder, flour, sugar and salt.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter.

Remove the butter from the heat and add the eggs and milk. Beat well.

Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture and blend well.

Fold in the semi-sweet morsels.

Pour batter into the cake pan.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick, inserted into the center of the cake, comes out clean.

Cool the cake in the pan for about 5 minutes.

Turn out onto cooling rack.

This is a wonderful recipe for a special occasion such as an anniversary or wedding shower. The sophistication of the flavors as well as the beauty of the cake lends itself to a party atmosphere. I last made this cake for my granddaughter's graduation party. I thought it would be a nice treat for the adults but the kids gobbled it up on their own!!

Ingredients:
2 9-inch cake pans
1 3/4 cups of cake flour (all-purpose flour works well too).
2 cups of sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 eggs
1 cup of strong black coffee
1 cup of buttermilk
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Ingredients for the Cherry Topping:
1 22 oz can of cherry pie filling
2 tablespoons of white sugar
2 tableshppons cherry Kirscher liquor
whipped cream

Directions:

Grease and lightly flour the 2 cake pans.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. I sift together 2-3 times so the dry ingredients blend thoroughly.

Add the eggs and blend well.

Mix in the coffee and buttermilk and blend thoroughly.

Add the vegetable oil and vanilla and mix.

Pour batter evenly into the 2 cake pans.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Directions for Cherry Filling:

In a medium bowl combine the cherry filling, sugar and liquor and mix by hand thorougly.

Assembling the Cake:

Let cakes cool for about 5 minutes and then turnout on cooling racks.

Level bottom layer of cake by slicing off the rounded top portion.

Place a layer of cherry filling on top of the bottom layer, followed by a layer of whipped cream.

Place the top layer on the whipped cream and press down very lightly to set the top layer on the cake.

In the center of the cake place a large dollop of the cherry filling. Surround the cherry filling with whipped cream.

Frost the sides of the cake with whipped cream.

Garnish around the bottom of the cake with fresh cherries and mint leaves for an elegant and sophisticated look.

Nothing beats a dessert like good old-fashioned chocolate layer cake. This recipe has been in my family since my great grandmother was knee-high to a grasshopper. Of course, thanks to the invention of the electric mixer, this recipe is fairly quick and easy to make, and just as delicious as when my grandmother made it for me!

Ingredients:
3 9-inch cake pans
3/4 of a cup of softened butter.
1 1/2 cups of white sugar
7 Eggs, separated
1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla (I prefer real vanilla and not artificially flavored vanilla)
1 1/2 cups of cake flour (all-purpose flour is fine to use).
2/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
3/4 cup of buttermilk (If you don't have buttermilk on hand, simply mix 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice and use this as a substitute for buttermilk. This is equivalent to 1 cup of buttermilk.)

Ingredients for the Frosting:
1 1/2 cups of softened butter.
1/2 cup of whipping cream
1 tablespoon of vanilla
3 cups confectioner's sugar
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted & cooled.

Cake Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease and lightly flour 3 9-inch cake pans. If you wish you can line each pan with greased parchment paper cut to size.

In a large bowl beat the butter and 3/4 cup of sugar until it is crumbly and fluffy.

Beat in the egg yolks one at a time. Be sure to beat well after each yolk.

Add vanilla. Mix well.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, and baking soda.

Using a wooden spoon, stir flour mixture into butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, making 3 additions of flour mixture and 2 additions of buttermilk.

Set aside.

In a small bowl beat eggwhites, (make sure the egg beaters are clean)until soft peaks form. Slowly add in the sugar while beating, until stiff peaks form.

Using a spatula gently fold in 1/4 of the egg white mixture into the flour/butter batter. Gently fold in another 1/2 of the egg white mixture. Finally fold in the remaining egg white mixture. Mix gently.

Pour batter evenly into the 3 9-inch cake pans.

Cook at 350 degrees F. for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Remove pans from oven and let cool for 30 minutes. Turn out (remove cake from pan) on cooling racks to finish cooling.

Directions to Make Chocolate Icing

In a medium bowl beat the softened butter until fluffy.

While beating gradually, add in the whipping cream.

Beat in the vanilla.

Beat in the confectioner's sugar, 1 cup at a time.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.

Beat the chocolate into the frosting mixture until smooth.

Assembling the Cake

Level off the bottom and second layer by removing the raised center of each cake with a sharp knife.

Place the bottom layer on your serving platter.

Add a layer of frosting to the bottom layer. For a twist also add a layer of raspberry or strawberry jam on top of the frosting if you like.

Set the second layer in place and top with frosting and jam(if desired).

Set the top layer in place and frost the top and sides of the cake.

Garnish with raspberries or strawberries if desired.
Serve with vanilla ice cream.