Chocolate cakes are a little paradise for those with a sweet tooth.
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To make a truly delicious and exquisite chocolate cake, you need to find the right recipe, put in a lot of work, and sometimes spend hours in the kitchen. But you have to admit: a dessert you make yourself and that turns out just like the photo in a cooking magazine will be worth the time. Besides, making a good chocolate cake at home is much cheaper than buying it at a bakery, let alone a cafe or restaurant.
To ensure your cake turns out delicious and just like the photo, you need to purchase the right ingredients for the recipe you've chosen. And when it comes to baking, it's best not to experiment or substitute one ingredient for another. Even the wrong consistency of a single ingredient can ruin the final product.
So, to make a delicious cake, read the recipes, choose the one you like best, including the final result in the photo. Buy all the necessary ingredients at the store, set aside at least a couple of hours of free time, and get to the kitchen to create culinary masterpieces!
Truffle chocolate cake
To make this cake, you'll need silicone molds and a glass ovenproof dish. And, of course, the following ingredients:
- Dark bitter chocolate bar (72%);
- 1 tbsp sugar;
- 4 tbsp. water;
- 40 g butter;
- 1 egg;
- A pinch of salt;
- 100 g frozen raspberries.
This recipe has a unique feature: the cake is baked using a water bath and, what's more, without flour. So, while we're preparing the dough, turn the oven to 160 degrees Celsius (325 degrees Fahrenheit) to allow it to preheat.
Melt the chocolate over low heat or in a double boiler. Then add the butter to the melted chocolate and stir until it dissolves.
In a separate heatproof bowl, boil the syrup: water, sugar, and a pinch of salt. When the syrup has thickened slightly, add it to the chocolate and butter. Mix everything well, then beat the egg into the bowl. Next, whisk the dough.
Grease our silicone molds with butter and place them in a glass container. Pour the batter into the molds and fill the glass container about halfway with water. Place the cakes in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes.
Remove the finished cakes from the molds, dust them with cocoa powder and powdered sugar as shown in the photo, and garnish with a raspberry. This recipe allows you to substitute fresh raspberries or other berries for the frozen ones.
Almond Delight
This cake is made with flour, resulting in a soft, airy, chocolatey dough that, thanks to the addition of almonds, has a very unique flavor. The recipe calls for the following ingredients:
- Half a glass of ground almonds;
- 150 g flour;
- 70 g of sugar;
- Three bars of chocolate;
- 200 g butter;
- 1 tsp baking powder;
- 2 tbsp cocoa;
- 3 chicken eggs.
Take a small saucepan, preferably with thick sides and a thick bottom, and place it over low heat. Break two chocolate bars into it, then add chopped butter, preferably at room temperature. Melt everything until smooth. Then beat the sugar and eggs thoroughly with a mixer on high speed.
Place the flour and cocoa powder into the eggs. It's best to sift them first. Mix very carefully. Add the ground almonds and melted chocolate with butter. Mix everything carefully again.
Line a baking pan with parchment paper. A rectangular pan works best for the cakes, as it makes slicing easier. Pour the batter into the pan, spreading it evenly. Bake the cake in the oven at 150 degrees Celsius (300 degrees Fahrenheit) for about 40 minutes. This recipe calls for testing the cake with a matchstick to ensure it's done, and don't overbake it, otherwise the cake will be too dry.
Remove the finished cake, let it cool, and cut it into squares. Melt the remaining chocolate bar and drizzle it over the cakes. The recipe doesn't call for frosting, but you can slice each cake lengthwise (as in the photo) and spread it with frosting if desired. The frosting is very simple to make: take a chocolate spread, like Nutella, and beat it thoroughly with butter (in a 1:1 ratio). Just make sure to drizzle the chocolate over the cakes after cutting and spreading the frosting. Otherwise, it'll be awkward.
A little about the ingredients
Confectionery chocolate is typically made exclusively from dark chocolate with a high cocoa content (at least 70%) and without any additives (nuts, crumbs, etc.). These can significantly affect not only the taste but also the shape of the product.
Baking flour must be sifted. Other ingredients—butter, eggs, milk—must be fresh and high-quality.
Once you've chosen a recipe, strictly follow the specified proportions and steps, and you're sure to get a delicious, high-quality chocolate cake, just like the one in the photo.
I wish you bon appétit and successful mastering of new recipes!
