584000 Tue Dec 30 20:43:34 -0800 2008 32 31 Home Cooking 0 4284686 Just wondering if anyone had any suggestions on a recipe for a moist but not heavy chocolate cake. the one I'm currently using is a vegan one, which I like but I wanted one that was more moist and somewhat lighter in texture. I'm in Toronto, ON and we have this bakery called Dufflets and they make this Black and White cake and the cake is moist and yet not heavy and I was hoping to find something like that. thanks Tue Dec 30 20:43:34 -0800 2008 15158 Janine 1 4284776 Take your normal chocolate cake recipe (i.e., butter, sugar, salt, baking soda, cocoa powder, flour vanilla, eggs) and add pureed canned beets and beet juice to the mixture. You don't taste the beets, nor do you see them as they get camouflaged in the chocolate, but the beets add an incredible layer of moisture to the cake, without making it dense at all. Tue Dec 30 21:33:31 -0800 2008 4284686 11583 ipsedixit 2 4531538 cool trick, ipse. one regular can of beets? Mon Mar 23 17:16:04 -0700 2009 4284776 105717 alkapal 1 4284834 Your best bets are either the Hershey's Black Magic Cake or the cake recipe from the Epicurious Double Chocolate Layer Cake. http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipes/detail.asp?id=4754&page=1&per=1&keyword=black%20magic%20cake http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Double-Chocolate-Layer-Cake-101275 Tue Dec 30 22:21:28 -0800 2008 4284686 10947 middydd 2 4288917 both these recipes sound yummy..the epicurious one has so many good reviews that I am tempted to start here with my experiments...thanks very much chowhounds. Thu Jan 01 20:44:57 -0800 2009 4284834 15158 Janine 2 4532317 The Black Magic cake, which is on the back of every box of Hershey's cocoa, is absurdly easy, reliable, quite flexible in terms of flavor add-ins, and stays moist for days. I've made it non-dairy (with soymilk), orange-chocolate (use OJ instead of milk), cinnamon (add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon to the dry ingredients), and several other variations, all of which come out well. Mon Mar 23 22:22:28 -0700 2009 4284834 39900 GilaB 1 4284848 Hi Janine, I make a vegan chocolate cake too, but it's really moist. Here's a link to a post with the recipe if you want to compare it to the one you've been making (or just click on my name): http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/541419 Tue Dec 30 22:39:20 -0800 2008 4284686 14047 TerriL 2 4288896 Hi TerriL, Your recipe is similar but the dry is different proportions. I will have it as one of trials to see how it turns out..thanks Thu Jan 01 20:37:23 -0800 2009 4284848 15158 Janine 1 4285569 I second the use of coffee--it adds a layer of complexity and it adds moistness. Also, applesauce is a really good addition to baked things to make them moist without fat. I've never tried it, but I've also heard that pureed prunes are great with chocolate (similar to the beets) in the same way you would use applesauce. Wed Dec 31 08:48:24 -0800 2008 4284686 214703 LisaPA 2 4285620 The "Very Good Chocolate Cake" recipe from The Gift Of Southern Cooking (Lewis/Peacock) uses coffee - it's light and moist, with a very fine crumb. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mighty-appetite/2007/05/the_virtue_of_birthday_cake.html discussed previously here: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/406975 The beet thing is intriguing . . . Wed Dec 31 09:07:01 -0800 2008 4285569 11989 pitu 3 4529935 I made this yesterday and was not pleased with the texture, which was rather dense and gummy. I wonder what went wrong, as I am an experienced baker and followed the recipe closely. Mon Mar 23 09:55:32 -0700 2009 4285620 13709 buttertart 4 4531122 Maybe you over mixed the batter? This has happened to me on more than one occasion. Flour should be gently combined with wet ingredients for as short a time as possible, unless the recipe tells you to do otherwise. Wheat forms gluten when moistened. Too much gluten development can yield a tough, dense, and gummy cake. I'm sure you did everything right, as per the recipe. I have found that many recipes don't include mixing times, so there's a tendency to over mix. If I'm wrong about this, maybe some other hound will give you their impression of what went wrong and their advice. I hope you try again. Sounds like a lovely cake. Mon Mar 23 15:07:57 -0700 2009 4529935 158881 addicted2cake 4 4531248 Did you replace all the fat in the cake? If you replace all the fat--with applesauce, prunes, pumpkin or whatever--you'll end up with a gummy, rubbery cake (or banana bread, etc.). Fat inhibits gluten formation, so if you want the right texture, you need at least some fat. I'll sub some, even most, of the fat in a recipe, but never all of it. Mon Mar 23 15:48:03 -0700 2009 4529935 155583 modthyrth 4 4531408 If you used the Washington Post recipe posted above, then the author replaced all the oil with applesauce and recommended yogurt over sour cream, from the original version. I think you need oil/butter in cake for the right texture/taste. Also, the original version uses cake flour which would make a much lighter cake; and calls for coffee over hot water which is a nice addition to chocolate. This is the original version: http://gothamist.com/2005/08/24/gothamist_cooks_kind_of_by_the_book_very_good_chocolate_cake.php Mon Mar 23 16:33:32 -0700 2009 4529935 39874 chowser 5 4532540 When I made it, I used peanut oil, and coffee, AP flour since I didn't have cake flour. I'm pretty sure I used Total/Fage Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. No other substitutions, light superfine crumb. Totally curious about what went wrong/was subbed in yours. I didn't notice the WaPo messing around with the recipe so much -- I just googled -- so your gummy applesauce cake might be my fault! I have the Gift Of Southern Cooking book, and made it as originally written. chowser posted a much better link! Tue Mar 24 05:02:49 -0700 2009 4531408 11989 pitu 6 4533398 The Gift of Southern Cooking, original recipe, sounds really good and easy. I'm going to give it a try (and stay away from the WaPo version!). Thanks! Tue Mar 24 09:51:33 -0700 2009 4532540 39874 chowser 5 4533479 I used the recipe posted here. I did think no butter or oil was odd but went ahead with it thinking some manner of cake magic would transpire. Which it did not. Am continuing my search for a moist and somewhat shaggy-textured plain chocolate cake. My ideal texture would be a cake version of an Aero chocolate bar, with visible bubbles. Tue Mar 24 10:09:04 -0700 2009 4531408 13709 buttertart 6 4533846 Have you tried Hershey's black magic cake? It has a shaggy texture, very moist. I also like the chocolate fudge cake from Cooks Illustrated that Patrincia mentioned below but it's more cakey textured than shaggy. I don't know what an aero bar is like or I'd be able to narrow down cakes that are closer. I found a picture of the black magic cake (though it does have more visible bubles): http://www.therepressedpastrychef.com/home/2009/3/11/black-magic-cake.html Tue Mar 24 11:45:38 -0700 2009 4533479 39874 chowser 6 4533999 What is a shaggy texture? I've never heard of this. Thanks! Tue Mar 24 12:26:38 -0700 2009 4533479 158881 addicted2cake 7 4534011 My term for a somewhat loose and airy texture, with visible cell structure. Will try Hershe's cake and report. Tue Mar 24 12:30:15 -0700 2009 4533999 13709 buttertart 8 4534515 Thanks for the explanation. I can always count on my fellow hounds for teaching me new things! Tue Mar 24 14:31:51 -0700 2009 4534011 158881 addicted2cake 2 4285656 Bananas are great, too, mashed into chocolate baked goods, and add moisture, but I think your suggestion of applesauce would make the texture lighter as OP requests. Wed Dec 31 09:20:11 -0800 2008 4285569 244717 Steady Habits 3 4286555 I second the hersheys cake recipe. The one I use is on the back of the cocoa container. It uses oil, not butter, so if you wanted a vegan recipe, I think this might do (I'm not vegan so I don't know for certain). It is very moist and is my go to chocolate cake. Wed Dec 31 15:12:46 -0800 2008 4285656 220415 petitgateau 4 4286609 I like the black magic cake, too, and it's my quick go-to chocolate cake. It's not vegan, though, since it has eggs and buttermilk but I don't think that's an issue for the OP. I do find it to be a dense cake. For a light cake, I'd try one where you beat sugar with butter for lightness and then separate the eggs and beat the whites. Something like this godiva cake, which I'm going to have to try because it looks really good. http://www.godiva.com/recipes/recipe.aspx?id=451 Wed Dec 31 15:39:18 -0800 2008 4286555 39874 chowser 5 4288900 this does sound very good. thanks as I will be doing some experimenting in the next 2 months. otherwise, I'll never fit into anything if I make all these cakes! Thu Jan 01 20:38:16 -0800 2009 4286609 15158 Janine 4 4288805 I made this cake yesterday. Melts in your mouth!! Delicious!! Thu Jan 01 19:49:43 -0800 2009 4286555 158881 addicted2cake 1 4286765 My Grandma's recipe from the 30's- Hershey's Syrup Cake. I posted the recipe on recipezaar last year. Hope it's still there. Try searching "Nana's chocolate syrup cake" Adam Wed Dec 31 17:04:38 -0800 2008 4284686 154787 adamshoe 2 4292268 I sometimes make a chocolate chiffon or chocolate angel cake. Very light, deliious chocolate flavor. A bit more labor intensive than your standard butter type cake, but a lovely change of pace. I get my recipes for these cakes from baking911.com, epicurious.com, and allrecipes.com. I like reading the reviews on these sites then choosing the recipe with the least modifications. Sat Jan 03 08:48:11 -0800 2009 4286765 158881 addicted2cake 1 4298737 Hi there ... I'm Janine too. We used to make a cake called "30 minute cake," that I've seen others call "Texas sheet cake." It's basically a cocoa cake with buttermilk. Very light and very flavorful and moist. I don't have my recipe but this one looks very similar. http://southernfood.about.com/od/chocolatecakes/r/bl10731d.htm Mon Jan 05 15:53:24 -0800 2009 4284686 12539 NeNePie 1 4321174 My favorite is the Hershey's Black Magic Cake. It's super moist, deeply chocolate, and easy to make. You'll have the batter ready before the oven preheats. Here's a link to the recipe: http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipes/detail.asp?id=4754&page=10&per=25 Tue Jan 13 05:04:10 -0800 2009 4284686 247433 katcraig 2 4415776 So finally got around to making one of these cakes. I debated over the epicurious and hersheys and hershey's won. I love it..light and moist and sooo easy to make. I used oil instead of butter as one of the links had. Thanks very much chowhounds for your suggestions. I may try the godiva one next. Fri Feb 13 16:44:34 -0800 2009 4321174 15158 Janine 3 4531259 Try the Chocolate Fudge Cake from The Cake Bible - the name of the recipe is deceiving - extra moist and not dense at all. Excellent flavor! Mon Mar 23 15:51:36 -0700 2009 4415776 174957 Patrincia 1 4534823 i love ina garten's recipe in the barefoot contessa cookbook. you can also find it on the epicurious website. it's incredible paired with cook's illustrated chocolate fudge icing recipe that's made in a food processor. Tue Mar 24 16:03:01 -0700 2009 4284686 63941 tastycakes