Chocolate Cakes

Just about everyone loves chocolate cakes and has served some delicious chocolate cakes on some occasion or the other, be it a birthday, a wedding, or an anniversary. There are some people who simply cannot resist chocolate cakes, and are in the habit of eating it just because they feet like it. There are a variety of chocolate cakes that can be prepared at home from scratch such as chocolate cakes with strawberries, cakes with cream cheese frosting, rich gooey Christmas cakes and more. You can prepare some delicious chocolate cakes at home without spending too much time in the kitchen. If you are a novice at making chocolate cakes, do not worry.

We will teach you how to make chocolate cakes for your next party. Simply follow some of our chocolate cakes recipes and you are ready to go.

This chocolate cakes recipe is really delicious and takes only 20 minutes or so to prepare. For this you require:

• Cocoa powder – 2 tbsp
• Plain flour – 1 cup
• Baking powder – 1 tsp
• Soda bi-carbonate – ½ tsp
• Condensed milk – ½ tin
• Melted butter – ½ cup
• Vanilla essence – 1 tsp

Here’s how you prepare it. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, soda bi-carbonate and baking powder. Add half cup water to all these ingredients and mix with the help of a whisk. Grease a small 150 mm baking tin and pour the whisked mixture into it. Bake it for about 20 minutes in a pre-heated oven (180 degrees centigrade). Remove the cake from the tin once done, and place it on a wire rack to cool.

Chocolate desserts are also a big hit with most people. Try out these chocolate covered strawberries, which are very simple to make. All you require are some strawberries and some chocolate. To begin with take a cookie sheet and line it with wax paper. Put the chocolate in a bowl and heat it in your microwave for about 30 seconds and stir it. Do this for couple of times or until the chocolate melts completely. Dip the strawberries one at a time in this molten chocolate liquid till about ¾ level of the strawberry and drain off any excess chocolate. Place these chocolate dipped strawberries on the cookie sheet you had lined earlier. Once done, refrigerate the strawberries for about 30 minutes.

Eating molten chocolate cakes after dinner is also a great way to end a meal. You can make molten mini chocolate cakes that have the characteristics of a cake, a brownie, a pudding, and a mousse all in one. Molten chocolate cakes as the name suggests are moist and dense and come with a center that is pudding-like. The dark chocolate used to prepare this cake gives it a very strong chocolate flavor. These cakes can be prepared in individual custard cups, molds, ramekins and muffin tins. You can directly serve these cakes in their molds or take them out of the molds before serving. The advantage of making molten chocolate cakes is that one can prepare the batter a couple of hours before baking. It is therefore a great idea to serve molten chocolate cakes at a party as you can save on the preparation time.

Chocolate cakes can be prepared in the microwave as well. Here’s a chocolate cake recipe which takes only about two minutes to get ready. For this you require:

• Butter – 3 tablespoons
• White sugar – ¼ cup
• Egg – 1
• Vanilla extract – 1 teaspoon
• Milk – ¼ cup
• All-purpose flour – ½ cup
• Cocoa powder – 2 tablespoons
• Baking powder – ¼ teaspoon
• Salt – 1 pinch

Take a microwave-safe bowl and spray it with some non-stick spray and keep aside. Blend together the milk, sugar, egg, butter, and vanilla extract in a bowl. Combine the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt and add to the earlier mixture and blend till smooth. Pour this mixture in the microwave safe bowl, cover it, and cook it in your microwave for about two to two and half minutes (high). Check the cooking time instructions provided with your microwave and alter the cooking time accordingly. Once the cake cools turn the bowl along with the plate so that the cake drops on the plate.

Here are some tips to help you make the best chocolate cakes.

• Use chocolate bars instead of cocoa powder. The better the quality of chocolate you use, the better your cake will turn out.
• Add some mayonnaise to your cake to make it creamier and moister. Mayonnaise is a better alternative to oil and cream. Adding it will not affect the proportions of the other items used to make the cake.
• While preparing your chocolate cakes, use cocoa to dust your cake pans instead of flour. This will help add more flavor to your cake.
• Vanilla plays an important role in making your chocolate cakes taste better. It is therefore important that you buy the best quality vanilla.
• Make sure you cream the sugar and butter for about five minutes instead of the two minutes that are recommended by most chocolate cake recipes. The longer you whip together the sugar and butter the firmer and lighter the cake will be.
• You could add a little bit of gourmet coffee (half a cup) to your chocolate cake recipe to deepen the taste of your cake.
• Make sure that all the ingredients you use in your cake have been kept at room temperature for an hour. This will ensure that the ingredients you use get perfectly mixed.
• Undercooked chocolate cakes are much better than cakes that are overcooked. Undercooked cakes have a creamy and moist feel to them. If the cake is really not cooked, it can be baked for some more time. Overcooked cakes on the other hand are dry and have a burnt taste.
• Wait for your cake to cool before icing it. Use some water to thin the frosting you will use. Once you spread this frosting on the cake like a glaze, allow it to dry for about half an hour.

Submitted on January 16, 2014