Piece of Cake, Chocolate Cake
Surprise! You are going to love this. Did you click on CAKE-TWO from Vanilla Cake Pan Cake just out of curiosity? The shameless two for one plug?
The Vanilla Cake Pan Cake is actually a riff on the Original Cake Pan Cake, a chocolate cake. It’s just as easy to make and just as delicious. During WWII butter and eggs were rationed which led to the fortuitous creation of this moist, chocolatey cake. After all, necessity is the mother of invention, and chocolate cake IS a necessity.
Can you imagine a more quintessential, comforting American dessert than a chocolate cake topped with a luscious chocolate frosting? Didn’t think so. AND IT IS SO EASY TO MAKE!!!! Five minutes of prep and then into the oven, that’s it. Thirty -five minutes later a rich, chocolatey, sweet, scrumptious cake is cooling on the rack.
Going Loco over Cocoa (Primer)
The cake is so easy I thought I’d talk about cocoa powder which is the foundation of this cake. For a deep dive into cocoa, here is the link to King Arthur Flour, Here is my highlight reel on cocoa:
Cocoa powder is the powder created from dry roasted cocoa beans, grinding them to create a paste (there’s still cocoa butter in the beans). The butter or oil is extracted from the paste leaving solids that are then pulverized into a powder, cocoa powder, ta-da!
The end product is Natural Cocoa Powder which is acidic. Good examples are Ghiradelli, Scharffenberger, and Hersey’s.
Dutch-processed is a procedure that alkalizes that natural cocoa powder (neutralizes it) so it is no longer acidic. In the process, this mellows out the flavor and makes the powder darker. Think Oreo Cookies! Since it is no longer acidic, but has a neutral pH. Right about now you should be having flashbacks to freshman chemistry.
Confused? You are not alone. The best rule of thumb, use whatever the recipe calls for, sorry not much help. Not to worry, let’s keep going…
Recipes without Leavening Agents
Use whatever cocoa powder you like, end of story. So simple.
Recipes with Leavening Agents ie. baking powder or baking soda
If a recipe calls for baking powder and cocoa, chances are you can use Dutch-processed cocoa. This is because you don’t need an acidic medium for baking powder to work. In a pinch, you could use natural cocoa powder since you don’t need an acid to trigger baking powder. Flavor and color will be different but your dessert will still rise.
Recipes with only baking soda will need acid to get it going, use natural cocoa. Stay away from Dutch-process cocoa since baking soda needs an acidic medium to work. BUT, if your recipe also has an acid like buttermilk, citrus, fruit purees, brown sugar, molasses, you might be able to use Dutch-process, all these ingredients are acidic.
You can use Natural Cocoa for Dutch-process because if you need an acidic environment you are covered. You can’t use neutral Dutch-process for Natural cocoa without an acidifier.
So, you have Grandma’s recipe for brownies or chocolate cake that calls for cocoa powder (unspecified). Chances are what she had available in her day was Hersey or maybe Ghiradelli. Use a natural cocoa powder. If the recipe calls for baking soda, definitely use natural cocoa.
To the Rescue
King Arthur flour makes the Triple Cocoa Blend which is natural and Dutch-processed combined. YEP, doing the happy dance cause I can use this for almost any recipe that calls for cocoa powder. No thinking involved.
I used it for this cake. Although it doesn’t matter because the cake also has vinegar, thus creating an acidic environment. You can use any cocoa you want for this cake. The triple cocoa created a beautiful deep brown, moist, flavorful cake-delish.
The cake is ridiculously easy. If you need a quick dessert, add sprinkles or jimmies and you have yourself a very fine celebration cake.
King Arthur's Original Cake Pan Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 177g
- 1 cup sugar 198g
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, Dutch-process or natural 21g
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder substitute and instant coffee powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon vinegar, cider or white 14g
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil 67g
- 1 cup cold water 227g
Icing
- 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 255g
- 1/2 cup half-and-half 113g
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8" square or 9" round pan that's at least 2" deep.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl.
- Combine the vanilla, vinegar, vegetable oil, and water in a separate bowl.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, stirring until thoroughly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
- Serve the cake right from the pan; warm from the oven, it's wonderful with a big glass of milk. This is a great VEGAN by accident recipe! Dust with powdered sugar and serve with berries.
Chocolate Icing
- Or, once cool, frost the cake with chocolate frosting:
- Heat the chocolate chips with the half-and-half until the chips melt. Microwave or doubleboiler. Stir until smooth, and pour/spread over the cake. For a non-dairy icing, substitute 1/3 cup cold-brewed coffee (or water) for the half-and-half.
- Store cake, well covered, at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.