suggestions please! =D?

Question

hey! thursday's my friend's birthday and i want to bake her a real nice chocolate cake! however, i usually don't bake cakes (i'm a real brownie and cookie person) so i don't have any good tried recipes! i'd appreciate if any of you send me sites or any homemade grandmother recipes (mind you, she likes the REAL chocolatey type of cakes!) please help me with this yeah, cause both of us have really drifted apart and i hope this would seem like a gesture of you much she truly means to me! also, on friday, my parents are invited one of their childhood friends over, whose daughter is my really good friend too! and for them, i want to bake another cake... however, not chocolate or any REALLY RICH cakes... any suggestions are highly appreciated! xD thanks so much!

well thanks so far for the recipes! xD i'm going to have a tough time choosing best answer! btw, just to make it clear, i need TWO recipes- one chocolate cake (really rich and chocolatey type) and any other cake (not chocolate and not too rich)

Answer 1

Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. (I like to sprinkle chopped walnuts or pecans on the top layer after frosting.)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup butter, softened
1-3/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
2 teaspoons vanilla
1-1/2 cups milk

Grease three 8-inch round baking pans; lightly dust each pan with 1 teaspoon of the cocoa powder. In a medium bowl, stir together the remaining cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar; beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition.

Beat in chocolate and vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and milk to chocolate mixture, beating on low speed until well mixed. (Batter will be thick.)

Divide batter among prepared pans; spread evenly. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks.

To assemble cake, spread frosting on tops of two of the layers; stack. Add top layer; frost the top and sides of the cake.

Store, covered, in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup butter
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
6 tablespoons buttermilk
4-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a medium saucepan stir together butter, unsweetened cocoa powder and buttermilk. Cook and stir until boiling; remove from heat. Beat in sifted powdered sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on low speed until blended. Immediately frost the cake.

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For a really nice cake that is not rich, try this applesauce spice cake.

1/4 cup butter
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup shortening
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup apple sauce
1/4 cups buttermilk

Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grease and lightly flour one 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set pan aside. In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger; set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk and applesauce to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Place 13x9x2-inch cake in pan on a wire rack; cool thoroughly. Frost with desired frosting.

I like a simple vanilla frosting but you could just dust the top with confectioners' sugar. I also love to sprinkle walnuts or pecans on top of this cake (I love nuts - what can I say?).

2 cups confectioners' sugar, sift before measuring
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, soft
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 tablespoons milk

Combine all icing ingredients in small mixing bowl. Stir until smooth and well blended. Adjust for spreading consistency if necessary, adding more milk or more confectioners' sugar. Spread icing or drizzle on warm cake.

Have fun with old friends!

Answer 2

I am confused? You want to bake a "real nice chocolate cake" but "not chocolate or any really rich cakes"??? Anyway here is a recipe I got on yahoo answers. Have not tried it yet.

GRANDMA'S MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE:

1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups. flour
1 c. salad dressing or mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda

Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Blend in mayonnaise, water, and vanilla until well blended. Bake in two greased 9 inch layer pans at 350 degrees for 25 minutes until done. Cool slightly before removing to wire racks.

Icing
1/2 c. vegetable shortening or butter
2 egg whites
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
Cream together 1/2 of the sugar with the shortening. Add stiffly beaten egg whites, salt, and remainder of sugar. Add vanilla; beat until smooth.

Answer 3

This recipe calls for black cocao, but you can substitute regular baking cocoa [not drinking cocoa] and you will still end up with a great cake. The secret here is the mayonnaise.

Midnight Chocolate Cake

Ingredients
butter
black cocoa

2 cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/3 cup black cocoa [available from specialty retailers]
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mayonnaise
1 1/3 cups water

Method
Preheat oven to 350`
Butter bottom of 2 [9 x 1-1/2 inch] round cake pans, "flour" with black cocoa.

In medium bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and baking powder; set aside.

In large bowl with mixer at high speed, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; beat in mayonnaise until blended. Add flour mixture in 4 additions, alternately with water [begin and end with flour]. Pour into prepared pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove; cool completely on racks before frosting.

A good buttercream frosting should have the best quality butter and cream for the best results.
This buttercream frosting is not too sweet. Pay close attention the techniques involved.
You will be much happier with the results if you follow this recipe to the letter.

Black Cocoa Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients
2 cups butter, softened
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2/3 cup black cocoa

Method
In a large bowl, Whip the butter on high speed, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Whip until double in volume. This takes a very long time, approximately 10 minutes.

While still whipping, drizzle in the heavy cream. Continue whipping until the mixture is stiff, approximately 2 to 4 minutes.

In a medium bowl, carefully combine, with a whisk, the confectioners’ sugar, the black cocoa, and the dutch process cocoa. Add 1/2 of the confectioners’ sugar mixture to the butter and cream mixture and whip until smooth. At this point, you can taste the frosting and determine if you would like to add more of the sugar mixture to sweeten to taste.

Here is another great cake, my Orange Almond cake. It's got a nice crumb and great flavor.

Ingredients

For the batter:
1/2 cup light olive oil [NOT extra virgin oil], plus some for greasing the pan
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup slivered almonds, ground fine
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup orange juice
grated zest of 1 beautiful naval orange
1/4 cup slivered almonds

For the glaze:
1/3 cup orange juice
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Method
Heat the oven to 350°. Brush the bottom, sides, and cone of an 8 to 9 inch tube pan with olive oil.

Combine the olive oil and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and beat until thick and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, ground almonds, cinnamon and salt.

Pour a third of the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, add a little orange juice and mix to combine thoroughly. Add the second third of the flour mixture to the wet mixture, add a little more orange juice and again, mix thoroughly to combine. Add the rest of the flour and the rest of the orange juice and combine everything into a uniform batter. Fold in the orange zest.

Turn the batter into the tube pan; sprinkle with the 1/4 cup of slivered almonds.

Bake 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes in the pan. Cut carefully around the sides of the cake and invert onto a rack. Cool for 10 minutes before turning right side up.

For the glaze: combine the orange juice and confectioners' sugar and stir until smooth.

For serving: Put the cake on the serving platter of your choice and spoon and puddle the glaze all over the top. Let the glaze set a bit before cutting into slices.

Answer 4

This is a great chocolate cake recipe.

Chocolate Cake

2 cups (500ml) water
3 cups (660g) caster sugar *** I have only ever used 2 cups – 3 seems a lot
250g butter, chopped
1/3 cup (35g) cocoa
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
3 cups (450g) self-raising flour
4 eggs, lightly beaten.

This makes a large cake. I cook it in a large square tin or divide into two loaf tins. I line these with Glad bake

Combine water, sugar, butter, cocao and soda in a large saucepan.
Stir over heat without boiling until sugar is dissolved.
Bring to boil, simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes.
Transfer to large bowl, cool 10 minutes
Add flour and eggs, use electric mixer and beat until mixture is smooth.
** add a little orange essence or grated orange rind if you want ‘Jaffa’
Pour into prepared dish
Bake in moderate oven (I use 180oC) for about 40-50 minutes

Top with chocolate icing – you can add orange essence to icing for ‘Jaffa’

Answer 5

why not buy a chocolate pound cake like sara lee. then mark the cakes sides with toothpicks, and slice the cake horizontally with a bread knife with your other palm pressing on top of the cake (the toothpicks with guide you; your other hand must be on top of the cake to avoid it from cuts). to arrange: on a cake board/ or thick carton covered with foil, lay a slice of the cake, brush with coffee syrup (optional), then cover a layer of ganache; then do this until all the slices are used. when done you can cover the cake with more ganache or decorate with chopped unsalted nuts.

coffee syrup: in a pan, heat some sugar, until it caramelizes - be careful not to burn, do not stir! just remove it from the heat every now and then to keep it from burning. when it is golden brown, but not burnt. pour in freshly brewed coffee. be careful at this stage as the syrup can burn your skin. stir and boil until the mix is half, taste it to adjust sweetness (add water or add sugar). it is better to brush the cake while the syrup is hot. but you must not brush too much, or it will make the cake soggy. this is suppose to make the cake moist, not soggy.

ganache: is just a fancy name for chocolate with cream. weaigh equal amounts of cream and chocolate. for better results buy a good quality chocolate not a bitter chocolate. i use callebaut couverture for this. better chocolates have at least 74% cocoa butter! the more percentage of cocoa butter it has the better the chocolate is, but it just makes it more unstable and melts easily. equal amount is like 400 milliliter or grams of cream (unwhipped whipping cream) and 400 grams of chocolate. boil the cream, stir it with a wooden spoon to keep it from burning. when it boils, remove from heat and add in the chopped chocolate. stir until all of the chocolate pieces melt. set aside, when the ganache is manageable enough like a thick sauce you can use it. only put it in the fridge when you are in a warm climate. but be careful as it will harden like a truffle. you can also make chocolate truffles with the leftover and roll them in cocoa powder.