You might be wondering why you should bake a chocolate cake from scratch when it’s so easy to buy a cake mix and whip one up that way. Well, here’s what you can achieve if you make your own:
- Everything will be natural-no chemical flavors, preservatives, stabilizers, etc.
- You can make it with organic ingredients.
- You can use some whole wheat flour for a little more nutritional value.
- You can use less sugar (not so good for you) and more chocolate (good for you)!
- You can make it more interesting with spices and other ingredients.
- All of the above reasons will allow you to have your cake and eat it too, without guilt, or not so much anyway!
- You will feel a sense of accomplishment, and your friends and/or family will be very impressed!
- It will be delicious!
We’ve been working on this cake for a long time now, making numerous tweaks along the way to get it just right. As much as we like using 100% whole wheat flour whenever possible, we just couldn’t get it to be moist enough unless we used a little more white flour than whole wheat. (However, the cake is also good using half whole wheat and half white–just a little less moist.) For cake baking, it’s important to use whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat, as opposed to stone ground whole wheat, which is too coarse. Adding some white all-purpose flour definitely improves the texture. Since we like to bake, we keep white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour and white all-purpose flour in our kitchen. (See How to Stock a Gluten-Free Pantry too.)
If you want to learn more about the difference between the above flours, read our post: What is White Whole Wheat Flour Anyway?
The amount of cocoa (or raw cacao) powder also affects the texture. Too much, and the cake is dry. Too little, and it’s not rich enough. We learned through our research and experience that dissolving the cocoa powder first, in a hot liquid, “blooms” or intensifies the flavor. Vanilla also has a way of increasing the richness of the chocolate, but it’s not necessary. Don’t worry too much if you don’t have any.
We wanted to spin a little twist on basic chocolate cake, so we added chai tea, cardamom and cinnamon. The tea gives the batter some acidity (as does the yogurt), which is necessary for a good rise. You can also substitute strong coffee if you don’t have chai tea. Coffee provides the acidity and produces a cake with the same wonderful texture and depth of flavor even though it tastes slightly different. The coffee masks the cardamom flavor a little, whereas the chai tea enhances it. Try it both ways and see what you prefer. It’s really just a matter of taste.
Finally, our cakes are all designed to be baked in the recommended Finite Foodie 8-inch x 8-inch glass baking dish. This is not the type of cake that is made in a baking pan then turned over to remove and ice. It is not a layer cake. Our chocolate cake should be cut and served one piece at a time from the dish:
Or, cut into pieces and placed on a platter.
Although we don’t frost ours, you certainly could. Just spread it over the top after it has cooled, but before you cut it.
| Prep Time | |
| 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 25 minutes | 30-60 minutes to cool |
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Moderate
Moderate
Serves:9
Serving Size:2 1/2-inch square (about)
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There are few desserts better than a rich, moist chocolate cake. We add our own flavor twist by using strong chai tea (or espresso coffee) with cardamom and cinnamon. You can leave out the spices if you prefer, but you'll need the tea or coffee. We’re not big fans of sugary sweet frosting. Instead, we eat this plain or with a little ice cream or whipped cream. It’s also very pretty served with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Tools:glass liquid measuring cup, medium bowl, 8-inch x 8-inch baking dish, large (4 to 6-quart) saucepan, 2 small bowls
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- 2 chai tea bags (see wet ingredients)
- 1 cup boiling water
- 3/4 cup white all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup chai tea or strong coffee
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
- 1/2 cup butter or 1 (4-ounce) stick, unsalted
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate drops
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- Place 2 chai tea bags in a glass, liquid measuring cup, then add boiling water to the 1 cup mark. Steep while you continue. If using coffee, brew a strong cup. (You’ll use 3/4 cup of tea or coffee later on.)
- Begin to preheat oven to 350°F. Spray or rub oil into an 8-inch x 8-inch baking dish.
- Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir to mix. Set aside.
- Place cocoa powder in a large saucepan.
- After the tea has brewed at least 5 minutes, remove tea bags from water and squeeze out as much liquid as you need to end up with 3/4 cup of tea. (Or measure out 3/4 cup of strong coffee.) Heat again if needed in the microwave (about 1 minute) to almost boiling. Immediately pour a little of the hot tea (or coffee) into the cocoa powder in the saucepan and stir to create a thin paste. Add the remaining tea and stir well to dissolve. (The heat “blooms” or intensifies the cocoa flavor.)
- Combine butter, sugar and chocolate drops with the chocolate mixture in the saucepan and melt over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until smooth, to prevent the chocolate from burning. Remove from heat and cool at least 2 to 3 minutes. (This is a good time to start cleaning up!)
- Stir in the yogurt and vanilla.
- Separate one egg, placing the yolk in a small bowl and the white in another small bowl. (Cover the egg white and refrigerate to use in another recipe or add to an omelet.) Break the second egg into the bowl with the yolk. Add the egg and egg yolk to the cooled chocolate mixture and stir with a whisk or wooden spoon until smooth. (If the mixture is too warm, the egg will begin to coagulate--not pretty!)
- Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended. Don’t over mix.
- Immediately pour batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 25 minutes or until done. Test by sticking a wooden toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. (Or press down lightly in the center, and if it pops up, it’s done.)
- Cool cake in the baking dish 30 to 60 minutes. Cut into squares and serve from pan, or transfer pieces to a platter. Serve as-is or as suggested below.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
- Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and chopped pecans.
- Top with whipped cream with a dusting of cocoa powder.
- Dust with powdered sugar.
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