There is no colouring or charcoal power added into this cake. It is black because it is made of black cocoa powder which has been highly Dutch-processed or alkalised.
Why am I baking this black chocolate cake? And where can you buy black cocoa powder? I will tell you more...
My Super Moist Black Chocolate Cake
And it is made with less sugar!
Why black chocolate cake?
I first saw this idea from Food Network at here and the double-layer 22 cm ultra black chocolate cake is WOW! It is sexy. Mysterious... I knew that it is a delicious cake and also a perfect dessert for Halloween but I won't use recipe because the entire cake contains 700g added sugar!!! OMG! I'm not going to feed my family 700g sugar in one cake!Even if I scale the recipe down by two-third, the cake would contain 466g added sugar! That's still a lot of sugar. I told myself... I have to modify the recipe! Therefore, my cake will contain enough cocoa powder to be black and flavoursome yet not too much so that I won't need to add too much sugar.Instead of modifying the black frosting recipe from Food Network at here, I'm using my light cocoa cream frosting recipe from here. All together... I have baked this quadruple-layered black chocolate cake with a total of 150g added sugar (30g in the frosting and 150g in the cake). This is just one-third of the sugar added into the cake in Food Network! Is my cake more than just sexy and mysterious? It is awesome!!!Where can you buy black cocoa powder?I bought mine via online. If you do a Google search with "black cocoa powder", I'm sure that you will find several online stores in your country or area that will sell and post the item to you. And it is usually not expensive.Are you convinced now that this cake is yummy? Now, watch my video to see how I baked it. If you are skipping the video and heading straight to my recipe, please take note of these important points:1. Please do not omit the addition of baking soda and baking powder. 2. This is very important! Please do not substitute sour cream with anything... even with any yogurt or whipping cream! The sour cream is needed to react with the highly alkalised black cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder to create this ideal springy super moist velvety texture.3. Please do not reduce the amount of added sugar any further! This sweetness of the cake is just right and if you reduce the amount of added sugar, the cake will taste bitter!4. I decorated my cake with a light sprinkle of Oreo cookie crumbs and chocolate pearls and these additions can be optional. Omitting these decorations won't make your cake taste less sweeter.
Music: Bensound
Ooh la laI baked a sexy black chocolate cake!
It's super moist! Chocolaty yet not too sweet!
And not so guilty!
What a perfect bake for Halloween!
My fussy husband said that the cake tastes like the Violet Kwan Lana chocolate cake! He is right. This super moist chocolate cake does tastes like Lana chocolate cake and it is the baked version. It is moist, fudgy and a little springy too! Just in case if you don't know... my copycat Violet Kwan Lana Cake Chocolate Cake recipe - the steamed versions are at HERE and HERE.We also realised that the cake is moister when it is served at room temperature. Although it is a little less moist when it is chilled, it is still moist enough to be luscious.
Have you baking anything for Halloween?Actually I have not been baking much for special occasions these days, ever since the day I started working full-time 3 years ago. I really wish that I have more time to bake and blog but for now, I just do want whatever I can within my limits.If you tried baking and like this recipe, please tell your family and friends about this recipe! Please support me too! Please LIKE, SHARE and FOLLOW my Facebook at here or here or my Instagram @zoebakeforhappykids or SUBCRIBE my YouTube channel at here because every LIKE, SHARE and FOLLOW from you means a lot to me. It tells me that I'm in the right track and will continue to bake and share more in the future. Thank you!!!
Here's my version of Black Chocolate Cake with Black Cocoa Frosting - All made with LESS SUGAR!Make one 9 x 25 cm four-layered cake
For the black cocoa frosting:20g unsweetened black cocoa powder5g instant coffee granules - I used decaffeinated
30g caster sugar, plus more if desired*
180g whipping cream with 35% fat, divided to 60g and 120g and the 120g has to be well-chilled
* The sweetness of this bittersweet chocolate frosting is just right for us considering the fact that the cake itself is sweet enough.
Prepare part of this frosting one day or at least 2 hrs ahead.
Sift cocoa powder into large bowl. Add espresso powder and sugar.
Bring cream to boil in small saucepan or a in a microwave with medium power. Slowly pour cream over cocoa mixture, whisking until cocoa and sugar are completely dissolved, about 1 min. Mixture should look thick and smooth. Cover and chill until mixture is firm and cold, at least 2 hrs or overnight.
When the chocolate cake layer is baked and cooled enough for assembled, whip cocoa cream. Combine all of the chilled cocoa cream and 120g chilled cream. Use an electric mixer with whisk attachment or a cream whipper to whip cocoa cream until combined and stiff peaks form. Then, see the steps below to assemble.
For the black chocolate cake:
40g dark chocolate with 70% cocoa
5g instant coffee granules - I used decaffeinated
250ml (1 cup) hot boiling water
80ml (1/3 cup) neutral tasting vegetable oil
120g (1/2 cup) sour cream with 35% fat
1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
3 large eggs, about 50g each without the shells
120g (1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 tbsp) caster sugar
200g (1 1/3 cups) plain or all-purpose flour
35g (1/3 cup) unsweetened black cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F. Line one 35 x 25 cm / 10 x 14 inches baking pan with baking paper.
Add chocolate and instant coffee in a large mixing bowl, then pour in the hot boiling water. Let mixture stand for about 5 mins, then whisk until smooth. Set aside to cool mixture completely
Combine oil, sour cream and vanilla in another medium mixing bowl and it's ok if the mixture looks curdled.
Using an electric mixture with whisk attachment, beat eggs and sugar with medium speed for about 2 mins until combined. Increase beating speed to medium high and beat mixture until pale and voluminous about 10 mins.
Reduce mixing speed to the lowest. Then, add the coffee-chocolate mixture slowly while beating until the mixture is just combined. Remove mixing bowl from the electric mixer.
Combine flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Sift in one-third of the flour mixture, then mix very gently. Add one-third of the sour cream mixture, then mix very gently until just combined. Repeat this mixing step with the remaining flour and sour cream mixtures in two batches and mix very gently until just combined. The batter should look like a thick chocolate hot-fudge-like liquid.
Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and bake until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 18 mins. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 15-20 mins or until the cake is firm enough to handle. Remove baking paper and transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To assemble:Use a knife to cut the cakes into four 9 cm x 25 cm cakes.Choose a plate to serve. Cut 4 strips of baking paper to outline the plate. Place one of the cakes on the plate.
Spread a layer of cream evenly on each layer of the cake and stack another one on top of each other.
Trim off all sides of the cake if required, then spread the remaining cream on the sides and the top, swirling the cream on the top decoratively if desired. Decorate the top with chocolate toppings if desired. I have decorated mine with a light sprinkle of Oreo cookie crumbs and dark chocolate crunchy pearls with 55% cocoa.
Chill cake for about 1-2 hour for the frosting to set slightly or serve immediately with slight runny frosting. Please note that cake is moister in room temperature but still moist enough to be delicious when it is chilled. When the cake is thoroughly chilled overnight, it will be slightly less moist but still moist enough to be delicious. Otherwise, allow the chilled cake to sit at room temperature for about 30 mins before serving.Slice and serve. Enjoy!!!
Store leftover cake in an airtight container, then in a fridge for up to 3 days. Happy Halloween Baking!
