Give me your best cake recipe!

[Emerald Orchid]

It's my birthday next week and I want to make a cake. Recipe from scratch please and bonus if there's whipped cream! :yum

[Macky]

I used to make this one so often (on request at church mostly) that I nearly memorized the recipe, lol! You MUST let this one sit for a day or two in the fridge before the party. The icing moistens the cake when it sits to make it almost like a fudgy brownie texture.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/Macky77/mochamagictorte.jpg

Mocha Magic Torte

Excellent the first day, this cake is outstanding after an overnight chilling in the refrigerator – the busy hostess’ hands-down favourite.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/3 cup instant coffee granules
1 1/3 cups water
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mayonnaise
3 squares (ounces) unsweetened
chocolate, melted and cooled

Sift flour with baking soda. Dissolve doffee in water. Beat sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Blend in mayonnaise and chocolate. Add flour mixture alternately with coffee, one-third at a time, on low speed of electric mixer. Pour into two greased and floured waxed paper-lined 9-inch layer pans. Bake at 350˚F for 35 minutes or until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove and finish cooling on wire racks.

4 squares (ounces) unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
1 cup butter
3 cups icing sugar
1 egg

Melt chocolate with milk and coffee over hot water; blend until smooth. Cool. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat at high speed of electric mixer for 1 minute. Add chocolate mixture to butter mixture; blend well.

3 squares (ounces) semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely grated
Chocolate curls

Cut each layer horizontally to make four layers. Spread each layer with 3/4 cup frosting and cover top and sides of cake with remaining frosting. Garnish sides of cake with grated chocolate and top of cake with chocolate curls.

~ From the Baker’s Chocolate Celebration Cookbook

---------- Post added at 04:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:42 AM ----------

I've made this quite a few times, too. You cannot put frosting on this cake... you'd rip it because it's too moist and tender... anyway, it would be far too much. This is where I get the whipped cream bonus. ;) I've garnished this with pomegranite seeds before, but any type of berry is great.

http://www.oprah.com/food/Espresso-Cake
better photo here: http://www.trinigourmet.com/index.php/espresso-cake-recipe/

[DoulaClara]

:yum

Barefoot Contessa's Strawberry Country Cake, from her Parties cookbook. Here's a link- Strawberry Country Cake (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/strawberry-country-cake-recipe/index.html).

It's a neat cake- it's not overly sweet, but just sweet enough to hold up the filling/topping. The cake is also very light, with a sort of toasty outer crumb to it, almost like a more substantial angel food cake. Totally delicious, and not at all difficult!

[Emerald Orchid]

Those recipes do look good! :yum

[CapeTownMommy]

:yum Those sound wonderful! And :popcorn if anyone has another good one...

[Joyful Mommy]

I used to make this one so often (on request at church mostly) that I nearly memorized the recipe, lol! You MUST let this one sit for a day or two in the fridge before the party. The icing moistens the cake when it sits to make it almost like a fudgy brownie texture.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/Macky77/mochamagictorte.jpg

Mocha Magic Torte

Excellent the first day, this cake is outstanding after an overnight chilling in the refrigerator – the busy hostess’ hands-down favourite.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/3 cup instant coffee granules
1 1/3 cups water
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mayonnaise
3 squares (ounces) unsweetened
chocolate, melted and cooled

Sift flour with baking soda. Dissolve doffee in water. Beat sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Blend in mayonnaise and chocolate. Add flour mixture alternately with coffee, one-third at a time, on low speed of electric mixer. Pour into two greased and floured waxed paper-lined 9-inch layer pans. Bake at 350˚F for 35 minutes or until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove and finish cooling on wire racks.

4 squares (ounces) unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
1 cup butter
3 cups icing sugar
1 egg

Melt chocolate with milk and coffee over hot water; blend until smooth. Cool. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat at high speed of electric mixer for 1 minute. Add chocolate mixture to butter mixture; blend well.

3 squares (ounces) semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely grated
Chocolate curls

Cut each layer horizontally to make four layers. Spread each layer with 3/4 cup frosting and cover top and sides of cake with remaining frosting. Garnish sides of cake with grated chocolate and top of cake with chocolate curls.

~ From the Baker’s Chocolate Celebration Cookbook

---------- Post added at 04:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:42 AM ----------

I've made this quite a few times, too. You cannot put frosting on this cake... you'd rip it because it's too moist and tender... anyway, it would be far too much. This is where I get the whipped cream bonus. ;) I've garnished this with pomegranite seeds before, but any type of berry is great.

http://www.oprah.com/food/Espresso-Cake
better photo here: http://www.trinigourmet.com/index.php/espresso-cake-recipe/

I made the mocha magic torte this weekend for J's 5th birthday, but used soymilk in the cake instead of the water and instant coffee, and used a small amount of strong coffee (instead of insant coffee granules) with the milk and chocolate for the frosting.

It was A.MAZ.ING. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!

[catholicmama]

I look for all my cake recipes on cakecentral. There are TONS. Every flavor imaginable and they are all rated..1 to 10 stars...so it's easy to tell if they are good recipes or not. My faves are Magnolia Bakery's Vanilla Birthday Cake and their box cake mix recipes which make tasty cakes that taste like from scratch but take half the time. I do cake decorating as a hobby and these recipes have never failed me. My dh says the two best (unique) fillings are oreo buttercream and cookie dough buttercream.

[Macky]

You're very welcome, Karen! It's from an old Baker's chocolate cookbook that my mom let me have when I moved out on my own. I think she's regretting giving it up... too late! ;)

[Serendipity]

I always use the Magnolia Bakery Cake recipe for my standard cake/buttercream icing.

:D

[Mama Calidad]

Here you go: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/the_best_chocol/

[catholicmama]

Here you go: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/the_best_chocol/
:yes