Who doesn’t like chocolate cake? I sometimes get a point where i’m craving chocolate cake, but wonder if any cake will do! So, let’s put that to the test by comparing if the ingredient amount really does matter if you are just craving a little cake, whereas timewise it may be similar, it’s going to be cheaper too, so let’s see what all the fuss is about!
2 ingredient chocolate cake
Get your oven warmed to 150fan/170c or equivalent. Line a cake tin with baking parchment.
Whisk the egg whites in a bowl by themselves until stiff peaks form. Leave to one side and microwave the chocolate in short blasts until melted, allow to cool to room temperature, then mix through the egg yolks into the chocolate, be careful not to add them if the chocolate is still hot or you will cook the eggs! Stir until just combined, then slowly fold in the egg whites in batches until all mixed together, bake this batter once well combined in the prepared cake tin for approx. 30 minutes. Allow to cool in the tin for a moment, before placing on a wire rack to cool fully and then optionally dusting with icing sugar.
10 ingredient chocolate cake
Get your oven to 160fan/180c or equivalent. Grease 2 round cake pans (say 20cm) and line with baking parcment. Add the eggs, oil, coffee and cake mix to a bowl and mix well with a whisk / electric whisk until fully combined. Split the mixture in half and pour into the cake tins, bake them for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean, allow to cool in the cake pans before transferring to a wire rack.
For the frosting, mix the cocoa butter, salt, butter and cream cheese together until well merged, again with an electric whisk ideally. Follow up with the icing sugar, folding this in though to prevent a huge icing sugar cloud, and folding until it’s all smooth and consistent – this is an amazing icing!
Spread the prepared frosting as a layer between the two cakes once they are cooled, then spread on top and the sides of the top cake. Garnish with icing sugar, fruit or chocolate chips if you like.
20 ingredient chocolate cake
Pre-heat your oven to 140fan/160c or equivalent. We need 20 cm cake tins for this, greased and lined with parchment paper. To make the cake batter, add the flour, cocoa, salt, bicarbonate soda and baking powder into a bowl, whisk to combine. In a jug add the stout, coffee powder and vanilla, mix well, this smells good but tastes awful, so don’t even think about it! In another bowl cream together the butter and sugar using an electric whisk, add in the eggs, 1 at a time, whisking in between, then finally whisk through the mayo until a consistent, smooth mixture is formed.
Add both the dry and wet ingredients into the batter in batches, mixing well in between, fold in the chocolate pieces once happy with the consistency. Divide the batter between the prepared cake tins and bake for 30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack allowing to cool fully all 3 cakes.
The buttercream is made by mixing together with an electric whisk, the butter, vanilla, cocoa, icing sugar and milk. Add the milk gradually to make the consistency how you like, use more / less as needed. Once happy and the cakes are cooled, use the frosting between the cake layers, and to cover the top and sides if you wish, garnish with icing sugar or chocolate chips if you wish.
So there we have it…
In conclusion I would use the cream cheese icing from the 10 ingredient and merge it with the 20 ingredient one, but maybe see what you think first?! If you enjoyed this, you can find loads more baking ideas in the bakes and cakes section of the website