There is a common notion of a chocolate craving. Mine is a tad different, it strays from consuming cocoa, and leans more towards baking with it. All the healthy cooking these last few months led me to sideline and alienate beloved chocolate, but fear not, this makes up for it. Because it’s obviously impossible and completely unnecessary to choose between cakes and cupcakes, I used the recipebelow to whip up 12 gorgeous rich and decadent dark chocolate cupcakes, AND bake a sweet and simple 9” chocolate cake. Who says you can’t kill two birds with one stone!
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- 1 3/4 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1 2/3 cups caster sugar
- 1 1/4 cups canola oil
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 3 cups icing sugar (confectioners’ or powdered)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 145 g bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped, melted and cooled
- 1/4 cup milk
- ½ teaspoon of salt
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Put the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Sift twice.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the soy milk, vinegar, sugar, oil and vanilla extract. Pour into the flour mixture and stir until well combined.
3. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake pan and bake in the preheated oven for 40-55 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean, and the middle of the cake, when pressed, should spring back slightly instead of sink. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes if necessary.
4. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Slide a table knife all around the edge to loosen the cake, and then remove from the pan. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 1 hour.
Frosting:
1. In a bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine the icing sugar and margarine and beat on low speed, about 1 minute.
2. Add vanilla and beat on low until well combined. Add the melted & cooled chocolate and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add milk and salt, and beat on medium speed for another minute.
Feedback:
1. If you opt for cupcakes, baking time is approximately 18-20 minutes. You can divide the cake recipe in 1/2 for 12 cupcakes. Or do what I did, 12 cupcakes + 1 cake.
2. If you do bake the cake in a round pan, rather than cupcakes, you could split the batter into two 9″ round pans, rather than baking one taller 9″ layer that would later need to be split.
3. If frosting is too thick, add more milk one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached; if too runny, add a small amount of icing sugar until desired consistency is reached. Frosting thickens as it sets.
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