Everyday Cocoa Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Using a spoon, make 3 wells in the dry ingredients. Pour oil into the first, vinegar into another and vanilla into the third. Slowly pour water over all. Beat on low speed until thoroughly combined (batter will be thin). , Pour into a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and lightly flour two 9-inch cake pans
• For the cake: Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Add the flour mixture in stages with 1 1/3 cups water, beginning and ending with the flour.
• Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Turn the layers out onto racks that have been sprayed with cooking spray.
• For the caramel icing: Mix 3 cups of the sugar and the milk in a heavy 3-quart saucepan. Bring slowly to a boil and keep it hot. Caramelize the remaining cup of sugar in an iron skillet. Do this by cooking over medium-high heat and stirring and scraping the pan with a flat-edged spatula as the sugar melts. Continue to cook until the syrup turns to medium or dark brown in color. This occurs at about 320 degrees F to 350 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Do not scorch the syrup. Stream the syrup into the boiling sugar and milk mixture and cook to the soft ball stage, about 238 degrees F. Add the butter, vanilla extract and baking soda.
• Pour the hot mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat as it cools until the icing is creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Watch the icing because it will go from runny to too thick very quickly. Spread on the cake layers while the icing is still warm. If it becomes too stiff, add a few drops of hot water.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9- by 2-inch round cake pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess.
• Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
• Beat together butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla.
• Add flour mixture and water alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour and mixing just until combined.
• Pour batter into cake pan and bake in middle of oven until springy to the touch and a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour. Cool in pan 1 hour. Invert onto a rack, then turn right side up and dust with confectioners sugar.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In an 8-inch square baking pan, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Make a well in center of flour mixture and add oil, vanilla, vinegar, and water. Whisk until well combined. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan; line bottom with wax paper. Butter paper; dust with cocoa powder, tapping out excess; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture alternating with sour cream, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
• Spread batter into prepared pan. Tap pan firmly on countertop several times to force out large air bubbles. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven, Cool 10 minutes in pan, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely (bottom side up). Set rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Pour glaze over; spread gently to coat entirely. Let stand until set. Garnish with chocolate shavings. Serve with whipped cream.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Butter a 9x13 inch baking pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment or wax paper; butter paper.
• Whisk together dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
• Add remaining ingredients; with an electric mixer, beat on low speed until moist. Raise speed to medium; beat until smooth, about 3 minutes more.
• Pour into prepared pan; bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few moist crumbs, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Cool in pan for minutes; invert onto a wire rack.
• Remove paper; reinvert to cool completely.
• Top with frosting or dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch-square baking pan with oil.
• Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• In another bowl, stir sugar and water with fork or wire whisk until blended.
• Stir egg whites and prunes into sugar mixture until thoroughly blended. Gradually add flour mixture, stirring until smooth.
• Pour into prepared pan. Bake about 30 to 35 minutes, until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack.

Steps:

• Stir dry ingredients together in a bowl.
• Cream butter and sugar in another bowl, add eggs, vanilla and water.
• Mix in dry ingredients.
• Mix well.
• Bake in preheated 350 oven in buttered and floured (or cocoa'd) 9 inch cake pan for about an hour or til cake tests done with a toothpick.
• Cool in pan for an hour then remove to rack and sift powdered sugar over top.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Place first 5 ingredients in 8x8x2-inch nonstick metal pan. Using handle of wooden spoon, poke three holes in dry ingredients. Combine 1 cup cold water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla in large glass measuring cup. Pour liquid ingredients into holes in dry ingredients (there will be some overflow). Using fork, stir until batter is smooth. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and store at room temperature.)