Hello! Welcome back to my refreshing-old-posts-so-I-don’t-cringe-looking-at-them-now series. Did you see these brownies? Today, the most classic, most basic (but in no way boring) chocolate cake, studded with tons of chocolate chips. It is RIDONKULOUSLY moist, super soft and impossible to stop eating. You’re welcome!
Originally, this was a chocolate pound cake from the cookbook Homemade Decadence by Joy Wilson. It isn’t actually a traditional pound cake because it’s a got a few additional everyday ingredients, but as far as cakes go, they don’t get more classic than this one. So call it what you like, I’m thinking of REALLY BONKERS GOOD CHOCOLATE CAKE as the official name.
This time, I simplified it a bit using all-purpose flour instead of cake flour, and yoghurt instead of buttermilk because it’s what I had on hand, and knocked off a couple of unnecessary steps. This basically gives you more reasons to make it every day. I baked it in a 9″ tin instead of 8″ like last time and the surface was a lot more even, with more manageable sized slices. The batter is quick and fuss-free and takes a bit of mixing but nothing you can’t handle.
Dutch-process cocoa is recommended here for the most intense chocolate flavour. It gets mixed up with a little bit of hot water and is added right at the end. Then you stir in the chocolate chips, sprinkle a bunch on top and ta da. All ready for the oven so that you can stand and obsessively stare at it, willing the cake to bake faster. Been there.
Ok, I’m done. Let’s bake!
Please read the recipe notes before beginning.
Chocolate Chip Cake
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (210 gms)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt, if using unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder (28 gms; see notes)
- 1/3 cup hot water (80 ml)
- 230 gms butter, at room temp (1 cup)
- 1 cup caster sugar (190 gms)
- 2 eggs at room temp (see notes)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup plain yoghurt (60 ml, see notes)
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175 C. Grease a 9" round cake tin (I prefer springform for easy removal).
- In a small bowl, stir the cocoa and hot water till combined. Set aside.
- Now, in a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a hand mixer on medium speed till pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat briefly to combine.
- Now add the yoghurt and beat lightly. Then sift in the flour, baking powder and salt. Fold gently with a spatula to combine into a soft, thick mixture. You can use the hand mixer too, but the flour may fly around a bit.
- Now pour in the liquid cocoa mixture. Stir it in, then fold in the chocolate chips (reserve a couple of tablespoons of the chips). If needed, use a hand mixer to break up any lumps in the batter.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin and smoothen the top. Sprinkle with the reserved chocolate chips and bake for 45 to 50 minutes until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. Since ovens vary, start checking for doneness at 40 minutes. Make sure you don't mistake melted chocolate chips for wet batter! A few moist crumbs on the toothpick are ok.
- Let the cake cool completely to room temperature. This also helps any cracks on the surface to close up. Then slice and dig in! Store at room temperature in an airtight tin for 2 to 3 days, although in humid weather, I prefer to store it in the fridge where it will last 10 days. Simply bring it to room temperature or lightly warm up a slice before eating. Happy baking!
Notes
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Melody says
I’d love to try this recipe. But can I use oil instead of butter??
the desserted girl says
I haven’t tried it so i can’t say for sure, the cake might be a little fragile with the same quantity of oil. Let me know if you try it 🙂
Shreya says
Hello, the recipe seems amazing but the ingredients don’t mention how many eggs — wasn’t sure how many eggs to add for step 4?
the desserted girl says
Hey it says 2 eggs, I just confirmed it, is it not visible ?
Trevilla says
Thanks Gayatri, your recipes never fail. This cake was so delicious and moist and chocolatey ( not a word! i know). Was swiped by the family in no time
the desserted girl says
I’m thrilled to hear that! Thank you for making it 🙂
Nandita says
Hi just tried out the cake. It came out well and tastes delicious but is a little dry and cracked. Also it took an hour and ten mins to fully bake. Could it be because of that? The ratios I used was exactly as per the recipe .
the desserted girl says
All ovens are different so sometimes baking times do differ, but in the future, you can cover the cake loosely with foil to prevent it drying out as it bakes. Some cracking is fairy normal, thanks for trying it out though !
Nandita says
Thank you so much
Ni says
Can i try this in a 9×9 square tin? Also what do you think of a ganache on the top instead of the chocolate chips or with chips?
the desserted girl says
It’ll be a bit flatter in a 9” pan and you may need to reduce the bake time. Ganache sounds great 🙂
Aarti says
Hi Gayatri, I made this last night, and just tried the first piece. It’s delicious and rich, oh my!
But! Somehow, the colour isn’t as deep as yours–which cocoa powder do you use? I used Cadbury. Also, the chocolate bits (I used chopped pieces of compound since I had it at home) have settled down while baking. Any idea why this has happened and how I can prevent it?
Thanks!
the desserted girl says
Hi Aarti, thanks for trying this! Happy you like it 🙂 i often use Hershey’s cocoa powder because it’s now easily available and not too expensive, Cadbury is my other option. Maybe that’s why the colour difference? As far as the chocolate bits, they will sink down if the batter isn’t too thick, there’s not much you can do. For fruits and berries, you can toss them in little flour before adding them to the batter, but unfortunately not for chocolate. It happened to me too, so you can also sprinkle some right on top just before baking so that you have gooey bits everywhere. Hope that helps !
Aditi Agrawal says
Hi, I want to make this cake eggless. What is the alternative for egg in this recipe ?
the desserted girl says
I do not use egg substitutes and prefer naturally eggless recipes but you can try using buttermilk or flax eggs, plenty of resources online. Hope that helps 🙂
ketakis says
Thanks for sharing this. I just made the cake, and its DELICIOUS :).
The Desserted Girl says
Yay! So happy you made it! It’s super addictive 🙂
sarahjmir says
This sounds so so perfect!
The Desserted Girl says
It really was!
milkandbun says
Oh my gosh! The cake is so moist, chocolate yummy! 🙂
The Desserted Girl says
It really is! Let me know if you try it out 🙂
Packing my Suitcase says
ohhh my <3 <3
The Desserted Girl says
My thoughts exactly 🙂
Packing my Suitcase says
😀 on my recipe list!!!
Madraasi says
Wow, the texture is tempting me 🙂
The Desserted Girl says
Let me know if you try it!
Madraasi says
Sure