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German Pastry Chef, home

Basic Recipes, Cakes

Easy Chocolate Cake

by Lisa

Trained pastry chef

Easy chocolate cake baked in a springform pan

4.6 (23)out of 5, 23 ratings

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Prep
10 min
Bake
30 min
Total
40 min
Makes
14

You can use this recipe for a 10-inch (26 cm) springform pan just as well as for a loaf pan. A Bundt pan works too, of course. If you use a smaller springform pan, simply halve the recipe or make a third of it, for example. Super easy!

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Notes:

Baking time: 60 minutes. Temperature: 350°F (170°C) convection (fan)

Ingredients

Makes 14

  • 3 sticks plus 3 tbsp375 gunsalted buttersoftened. German butter is unsalted and has about 82 percent fat. In the US use unsalted butter; European-style unsalted butter is closest. In the UK, unsalted butter.
  • 5 ¼ oz150 gchocolatebittersweet
  • ¾ cup150 gsugarbrown
  • ½ cup plus 2 tbsp120 ggranulated sugar
  • 1 pinchsalt
  • 2 tspvanilla sugar1 packet = 2 tsp (8 g). Sugar flavored with vanillin (artificial vanilla), sold in small packets of about 8 g. In the US use 1 tsp vanilla extract plus 2 tsp sugar for each 8 g packet; in the UK, vanilla sugar sachets, or 1 tsp vanilla extract plus 2 tsp sugar per sachet.
  • 6large eggs
  • 1 ½ cupsall-purpose flour180 g. In German recipes plain flour means soft wheat flour Type 405 unless stated otherwise. In the US use all-purpose flour; in the UK, plain flour.
  • 2 tbspunsweetened cocoa powderPure unsweetened cocoa powder for baking. In the US use unsweetened cocoa powder (not hot cocoa mix); in the UK, cocoa powder (not drinking chocolate).
  • 1 tspbaking powderGerman baking powder is sold in 15 g packets, each meant for about 500 g (4 cups) of flour. In the US use baking powder, 1 tbsp plus ¾ tsp per 15 g packet; in the UK, baking powder, 1 tbsp plus ¾ tsp per 15 g packet.
  • 1 ½ cups150 gnuts or almondsground

Method

  1. Preheat the oven. Line the pan with parchment paper.

  2. Melt the butter and chocolate together.

  3. Beat the sugar, salt, vanilla sugar and eggs for 10 to 15 minutes.

  4. Mix the dry ingredients.

  5. Fold the chocolate mixture into the whipped eggs.

  6. Sift the dry ingredients over the egg mixture and fold them in GENTLY!

  7. Pour the batter into the pan and put it in the oven right away.

  8. After baking, let the cake cool completely in the pan.