Chocolate Moist Cake

Chocolate Moist Cake

    Most Chocolate Moist Cake recipes out there are almost quite the same. There's the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder, eggs, oil, and of course, the espresso powder or instant coffee powder.

    What makes this recipe different? It is the method or the procedure being used. The most common way to prepare this cake is by simply just mixing it all together in one bowl. Sometimes this is done by mixing the wet ingredients together as well as the dry ingredients first and then pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. This what I also did before. This is somehow called the two-stage method. Outcome? It was okay. It was just like any other chocolate moist cake I ever tasted. 

    But, after learning something from school, I'd never go back to making this cake the same way I did before. The ingredients used and the measurements are all still the same but the method used really does make the difference. Not just method, but the temperature as well. 

    So here's the tea,  Chocolate Moist Cake is a very high fat cake. I mean there is basically 2 cups of sugar in there. So, I learned from school that when you work with high fat cakes, you need to use the creaming method or the two-stage method. What is the difference between the two, you may ask? Creaming method is simply just creaming the sugar and fat together by using the paddle attachment or a wooden spoon. This to incorporate air and to increase the volume. This is usually used for butter cakes. Two-stage method, however, is used if the sugar is over 100 percent. Meaning, the sugar is greater than your flour. Also, this method is used if emulsified shortening is used.

    I know for a fact that this cake must use the two stage method since, again, there's 2 cups of sugar in there. That is the reason why I said earlier that this is the most common method being used out there. But, during my training in Culinary School, our Chef instructor taught us her way of preparing this recipe. She used the creaming method and I would like to share to you what she taught us.

    Here is the recipe:

2 cups - Sugar

1/2 cup - Oil 1 3/4 cups - All Purpose Flour 3/4 cups - Cocoa Powder 2 pcs - eggs 2 tsp - B. Soda 1 tsp - B. Powder 1 tsp - Salt 1 cup - Milk 1 tbsp - Vinegar 1 tsp - Vanilla extract 1 cup Hot Water + 2 tbsp coffee - coffee mix

    Procedure:

1. Apply oil on the cake pans and dust the sides with flour. Then, place the parchment paper.
2. Preheat the oven to 130 degrees C. Yes, this is how low the temperature is because this will help the cake to have a nice flat top and will help the cake to become very moist.
3. In a bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder.
4. Sprinkle the salt on top of your flour mixture then set it aside.
5. Add vinegar to your milk, This is to turn your milk into buttermilk. If you have regular buttermilk then you can definitely just use that instead and omit the vinegar. Add the vanilla extract then set it aside.
6. Prepare your coffee mixture by simply just adding the coffee powder to the hot boiling water. Set it aside.
7. In a bowl, cream the oil and sugar until well combined and it looks fluffy. If you have a stand in mixer, make sure to use the paddle attachment. If you don't, do this manually by using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon.
8. Add the eggs and mix until well combined.
9. On medium speed, if you are using a stand-in mixer, add the first halves of the flour mixture, milk mixture, and the coffee mixture. Mix.
10. Then add the remaining halves of all the mixtures. Mix.
11. Make sure to scrape the sides.
12. Do not over-mix. Strain the batter to another bowl to make sure it is a smooth batter with no lumps.
13. Pour the batter to the cake pans evenly.
14. Place it in the oven and bake it for Sixty minutes.
15. Use a toothpick to check if your cake is already done. It does not have to come out perfectly clean since this is a moist cake after all and because it will continue to bake until it is completely cooled down. This is called "Carryover cooking". But, if you have the patience for it, you can absolutely continue baking it until the toothpick comes out clean.
16. Then, you are done. Top it with whatever frosting you like. This goes really well with a Chocolate Frosting or a Brigaderio.