Chocolate cake is like a little black dress: You always need at least one, and several is never too many. Here we prove that it’s impossible to get tired of chocolate cake, especially because it lends itself to so many variations and styles
Margo True
1 /13
Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake with Whiskey Caramel Sauce
Moist, dense, and foolproof, this cake includes a mix of cocoa and chocolate chips for fudgy flavor. You can vary the intensity by adjusting the amount of chocolate chips, but don’t pass up the silky caramel sauce.
These rich, midnight-dark cakes were the grand finale to a Mexican Thanksgiving dinner on a beach in Los Angeles in 2010. After the chile-rubbed grilled turkey, they tasted just right.
We developed these little cakes to give as gifts, but they are so good you just might want to whip up a batch for home. They get intense flavor from the espresso, of course, but also three kinds of chocolate.
Reader Karen Louie gave us this recipe for a moist, chocolate chip- and cocoa-enriched cake (with just a touch of bourbon!). It’s great for a potluck—or a family dinner.
We did our best to make this cake taste like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, and we have succeeded. The cake itself is flavored with peanut butter and graced with a layer of creamy peanut butter frosting; then we’ve frosted the whole cake with rich chocolate and topped it with peanuts…and chunks of the candy that inspired us in the first place. Recipe:Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
6 /13Leigh Beisch
Joe’s Molten Marshmallow-Chocolate Cakes
The brainchild of Joe Kozal, a talented 13-year-old baker, these ooey-gooey mini-cakes are great fun to make. You won’t believe how simple they are, too (8 ingredients!)
In recent years, the world has discovered just how good chocolate is when combined with pumpkin. This delightful dessert updates a classic recipe from generations ago—and proves that icebox cakes are timeless.
Joy Wilson, the talented LA baker and creator of the blog joythebaker.com, gave us this crazy-rich little cake. The recipe makes one, but honestly it’s enough to share—making it a good dessert for a couple, too!
This lovely gluten-free dessert has a haunting orange flavor, and an unusual lightness of crumb for a flourless cake. It was created by reader Trisha Kruse of Eagle, Idaho.
A beloved family recipe, this old-fashioned cake was a sweet gift from a mother-in-law. And sweet it is—very! If you’ve ever had Texas Sheet Cake, you’ll recognize the charm of this version. Make sure you have milk handy. Or a cup of black coffee.
Entirely perfect for Halloween, this homey bundt cake has dramatic swirls of pumpkin and chocolate, and is a breeze to make. It’s a reader favorite, too.