:). . I LOVE your recipe blog!! Had Hersheys cocoa on hand and the cake did not disappoint. Cant wait to give my kids a treat!!! I dont have Dutched cocoa: Dutch-process cocoa (generally speaking, its the standard in European brands) differs from natural cocoa (what you have if your cocoa isnt labeled Dutch, or if its an American brand) in that its acidity has been neutralized to form a darker, nuttier cocoa that I prefer. Thank you! No need ;). i made this into cupcakes. The only edit I would make is to halve the amount of frosting. Because baking soda (not baking powder, which has cream of tartar as an acid) needs an acidic ingredient to activate it, there is some concern that the using Dutched cocoa in a recipe only leavened by baking soda will be a problem. 3. Next time, Ill add those adorable confetti sprinkles! Eight years ago: Baked Tomato Sauce, And for the other side of the world: I just frosted it and now half the cake has disappeared! THANK YOU!!! Im not sure which area I am suppose to add the 1/2 tea of vanilla too. This was fun to make and eat for my first gathering with a friend post-vaccination. I did something stupid & went upstairs to check on the Internet briefly (I thought). How would you adapt this frosting for other flavors? I liked your frosting a lot, but the chocolate didnt fully emulsify. The results were excellent. I used cocoa in the frosting instead of chocolate because that is what I had (had to add more milk to compensate) and it turned out to be just what I was hoping for. whole wheat chocolate oat cookies. The icing was looking perfect until I walked away from it to give it a good 2 minutes to beat. Make the cake: Heat oven to 350F (175c). which i should buy just to havebut in the meantime. Do you mean other chocolate flavors or the style of frosting, in a food processor? Initially, it appeared to have too little frosting for my lots-of-frosting preferences, but it is so rich and delicious more isnt necessary. Could also be scaled and stacked as a birthday cake. After noodling for a day, I decided that the acid present in the buttermilk must be enough to do the job. Cake Amazing! The cupcakes stayed moist and were flipping delicious. And we ate this delicious cake, marking time and friendship. This recipe looks fantastic!! Is this the nature of this recipe, due to the added solid chocolate, or did I perhaps mis-weigh my powdered sugar? It was, admittedly, FABULOUS, but the speckling isnt ideal for looks of course. Or do I defrost them all now, decorate and then put in the fridge or freezer? Except for the recommended 16-small-square servings, which she thought were deprivingly undersized. The perfect chocolate cake. This is the perfect week-night treat. I look forward to trying it again with regular Dutch process cocoa. Good luck! The same thing happened when I tried making the pink lady (strawberry) cake. Yield: 1 generously frosted 88-inch cake, which we cut into 16 small squares. Delicious! I decided to divide my cake in to two 9 round pans. I also included the pinch of salt in the frosting highly recommend. Thanks! Regrets: I have many. that I might have to exclusively dedicate this space for a while to a few currently acceptable categories, those that involve butter, bread, peanut butter or chocolate. This is my sisters oven, so I am just learning how it bakes. I ordered one for an upcoming birthday party cake, and the instructions say to use a dense cake such as a pound cake. I made the icing a second time, watching it carefully, and it turned out perfectly. I read other reviews by people who found it dry; I thought it was incredibly moist for a cake thats not too dense. Rebekah describes this perfectly deep chocolate flavour, not too sweet, very easy to mix up and bake I loved the frosting this is my new chocolate frosting. Seriously good. You have given me inspiration to make this chocolate cake. Ill add a note. Turned out great! Oh Deb, as I am now a little over 4 months pregnant, I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that our cravings are in sync. and the flavour oooft! Add the cooled chocolate and whisk until smooth. This looks like heaven! So for my oven it will need 35 minutes or maybe more! My friend said the word cake to me today and I could not get it out of my head. Sarah Actually, I find that its very hard to get an even read on cocoa powders because theyre all different, and pack differently in cups. I even went digging in our cabinets last night to see if we had any unsweetened chocolate around (alas, no) because I was feeling it so strongly! I dont know if thats an issue with my oven (soon to be replaced) or the el cheapo disposable foil cake pan I was using (all the cake pans are of course in a storage box somewhere), but after the intitial 18 minutes, the batter was barely set around the edges; after five more minutes the center was still jiggling like a perfect custard pie; after five *more* minutes it had finally started to puff up and the surface was dry, but the center was still goopy when I tested it. A couple berries and a tuft of whipped cream are optional, but not really."-- @smittenkitchen. For the frosting can you throw all the ingredients into a bowl and use an immersion blender? Have never liked chocolate cake (other chocolate things -oooh yeah,) but the color of this one (soooo dark), has me wondering if this will be the one that changes my mind. Gah!!! It is wonderfully decadent for such a simple, unassuming cake. I had the following complications: My stand mixer struggled with such small amounts of things, but the hand mixer is in a storage box somewhere, so the Kitchenaid and I had to make do. Every time I saw, chocolate, my mouth goes to water. Thank you for the lovely idea, just in time for the weekend :). It added up to a 65 lb. deb, i made this frosting again last week (underneath i confess i made the hersheys chocolate cake recipe as boyperson wanted a more box-mix-like cake), and we ended up not being able to eat the cake right away so we stuck it in the fridge. And congratulations! Its just the right size for when you dont want a larger sheet cake sitting around all week. Or The I Want Chocolate Cake Cake. This morning, however, it has settled down some and is more balanced and its firmer. -baking time was approximately 35 minutes I saw this recipe and I wanted that chocolate cake for my birthday. I was meaning to ask you about that as I read through the recipe and your note was a very welcome surprise. I may be making it (again) for our Faculty heads birthday next week, as a quick have cake! morning tea Im thinking about using little DINOSAUR sprinkles as well as Stars (my usual go-to sprinkle) because they would just be too CUTE. The recipe has you bake two cake layers and then slice each one in half to create four. Your email address will not be published. Start with 25 mins, then check every couple of mins, depending on the done-ness of your cake. Your cake defies all logic, physics, and natural laws of consumption. Thanks for having such well written and scrumptious recipes that end up being perfection every time. Just made this with my gluten free flour blend. Its possible the book version has a tiny bit more airiness to it, but nobody has ever complained here. Im a good baker, I know how to read a recipe and I use a scale. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. I choose to make this because I should have everything in the house for this cake. Okay, Deb. 1 / 4 teaspoon baking powder The frosting was miles high, pillowy, gloriously swirly, and of course perfect with sprinkles. Im making this for my friends birthday which is tomorrow so this is kind of urgent haha. That frosting is to die for!! This cake looks perfect. I have made this cake dozens of times, it is easy and delicious. Delicious and not too sweet. http://www.youtube.com/sparklesandsuch26, Jenny Yes, you can make 2 6-inch round layers from this cake; the layers would be ever-so-barely-slightly thicker than the 8-inch square would be, but not a bad thing, as you can see the 8-inch square is very thin (maybe .75). Everyone told me I used the wrong pan and I got a chemistry lesson and another one on finding the right pan (which I still dont understand). I made this cake and it came out dry and dense. Susan Im not, although I may not have declared it behind me until 17-18 weeks. I love that it took very few pots/pans to make. 1/2 cup (4 ounces or 115 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature ;) Tonight get to share it with friends. a.) Id start checking at 15 to be safe. I doubled this recipe using the weights instead of volume measurements and it turned out great. I made this a few weeks ago, and made the frosting as written whereas normally I use powdered cocoa. I will use this again because it was so creamy and smooth and didnt have that powdered sugar chalkiness or ultra sweet after taste. I spread it thick on an 88 pan of brownies and sprinkled peppermint bits over the top. I couldnt figure out what Id done, but probably using an incing mixture instead of pure icing sugar, with the 70% dk choc, meant there wasnt *quite* enough sugar to soften the edge of that very bittersweet chocolate. So delicious. Just so happens I made the everyday chocolate cake in the loaf pan over the weekend for my dads birthday. I added slightly more salt just to bring out the flavour of the chocolate but all in all perfect! The sweet frosting with this rich second batch hit the right spot. My child decided against buttercream or unicorn sprinkles so we just had it plain tonight (may do a frost-your-own-slice pudding tomorrow as we have guests) and I have to say she liked it way better than a brownie. My boys and I made this tonight. Next time will try with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Very good. Well, it is a sign from above, so now this cake is definitely getting made today. Its a little stressful to work with because its so soft (I always pop the rounds right into the freezer so theyre easier to lift) but it is always a hit. I get impatient so I usually do both. I am frosting the bday cake with a double batch of the above chocolate frosting, and making the raspberry buttercream for the chocolate cake. Thanks. It works but its better with an additional yolk if you want more of a golden cake. 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature I really really loved this recipe. This was my first experience with Valrhona cocoa power. I think youll be just fine. I remember those strange feelings of strongly disliking (yes, they know what they did) familiar flavors and textures. Got a really nice, which 8 layer, which I topped with chocolate whipped cream and sprinkles. First published February 26, 2015 on smittenkitchen.com |, Morning Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel, Fried Egg Sandwich with Bacon and Blue Cheese, Strawberries and Cream with Graham Crumbles, http://www.the36thavenue.com/2013/10/birthday-cake-tutorial.html, http://www.highergroundstrading.com/blog/38/coffee-acidity:-the-science-and-the-experience, http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/10/god-of-cake.html, http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/how-chocolate-cake-helped-capture-mexicos-most-wanted-drug-lord/2015/03/02/8a2316fa-c068-11e4-a188-8e4971d37a8d_story.html, https://instagram.com/p/z8VQVBy55B/?modal=true, http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipe/high-altitude-baking.html, http://sweetnessandbite.com/2014/10/how-to-ganache-a-cake/, http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00Y2QHY02/ref=s9_top_hm_b3rSILn_g79_i13, https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/prevent-dry-dense-cake/. [Dont have a food processor? This post could not have been more timely! 2. Recipes. I cooked the cake for 20 minutes in a 9 inch round pan and it was slightly over done. As a 16 week pregnant lady myself right now, I have to commend you making a cake to satisfy your own cravings. Im new to receiving your blog, and I have (hopefully) two quick questions: 1. Regarding the time this can be kept: Since my 3-month-old is not ready for cake and my husband was away but I NEEDED to make this I worried it would go bad too soon on the counter (frosting) or get too stale (in the fridge). Fabulous. Hope you feel better soon! I really wanted that light & fluffy frosting. It came out perfectly baked, not very risen. Reasons for this: the pickled onion recipe should be on my fridge, the sweet tart recipe I use with everything, etc. Now I need a glass of wine to round out my palate. I also did simple chocolate ganache instead of buttercream frosting. I made it in a regular cupcake pan. No one will know except us. Joy Yes, it gets more moist as the days go on. Im definitely going to try this recipe! If youre not used to U.S. frostings at all (which, of course, are very sweet), it might seem over-the-top. OH GOD, WHY! Maybe I just want the icing-free cake? Bake for 18 to 22 minutes (updated, based on feedback) 25 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. You can bake it in a 9-inch round. It was great. Making the coconut cake from your second book, which, like this, has one egg + one yolk. As a non-cake baker, I really appreciate a recipe that will be easy, and delicious, no matter how hard I try to mess it up. when I suddenly NEEDED brownies, so I feel you on this! We made this for my mothers birthday and were delighted, particularly with the beautifully light frosting. Surprisingly so. So good though for such a quick cake! Deb: Dont worry if it looks lumpy! Thanks for all the great recipes! Your site is consistently the best food site on the entire internet. You never disappoint. Its so rich and silky smooth I wanted to just forget the cake and eat the icing. Baking time It sounds like its taking up to 5 to 10 minutes extra for everyone. I plan to make all your chocolate cake recipes (your triple berry bundt cake is a huge hit with my family & friends) from now through Sept. blonde brownies,pumpkin brownies,caramel brownies,chewy brownies,peppermint brownies,dark chocolate brownies,hot chocolate brownie,chocolate caramel brownies,homemade funnel cake,funnel cake with pancake mix,twice baked potato casserole,pork steak in oven,bakers chocolate brownies,shrikhand,snickers cheesecake,snickers pie,bake from scratch,apple pie a la mode,strawberry gelato,milk bar . This is a delicious, fast chocolate cake! The frosting is out of this world amazing, but I thought the cake was not that great. Today its the first time Ill make it since I bought your new book and I noticed that there is a difference in the baking powder quantity (1/2 tsp in the recipe above, 3/4 tsp in the book). It reminds me of childhood parties and I can just imagine how it tastes my mouth is watering just looking at the pictures! Also melted chocolate for a chocolate buttercream frosting?! Put all in the freezer to flash freeze and called it a night. I love that this recipe is for a small-ish cake. Just found out were having a second boy. I baked them for 17 minutes, per the recommendation from another commenter, but they came out just the slightest bit dry. I NEVER comment, but this hit me right in my stress-baking sweet spot and I made it yesterday with a three year old and a baby underfoot. I am having trouble printing the recipe. Deb, you are my shero! My (Italian) mother also used to say that if a woman craved a certain food during pregnancy the baby might end up having a birthmark in the shape of that food. Ill quadruple the recipe (think I have that right!). will take more time than simply making the frosting right then. I ended up snagging a more squared-off metal 88 while out running errands today, so thin-cake crisis averted. Im going to stack some to make a birthday cake: Id freeze the cake layer, but not the frosting. I made this for my daughters 4th birthday and it was awesome. I am a big chocolate cake lover, and this looks amazing. Thanks. I, uh, use Valrhona. Toni Yes, same as the Monkey Cake. perfection. Ive been halving bundt cakes for years (very easy to do as all ingredients are easy to cut in half and bake in my junior bundt pan), and Id like this smaller chocolate cake (I halve to halve it :) ) but am at a loss. cannoli pound cake. Thanks for the spot-on recipe and the best chocolate cake Ive eaten in a long time. Too late. Could it be made in a sheet pan? I call it my short on time, big on love cake, perfect for celebrations. It keeps well and only gets better as the days pass. Follow. makes some foods terrible, but others so much more DELICIOUS than youd have ever imagined. I love your recipes and you are my go to baking site. The cake was delicious! Deb, seriously why do ever try another cake recipe that isnt from your site? If it makes a difference, I am coloring the frosting to make Pigeon and Hungry Caterpillar cupcakes. Deep chocolate flavor, not too sweet, very easy to mix up and bake. Im here to tell ya, the frosting totally makes the cake! It actually tasted like chocolate, unlike most bakery cakes that just taste brown. Just made this amazing cake for myself for my birthday and want to thank you for the gift the most foolproof recipe ever. could i melt terrys chocolate oranges and add them to the batter, or maybe orange zest and juice to the batter to mix the flavour? Wow theses foods look so amazing!! I could swap out the butter for margarine, but wasnt sure what would work to replace the buttermilk. Try shortening the bake time and then decide. I baked this beauty of a cake this evening for a welcome home dinner tomorrow, and didnt really think through my process made the frosting while the cake was baking, but think it might be best to wrap the cooled cake and make some fresh to frost with tomorrow. Smitten Kitchen's cake, which is baked in a single layer in a square pan, met a similar fate. 1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour 3/4 cup (60 grams) unsweetened cocoa, any variety, sifted if lumpy 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar 3/4 cup (145 grams) dark brown sugar 1/2 cup (120 ml) olive oil 1 1/2 cups (355 ml) water or coffee The cake is in the oven! Really this is so good! I guess Ill just have to give this cake a go at the next family birthday (which, thankfully, is in barely two weeks). Thank you! Ive made your version of this food processor frosting a bajillion times and its amazing. Help!! Great little cake, so nice to have something smaller and delicious! Letting the batter sit hasnt been a problem for me. Beat in the egg, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Am i right? Checked it at 22 minutes and then after 5 more and 5 more after that so next time Ill likely check it at 33 minutes. They know what they did is killing me right now. Nailed it! The frosting is also wonderful! 3 tbs cocoa and one tbs butter for one ounce of unsweetened chocolate). Guests arrived and I had to stir the risotto and I forgot all about the cake until almost 40 minutes in. A decent frosting can somewhat save it. The icing on this was great! A little more butter / less flour? I am so impressed with how tender, moist the crumb is for such a low butter content (I used yoghurt rather than buttermilk) will definitely be making this on repeat! My daughter is already asking for her birthday to make the SAME! I had to bake for the full 30 minutes, at 25 mins. 5 minutes outside on a winter day, its good to go. Did in a 9.5 pie pan, which alters the edge texture a bit, but that was what was on hand! Hello form the Corona days! I will force feed it to my colleagues tomorrow. For anyone who, like me, likes their frosting darker chocolate-y and less sweet, I melted an additional 1 oz of unsweetened baking chocolate and added that to the frosting. About six weeks ago, around 9 p.m. on a day I had consumed mostly air and maybe a slice of toast because I couldnt for the life of me imagine how food had ever tasted good, without any warning, I wanted a slice of chocolate cake with swirls of chocolate frosting and probably some sprinkles and the sprinkles, so help them, better be rainbow. Thanks for the fantastic recipe. I cant wait!!!! I made this cake (assuming its also the one in SK Everyday) in a double recipe for 23 cupcakes (one was victim to an unstable parchment paper liner. This is calling my name. Ive made the peanut butter one several times (with and without the frosting+ganache) and love how moist it is, although I do reduce the sugar quite a bit and almost double the cocoa powder. I will absolutely try this as cupcakes next time. WOWjust made this for my oversize cupcake cake. Could it be that I used salted butter??! Any thoughts about what Im doing wrong? Less temptation as it sits on my counter! Its so beautiful! I keep Guinness & cocoa powder on hand all the time just in case. apparently they dont use baking soda here but then what? Same for apple cinnamon cake good luck with pregnancy! 14 cupcakes. Many of the older cakes and almost all in the last couple years are one-bowl or at least each component is. Yum. Made this cake last night. Thank you! Thank you! Such a great recipie, Ive just topped off my finish cake and am pleased at how well its turned out! You can almost definitely use 3 eggs, but use 2 whole and 2 yolks if you want it extra-rich. Thank you for sharing the recipe!!!!!!!!!!!! I use a stand mixer with paddle attachment. (I added a sprinkle of cinnamon to it also) thanks!! How can I fix this? Would you suggest this cake or the fudgy chocolate sheet cake as the cake substitute? As for a brand I find more often in grocery stores, look for Droste. I followed the instructions exactly and the cake turned out beautifully. Gathering the ingredients now, I need chocolate cake! This was the cake that saved the weekend. If anyone is like me and has a Costco sized version of coconut oil theyre all too eager to use (vs expensive organic butter), use coconut oil! Your chocolate cake is super and good in look and mouth watering.I am not having enuf time to do it.can i buy this cake any where in baker center.you can find more cake in this website : midnight cake delivery in hyderabad. I need to make a nice tall chocolate cake for my daughters birthday this weekend. When I had a piece I cut some cake, scooped out some frosting and let it sitto warm and frosted the squares individually before eating. I hope to try it at some point, but we still have piece of your NY cheesecake in the fridge! I cooked a lot back home and im getting nervous starting my cooking adventures here! Its just like the soft, fluffy chocolate buttercream frosting I used to get on cupcakes from my old favorite cupcake shop, which I always wished I could replicate at home. Magda I dont have the functionality at this time, but Id love to get it if possible. Sometimes that mixture is too thin, but in this case, it was fine. And why I dont have half of these ingredients in the house, RIGHT NOW, I do not know. I would halve the sugar in the frosting for next time-I havent tried the cake itself so do not know if it is equally as sweet. At 11 weeks, mine are fish (every kind except the rare tuna salad sandwich), risotto or risotto-like creations, and chocolate in most forms. I swapped the icing for dark chocolate ganache with whisky, and topped it all with toasted hazlenuts. Hi! I cant find her recipe anywhere and am excited to try yours to see if I can make the dreams stop! The knife comes out with chocolate on it. Thank-you Deb! From the share button (the one that looks like an up-arrow coming out of a box) at the bottom of the Safari browser on an iPhone. Elaina Baking time for cupcakes is less; I usually start checking at 15 minutes. I this chocolate cake!! Ill put it this way: I, too, am obsessed with layer cake moisture but since I got this configured exactly the way I like it, I havent made another chocolate layer cake. I just put this in the oven! I have had this recipes saved for YEARS and finally made it. I have a three layer 9 inch cake to frost. You can drop the sugar a little, but too much and it wont be thick enough as a frosting. Great cake! Best chocolate cake ever. Do I reduce the confectioners sugar? These were absolutely delectable! Making a commenting account just to say this is now my favourite chocolate cake recipe. Sometimes you just have to have a chocolate cake, right?! Is the replacement 1:1 with buttermilk? I used non-Dutched cocoa, your coffee tip, and another commenters very helpful recommendation for subbing the unsweetened chocolate (i.e. Love love love it! Thanks for a perfect chocolate cake recipe! Thank you so much for this Christmas gift. I really could have used this recipe last night! Tried to read most of the comments but mostly the conversions were for 913 or cupcakes. -frosted with a ginger spiced dairy free buttercream, The result was amazing-ness! I added chopped walnuts instead of the sprinkles . Sophie You can make your own baking powder. I did increase to 1/2 tsp of baking soda because I used Hersheys (not Dutch process), but kept a 1/4 tsp baking powder because it was GF flour. Today I used 20g of black cocoa in addition to 21g of Dutch cocoa, and I must say it makes for a very pretty chocolate cake. I have some bars of Bakers chocolate and clumsily didnt label them bittersweet or semisweet or unsweetened. Also, make sure you dont over-mix your batter, that would make it very tough! Your safest bet might be more of a ganache, which doesnt need to be whipped, only stirred. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); That is SURPRISINGLY little fat in the cake. Deb- Thx for the speedy reply. I was just wondering if you could double this recipe to make a two-layer cake? I have one question, can I use gluten free flour? . 3/4 cup (145 grams) firmly packed dark brown sugar THanks! Must make! Did freezing work well?? Thank you; I know its TONS of work. Any tips for a frosting I could make with a whisk or does that just not work for frosting? But this will do and maybe I wont even share it ;). Hes a twin so it was one of two cakes served on party day, which is the only explanation I have for why we have leftovers two days later Wrapped in the fridge to keep the frosting manageable, its still moist and delicious. I been looking for flat sheet cake recipes; thank you so much Deb. Made this today and although I am not a great fan of chocolate I do really like this one. It is the kitchen tool that will make spreading cake batter, especially in round pans (among many other spreading chores) and icing a cake so much easier! But either way, the cake turned out great. This cake is now my cake. I had just about everything I needed to make this in my pantry, but I could only muster half the frosting but it was still excellent. I made this and used the measurement for table salt. Thank you SO much for this recipe! Trace the bottom of the pans onto wax paper or parchment with a pencil and then cut out the circles. Beat the 12 tablespoons (170g) of butter with the 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (225g) of sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. I was thinking of starting with your dreamy cream scones as base and use browned butter. I added the powdered sugar and butter to the chocolate at the same time, and while my frosting turned out fine, it took a decent bit of beating to get the lumps out. I just made this with gluten free 1:1 replacement flour for a friend for her birthday and it was so good and so moist. I made it on Saturday with my 5 year old and it was a huge success among adults and kids alike. 450g mascarpone cheese 280g icing sugar Pinch of salt tsp vanilla extract Method Step 1 Preheat your oven to 160C (fan 140C/gas mark 3). Heres a measurement converter from Land O Lakes but please feel free to Google the information from any website youd like: https://www.landolakes.com/kitchen-reference/measurements-abbreviations/. The intensity from the smallest amount of unsweetened chocolate is surprising; plus, its so bitter, it really helps offset the sugar-assault that butter-powdered sugar icings usually are. And the Dutch process cocoa seriously made a difference. What I loved about it is that it was not too sweet which made the frosting necessary and special. And not too huge so we didnt get sick of it. This was SUPER YUMMY. It took about 28 mins to bake the cake and my batter was a thin due to being overly enthusiastic w/ vanilla and coffee extracts (I always add coffee extract to chocolate cakes). Thanks!!! Definitely a keeper, thanks! This is happening tonight. I made this and I just wanted to say that it was so good. In the end, it was still delicious. It's chocolate-flavored and naturally red, and the texture is so dense and moist that only a little frosting is required between the layers, and that frosting is whipped mascarpone cheese - or cream cheese. Hey Deb. I used coconut sugar in place of the brown sugar here, and about 40g less, it works great! It was a small miracle when I received your weekly newsletter including small celebration cakes on the same day as my partners birthday. 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder (I used this instead of vanilla, purely based on personal taste) Hi Deb! If youre used to canned or standard back-of-the-box powdered sugar and butter frostings, it should be less sweet, due to the very bitter unsweetened chocolate thats used. I halved the frosting, and it was a breeze to make. Deb, re: your comment to me above, I may have been a little hasty in my judgment as the first taste while mixing hadnt had time to settle in with all the sugar and butter so the flavor was still overwhelmingly bitter. 1 tablespoon / 13 g granulated sugar Hmm.). its very hot here today so unfortunately i had to refrigerate it, much to the detriment of the cake.