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THE chocolate cake from Inyan
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amother
OP


 

Post Fri, May 13 2022, 12:13 pm
From the April 27 issue , they had a chocolate cake which they called THE chocolate cake
Supposed to be the ultimate cake.
I made it and it was awful.
Now I'm trying to figure out if I made a mistake or if the recipe was faulty. If I made a mistake, I would try it again. But I don't want to go to all the trouble if the recipe is no good.

Did anyone try it?
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Amarante




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, May 13 2022, 1:06 pm
What is the recipe? Some recipes are not very good and sometimes people make slight deviations from the recipe. Layer cakes (which I am assuming this is) are particularly finicky in terms of achieving the best result.

Was it the taste or the texture that was the issue?
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amother
OP


 

Post Sat, May 14 2022, 7:06 pm
Amarante wrote:
What is the recipe? Some recipes are not very good and sometimes people make slight deviations from the recipe. Layer cakes (which I am assuming this is) are particularly finicky in terms of achieving the best result.

Was it the taste or the texture that was the issue?


It was a regular chocolate cake, not a layer cake.
Both the texture and taste were awful.
The recipe said to bake it for 22 minutes. After 22 minutes, I tested it but it was still gooey in the middle. I kept it in another 15 minutes or so, checking ecery few minutes but it was still gooey. Finally I took it out, while still gooey. It was all dried at the edges and gooey in the middle.

This was the recipe:
1 3/4 C sugar
1 C oil
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 C vinegar
2 C boiling water
1 C cocoa
2 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 tsp baking soda

Supposed to mix first few ingredients, adding eggs one at a time. Then add the rest of ingredients. Bake at 350 for 22 min.
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amother
Sunflower


 

Post Sat, May 14 2022, 7:55 pm
Hmmm… 1 cup cocoa is a lot compared to the other ingredients and 2 cups flour is a little
Also 22 minutes to bake is extremely short for a cake
I wonder if there was a misprint.. sometimes they make the corrections the following week

I might add more sugar if it needs and
3 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
Bake for 45 minutes- 1 hour
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ra_mom




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, May 14 2022, 7:56 pm
Make the Hershy's cake. No fail.
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amother
OP


 

Post Sat, May 14 2022, 8:06 pm
amother [ Sunflower ] wrote:
Hmmm… 1 cup cocoa is a lot compared to the other ingredients and 2 cups flour is a little
Also 22 minutes to bake is extremely short for a cake
I wonder if there was a misprint.. sometimes they make the corrections the following week

I might add more sugar if it needs and
3 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
Bake for 45 minutes- 1 hour


It did taste like way too much cocoa and not sweet enough.
That's why I asked if anyone else tried the recipe.
I don't get the Hamodia every week so I don't know if there was a correction.
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amother
Razzmatazz


 

Post Sat, May 14 2022, 8:14 pm
I feel really bad you made that. It sounds awful. A full cup of oil and 2 cups boiling water for 2 cups flour is a ton of liquid plus 1/4 cup vinegar? The whole proportion is off. In general Inyan recipes are not the best. Not looking to insult anyone but looking to protect you from wasting time and ingredients. Mishpacha and Whisk (Ami) recipes are much more reliable. There are some great recipes right here on imamother, look for recipes followed by comments reviewing them or offering suggestions.
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WhatFor




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, May 14 2022, 8:34 pm
amother [ Razzmatazz ] wrote:
There are some great recipes right here on imamother, look for recipes followed by comments reviewing them or offering suggestions.


Yes! I've definitely benefited from the recipes on here. So much more reliable when it's coming from someone whose only motive is to share a recipe they enjoy. I suspect someone who has a deadline to fulfill in a magazine may include something they haven't personally tried.
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Amarante




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, May 15 2022, 6:20 am
I am late to the party but as others have written this is objectively a terrible recipe.

The proportions are out of whack -- too much water, too much oil, too many eggs and not enough flavoring ingredients or solid ingredients like flour.

Also there is way too much vinegar. Vinegar is an interesting baking ingredient as I use vinegar or vodka for a very flaky pie crust that remains flaky even if it is abused. LOL

Also 22 minutes for that kind of very liquid batter is too short. What kind of pan was specified because that impacts baking time as well. If you are making a batter meant for two or even three layers in one larger pan the cooking time will be impacted even if it can be done successfully.

This recipe is a Frankenstein horrible version of a very popular cake called either the Crazy Cake or the Depression cake because in the *real* version there are no eggs and no butter and the vinegar is able to work in conjunction with the baking soda to help the cake rise and provide a nice crumb. However in those recipes there is one tablespoon or AT MOST two of vinegar and not a quarter cup of vinegar.

There is also a very popular cake with no eggs which uses Mayonnaise which is very popular and good - assuming for some reason you want to avoid eggs in a cake.

Both the Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake and the Crazy Cake/Depression Cake were popularized during the depression because they were cheap to make since there were no expensive ingredients like egg or butter.

You probably are just trying to avoid using butter in a cake so that it is parve and also want what is known as a "one bowl cake" to avoid having to separate eggs and whip the whites separately. If you use oil and separated eggs it is a type of cake called a chiffon cake and it has a delicious crumb and texture.

One baker's trick to enhance the flavor of ANY chocolate item whether it is a cake or brownies is to add coffee to the batter. You don't taste the coffee but it gives the chocolate flavor a very rich deep delicious flavor. I keep instant espresso particles in the pantry to add when it is impractical to have liquid coffee or the recipe can't use that amount of liquid. With the instant type of coffee you can get the flavor without hurting the proportions.

If you are interested in some better versions of chocolate cake that are relatively simple - I.e. one bowl and baked in one pan I am sure imamothers can provide better versions
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etky




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, May 15 2022, 7:48 am
Wacky Cake with vinegar (and without eggs) is my go-to chocolate cake recipe.
It takes literally 5 minutes or less to mix it up and throw it into the oven. It's no-fail and very tasty.
You can frost it with ganache and/or split it into two layers and fill it with whipped cream. When I do that I call it Devil Dog Cake. Everyone loves it.
I also sometimes make the Depression-era mayonnaise cake. I have a recipe that I got from Cook's Illustrated called Emergency Chocolate Cake. Also very easy and very good.
I've made the Hershey's cake in the past but have found that it doesn't always rise properly for me.
I'm also not wild about the slightly wet and loose texture.
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ila




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, May 15 2022, 9:34 am
Can you please post the wacky cake recipe
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etky




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, May 15 2022, 9:38 am
ila wrote:
Can you please post the wacky cake recipe


This is the one I make:
https://www.allrecipes.com/rec.....viii/

I mix it in a bowl, not right in the pan, and I use (strong) coffee instead of water.
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Amarante




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, May 15 2022, 9:53 am
etky wrote:
This is the one I make:
https://www.allrecipes.com/rec.....viii/

I mix it in a bowl, not right in the pan, and I use (strong) coffee instead of water.


Coffee is important to have a rich tasting chocolate cake. Smile

This is essentially the same as etky's recipe but for a 13" x 9" pan as her recipe is for an 8" sure

Chocolate Vinegar Cake

NGREDIENTS

3 cups all-purpose flour 

2 cups sugar 

1⁄3 cup cocoa (I like Hershey's baking cocoa)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar

1⁄2 cup canola oil

2 cups water - sub coffee for at least 1 cup if not both for richest flavor

1 tablespoon vanilla

* Preheat oven to 350* F.

* Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Pour into an ungreased 13x9 inch pan.
* Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until done. Cool completely; frost as desired.
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PinkFridge




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, May 15 2022, 10:02 am
22 minutes isn't a lot.
I'd write to Hamodia. I wonder if there were any errors.
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Heyaaa




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, May 15 2022, 10:46 am
I'll make the cake and let you know. The reason why it's called "THE" chocolate cake is probably because there is a specific chocolate cake which is very popular in some Chareidi communities. It is rich and gooey and it is supposed to have a chocolate glaze (confectioners sugar, cocoa, oil, boiling water). Without the glaze the cake is a bit salty/bitter but with the glaze it is very decadent and addicting. It is similar to a depression cake because it has vinegar (the vinegar replaced the egg during the Great Depression because it was too expensive) but this popular recipe also has eggs. I have a cake with similar ratios and it's "lick the plate"
yummy.
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ila




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, May 15 2022, 11:03 am
Thank you for posting the recipe
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Amarante




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, May 15 2022, 2:47 pm
PinkFridge wrote:
22 minutes isn't a lot.
I'd write to Hamodia. I wonder if there were any errors.


22 minutes is nothing for a cake - maybe for cupcakes but I think the essential flaw in the recipe is the insane amount of liquid versus flour.

FWIW Etky's cake is 30 to 40 minutes for an 8" square pan and my recipe is 35 to 40 minutes for a 13" x 9" pan.

It might be that this is supposed to be the consistency of a pudding cake but who knows. But it certainly wouldn't produce a *normal* cake that has a moist but solid crumb structure. A gooey cake as Heyaaa described wouldn't be my personal choice for a good cake but obviously tastes differ. Paula Deen has a recipe for a fantastically popular caked called the Ooey Gooey Butter Cake but that produces two layers "magically" while baking - a cake layer on the bottom and a more custardy layer on top. There are variants of this type of cake which are typically called Magic Cakes because they form three different layers while baking.
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PinkFridge




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, May 15 2022, 3:09 pm
Amarante wrote:
22 minutes is nothing for a cake - maybe for cupcakes but I think the essential flaw in the recipe is the insane amount of liquid versus flour.

FWIW Etky's cake is 30 to 40 minutes for an 8" square pan and my recipe is 35 to 40 minutes for a 13" x 9" pan.

It might be that this is supposed to be the consistency of a pudding cake but who knows. But it certainly wouldn't produce a *normal* cake that has a moist but solid crumb structure. A gooey cake as Heyaaa described wouldn't be my personal choice for a good cake but obviously tastes differ. Paula Deen has a recipe for a fantastically popular caked called the Ooey Gooey Butter Cake but that produces two layers "magically" while baking - a cake layer on the bottom and a more custardy layer on top. There are variants of this type of cake which are typically called Magic Cakes because they form three different layers while baking.


22 minutes is more like gooey 9x13 brownies. (And even then, I'd go 25.)
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etky




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, May 15 2022, 10:40 pm
Amarante wrote:
22 minutes is nothing for a cake - maybe for cupcakes but I think the essential flaw in the recipe is the insane amount of liquid versus flour.

FWIW Etky's cake is 30 to 40 minutes for an 8" square pan and my recipe is 35 to 40 minutes for a 13" x 9" pan.

It might be that this is supposed to be the consistency of a pudding cake but who knows. But it certainly wouldn't produce a *normal* cake that has a moist but solid crumb structure. A gooey cake as Heyaaa described wouldn't be my personal choice for a good cake but obviously tastes differ. Paula Deen has a recipe for a fantastically popular caked called the Ooey Gooey Butter Cake but that produces two layers "magically" while baking - a cake layer on the bottom and a more custardy layer on top. There are variants of this type of cake which are typically called Magic Cakes because they form three different layers while baking.


And even a 9 x 13 of the Hershey's cake which also calls for a lot of liquid compared to other chocolate cake recipes (2.5 cups not including eggs) bakes for 35-40 minutes. So yeah, the baking time here makes no sense.
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amother
Valerian


 

Post Sun, May 15 2022, 10:55 pm
etky wrote:
This is the one I make:
https://www.allrecipes.com/rec.....viii/

I mix it in a bowl, not right in the pan, and I use (strong) coffee instead of water.


How much of spoons of coffee do you use? And I'm assuming it's instant and caffeine?
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