Saucepan Chocolate Cake
An easy chocolate cake made in a saucepan. Adapted from The Fanny Farmer Cookbook and the NYT World's Best Chocolate Cake.
Servings 6 slices
Cost 5
Ingredients
- 3 ½ ounces dark chocolate (98 grams)
- 8 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter (125 grams)
- ¾ cup brewed coffee
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (120 grams)
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (125 grams)
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder (15 grams)
Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting (See Notes for No-Mixer Ganache)
- 2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter (35 grams)
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar (120 grams)
- ¼ cup natural cocoa powder or Dutch (20 grams natural or 24 grams Dutch)
- 2 tablespoons sour cream (30 grams)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tablespoons milk plus more if needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Grease an 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch loaf pan. Line with parchment and grease again. If you don't have parchment, you can use foil.
- In a 3-quart saucepan, begin melting the butter over medium low heat. Add the chopped chocolate and stir well, then pour in the coffee. Stir until melted and smooth, then remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.
- Whisk in the egg and vanilla.
- Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder. Add the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture and whisk until well combined and smooth. Pour batter into the loaf pan.
- Bake at 275 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. You’ll know the cake is done when a crack appears on the top. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Sour Cream Chocolate Frosting
- In large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy.
- Add the sugar and the cocoa powder and mix well, then stir in the sour cream.
- Begin mixing with the electric mixer until everything holds together. Beat in the vanilla. Add a pinch of salt and continue beating until smooth and creamy, adding whole milk until the icing is a spreading consistency. It should be very smooth.
Notes
To make a no-mixer ganache, heat ½ cup (120 grams) heavy cream in a saucepan or microwave until hot but not boiling. Pour it over 4 ounces (113 grams) chopped chocolate (semisweet or dark). Let sit for about a minute, then stir until smooth. Let it cool slightly until thickened but still pourable, then spread or pour over the cooled cake.