Decadent Chocolate Cake - Whole Grain Gourmet

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We love whole grains! We have found that we prefer their flavor. They are also far healthier than the refined foods which characterize the typical modern diet.

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Decadent Chocolate Cake

Written by Zen Baker

Sunday, 13 January 2008 14:01

decadent chocolate cake

So it's the big 4-0 for my husband and he insists on a whole grain cake. The concept is something that goes against every fiber of my being. Don't get me wrong, I'm as healthy as they come. I eat whole grains daily with every meal, but in a cake??? Cakes are for special occasions and are meant to be enjoyed. They should be decadent and invoke guilt after consumption. A whole grain cake??

As this is an important birthday (he has been reminding me for the past 6 months that he will be 40), I relent. I embarked upon my quest by google-ing "whole grain cake" . My hope was that I might find a few examples of whole grain cake recipes to inspire my masterpiece. That proved to be a dead end. It seems that whole grain cakes remain largely unchartered waters. Undeterred, my pioneering spirit drove me forward. My perseverance paid off. I must say I literally ate my words. I am now an absolute convert to whole grain cake.

This whole grain chocolate cake is possibly the best chocolate cake I've ever had. It is incredibly moist and so decadent, you wont believe it's whole grain. The secret is to use whole grain pastry flour. It made all the difference. I modified a very good old recipe, replacing the bleached ultra fine cake flour completely with organic whole grain pastry flour. I also increased the amount of chocolate and egg. The result was amazing. Since it is whole grain, go ahead and have an extra slice, you'll be getting your fiber. The only thing that will surpass your sense of indulgence is the astonishment that "decadent whole grain cake" is no longer an oxymoron.

Decadent Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 1/4cups sifted organic whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup butter, softened at room temperature
1 1/4 cup natural brown sugar, lightly packed
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup boiling water

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375. Grease and flour a 9” cake pan.
Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together and set aside.
Melt the chocolate and then allow it to cool slightly. Be careful to not allow it to harden.
Beat the butter and sugar for two minutes. Add the eggs and beat for an additional two minutes. Beat in the vanilla and cooled chocolate.
Gradually stir in the sifted flour mixture in approximate thirds, alternating each time with 1/4 cup of the sour cream.
Stir in the boiling water. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 23 minutes. Do not overbake this cake! Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Notes:

If serving this cake to guests, for the ultimate decadence and best presentation, top it with a Chocolate Ganache.
For a bit lighter experience, top it with Honey Vanilla Whipped Cream.

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Comments (19)

Who knew that a whole grain cake could be this moist, rich, and delicious, and have wonderful texture? Try this recipe and let me know if you agree.

I think I'll have to try it.

This looks awesome, but is it a 1/2 cup of sour cream, mixed in two 1/4 cup amounts, or just one 1/4 cup, as the instructions say? Thanks!

Hi Barry,

Thanks for your question. It is 1/2 cup of sour cream, mixed in two 1/4 cup amounts (between thirds of the flour mixture) Confusing I know. I have updated the recipe to reduce the ambiguity.

I would like to substitute plain yogurt for the sour cream. Your thoughts?

Hi Michelle - I wouldn't advise using yogurt. The sour cream helps make this cake smooth and rich. It's vital to its distinctive texture and flavor. Yogurt has 30% more water and considerably less fat than sour cream, so the results will differ if you make the substitution. If you do use yogurt, consider reducing the boiling water to 1/3 of a cup and increase the butter slightly. For best results, go with the sour cream.

I made the chocolate decadent cake last week and it was a hit! I wanted to try something a little healthier than our regular desserts, and it was better. Everyone loved it. For those who wanted to try it but were not in the mood for anything to heavy and rich, I served it without the chocolate ganache topping. For the others who wanted a little more excitement I put the chocolate ganache topping on and served it hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I garnished all of the plates with fresh strawberries. DELICIOUS!!!
There are MANY recipes I will be trying weekly... and I look forward to it!

Sabrina

Can I use a 9X13 pan?

Hi Sarah,

Go ahead and use a 9x13 pan if that is what you have. (7x11 may work better) You will probably need to reduce the baking time because the cake will be shorter. Begin checking with a tooth pick at 19 minutes. The toothpick should come out mostly clean, although slightly moist when ready. Please come back and let us know how that worked for you.

This was a huge hit. Thank you so much! We haven't had cake in over a year because it has too much sugar. This recipe was perfect.

Hi Brandi! We're so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for taking the time to provide us with feedback.

This cake is amazingly delicious! I was looking all over for a good healthy cake... and this one takes the cake!(literally speaking) I actually made it last month for my daughter's 3rd birthday in the shape of Winnie the Pooh with a light cream cheese/whipped cream frosting, and now I'm going to make it next week for my son's 2nd birthday too. My husband said it is the best cake he's ever had- wonderfully moist and rich in flavor and texture, not the bland airy texture with a mixed flavor of semi-chocolate and cardboard like storebought cake mixes. Thank you for sharing the recipe!

I made this cake with fresh cherries instead of chocolate. It was delicious!

What's the purpose of adding boiling water at the end? Can this be omitted?

I just made this cake and was generally pleased with the results. It cut gorgeously. The cake is moist and rose very well. The taste reminded me of what I can only describe as a chocolate bran muffin...I used whole wheat pastry flour which I reground as fine as I possibly could, but I still notice the bran. On review, I think I would sift my flour 1st to remove some of the bran and then regrind it after the 1st sifting (I know bran is part of what makes this healthier, but from a texture point of view, I'd like it a bit finer). I am also a bit of a chocolate freak, so I'd probably increase the chocolate by 1 or 2 oz. In spite of these minor adjustments, impressive considering it's based on 100% whole wheat flour.

Really great recipe! I followed your directions for using yogurt instead of sour cream, it came out super moist! Thanks!!

I can't believe it. I was very suspicious, but was determined to try a whole weat cake, but totally prepared myself for a possible failure. Imagine my surprise. It turned out ok, in my own opinion, as well as the kids' :) I need to mention that I went further in terms of healthy cooking, using olive oil instead of butter (3 tablespoons oil instead of 1/4 cup butter), and also had to replace the unsweetened chocolate with 6 tablespoons cocoa and 2 tablespoons oil. But still, the result was incredible, and the cake didn't make it to the topping stage. Thanks very much
Considering this surprisingly tasty results, I am interested if since you made this experiment you discovered any other whole wheat cakes that are so great :)

Thanks

I'd like to make a red velvet cake, do you think I can substitute dutch process cocoa and a little red coloring?

Hi Craig! I can't think of any reason why not. I suspect it will work out nicely. If you go for it, please take a photo and post your results for the rest of us to enjoy. Many thanks!

Loved it!

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