Chocolate lovers, listen up! National Chocolate Cake Day is Jan. 27. I know. What a weird day to celebrate. Especially after we’ve all probably made a New Year’s Resolution to eat better in the new year. To eat healthier and have less sugar and carbs, blah blah blah. I know, I’ve been there, too, and there’s always room in your arsenal of recipes to add a few more. And I’m not sure about you, but I’m always looking for some new ways of baking and cooking some of the tried and true foods.
First, let’s take a quick look at how chocolate cake came to be!
While it is true that the ancient Egyptians were the first to bake cakes and that chocolate was first invented over 3,000 years ago by the Aztecs, the pair didn’t join up until about the middle of the 18th century in America. This is when Dr. James Baker and a chocolate maker teamed up to make the first chocolate cake in 1765.
In 1847, one of the first chocolate cake recipes was published by Eliza Leslie in The Lady’s Receipt Book, but American households really didn’t begin to add chocolate into their cakes until about the 1880s. After WWII ended, General Mills and Duncan Hines took over the market with their cake mixes. This is when the chocolate cake really began to take off in America.
There are so many variations of chocolate cake. Eliza Leslie’s first version of her recipe included cinnamon and nutmeg in her chocolate cake.
- German Chocolate Cake
- Flourless Fudge Cake
- Black Forest Gateau
- Devil’s Food Cake
- Chocolate Decadence Cake
- Molten Chocolate Cake
- Red Velvet Cake
Here are a few of my tried-and-true recipes that I have used over the years and LOVE!
This Zucchini Chocolate Cake is SO moist, it barely even needs frosting to finish it up! Definitely a favorite, and with the added vegetables, I feel a little better about having this cake for dessert!
Did you know that Red Velvet Cake is actually a kind of chocolate cake? It definitely doesn’t have the normal taste of chocolate cake, but with 1/4 cup of cocoa in the batter, it’s, without a doubt, chocolate in its core. I have used this recipe countless times for most birthdays around my house, as it’s the most requested!
I had some Texas Sheet Cake for the first time several years ago when a co-worker brought it to a potluck and it was amazing! It’s a simple yet delicious cake and will be a hit at any get together (after Covid of course)!
This past year definitely hasn’t had many calls for celebration, I’ll give you that. BUT, there’s really no specific reason needed to have cake. Bake one up today and enjoy a long-time tradition of chocolate cake.
What are some of your favorite chocolate cake recipes? I’d love to see them in the comments so I can try new ones this coming year!
