Our Favorite Chocolate Cakes

Love Chocolate? Check out some of our favorite chocolate cakes!
I'll start with a really simple no-bake recipe that comes together quickly and is the perfect cake for entertaining - No-Bake Nutella Cheesecake. Picture this - an crunchy Oreo base, a silky, creamy Nutella center, a rich ganache topping and just because we have to go over the top, crumbled Ferrero Rocher hazelnut candies on top. 
Find the recipe for this No-Bake Nutella Cheesecake here. 

This next cake is a yellow bundt cake with creamy chocolate swirled it. It's so pretty when you slice into it. And while its not completely chocolate, that layer of chocolate definitely satisfies any chocolate craving. The recipe for the Philly Fluff Cake is simple enough for the most inexperience baker (fact - this Philly Fluff Cake was the first cake I ever baked from scratch!). Click here for the recipe. 

This next cake is ALL chocolate and mmm, so sweet and delicious! It's another easy bundt cake with a beautiful chocolate glaze. This is the cake that I request when my husband feels like baking something! Get the recipe for this Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake here.

  And finally, I've saved the absolute best for last. This cake is so impressive, it's almost too pretty to eat. This cake is a chocolate lover's dream - a rich, double-layer chocolate cake with a creamy whipped ganache and a chocolate glaze. The cake is topped with hazelnuts that have been toasted, candied, coated in tempered chocolate and then rolled in Dutch process cocoa powder. But why stop there? There are also fancy chocolate swirls on top! 

This cake takes some time to make, but it's SO worth it. Click here for the recipe for this Chocolate Hazelnut Cake with Chocolate Covered Praline Hazelnuts. 

We hope you enjoyed this round-up of our favorite chocolate cakes. Please let us know if you make any of them! Enjoy!

Chocolate-Hazelnut Cake with Chocolate Covered Praline Hazelnuts

This cake is a chocolate lover's dream - a rich, double-layer chocolate cake with a creamy, whipped ganache and a chocolate glaze. The cake is dressed with hazelnuts that have been toasted, candied, coated in tempered chocolate and rolled in Dutch-process cocoa powder, and with fancy bittersweet chocolate swirls.

Our daughter turned 7 last week. 7!!! Being the daughter of foodies, why wouldn't she request a Belgian chocolate cake for her birthday? My husband heard the request and got to work! As he said, he couldn't let her down.

He chose a rich chocolate-hazelnut cake with so many elements he was in the kitchen for 4 hours on Saturday. But this cake - SO worth it.

Instead of making a single layer cake, he turned this recipe into two layers of rich chocolate cake. He layered the cakes with whipped, creamy chocolate ganache in between and on top. Next, he drizzled a chocolate glaze on all of the cake.

He could have stopped there, but this cake is seriously over the top in so many ways - layers, taste, elements, and beauty. In addition to the whipped chocolate ganache and the chocolate glaze, this cake has 2 more toppings - chocolate swirls and chocolate-covered praline hazelnuts.

The swirls started with tempered chocolate that he chilled in a thin layer and then scraped to make chocolate swirls.

The hazelnuts start by toasting hazelnuts that are then candied in a caramelized sugar. Once cool, they are coated in tempered bittersweet chocolate and chilled until hardened. The final step is rolling them in Dutch-process cocoa powder.

Drooling yet?

Once we sang happy birthday and cut the cake, you didn't hear anything out of any of us for about 10 minutes, except "Mmmmm...." and "wow...." And our 7-year-old was very, very happy :)

Chocolate-Hazelnut Cake
Adapted from: Martha Stewart

Tip: Read the entire recipe before starting since several elements can be done together. Such as the hazelnuts for the cake and the hazelnuts for the topping can be toasted together and then separated. The ganache and glaze can be prepared together and then separated to whip some and to keep some as the glaze.

The Cake Ingredients and Directions

• 4 oz hazelnuts
• 13 1/3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened (1 2/3 sticks)
• 2/3 c Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 6 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 2/3 c all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 2/3 c boiling water
• 1 3/4 c packed, dark brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/3 c buttermilk, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• Equipment: 2 9-inch cake pans; food processor; hand or stand mixer. 

Directions

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake until toasted, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel and rub to loosen skins. Transfer them to a food processor and grind with the granulated sugar until fine, but not pasty. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt.
• Butter your cake pans and then dust with cocoa powder, shaking out any excess. 
• In a heat-proof bowl, mix the cocoa powder and boiling water until smooth. Once smooth and cooled, stir in the buttermilk and vanilla. 
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar on high until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well blended. 
• Switch mixer to low and add in half of the dry ingredients (the ground hazelnuts/sugar, flour mixture). Once blended, add in the cocoa mixture. Then add in the rest of the dry mixture, mixing until just incorporated. 
• Scrape batter into your prepared pans so they are both even; smooth on top. Bake 50 min - 1 hr until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes; remove from a pan until completely cooled.
• Directions for frosting and decorating the cakes can be found after the rest of the instructions below. 

The Chocolate Glaze and Whipped Ganache Ingredients and Directions

• 1/1/2 lb bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
• 3 3/4 cups heavy cream

Chop the chocolate with a serrated knife and place it into a heat-proof bowl. Bring the cream to a boil over high heat. Pour over the chocolate and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to gently loosen the chocolate, and stir until smooth. Let sit at room temp for 30-60 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

To make the whipped ganache: take 2/3 of the prepared glaze and transfer to a bowl. Place that bowl over a larger bowl of ice. Whip the chocolate with a balloon whisk until lighter in color and spreadable, removing the bowl from the ice bath and returning it as needed. 

The Chocolate Swirl and Candied Hazelnuts Ingredients and Directions

• 2 cups hazelnuts
• 1 c granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 lb bittersweet chocolate, very finely chopped
• 1/4 c Dutch-process cocoa
• Equipment: baking sheet, heavy skillet, parchment paper, stainless bowl, saucepan, a bench scraper, a sifter

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake until toasted, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel and rub to loosen skins.
• Place sugar and water in a medium heavy skillet. Stir with a fork over medium-high heat until dissolved. Let boil without stirring for 3 minutes. 
• Add nuts to the pan. stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar mixture coats the nuts. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; let cool. 
• Once the nuts are cool, place half of the chocolate in a stainless bowl, and place the bowl over a pan with 1 inch of simmering water. Stir until chocolate is melted and hot. Add the rest of the chocolate, remove the pan from the water, and let stand 5 minutes and then stir until smooth.
• Pour half of the chocolate onto an inverted baking sheet and spread with the scraper until smooth and about 1/8 inch thick. Let stand until tacky. Hold your scraper at a 45-degree angle and scrape the chocolate off the surface to make the curls. Store curls at room temp in a parchment-lined airtight container.
• Add candied nuts to the remaining chocolate in the bowl, stirring until coated. Spread nuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let stand until set. 
• Sift cocoa powder over the chocolate nuts and toss to coat. Store in a resealable plastic bag in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Finishing the Cake

• Place one layer of the cake on your serving plate. Spread some of the whipped ganache on top of the cake. Place the second layer of the cake on top of the ganache. Frost the entire cake with the remaining whipped ganache.
• Pour the chocolate glaze onto the center of the cake, letting it drip over the edges. 
• Let the cake stand at room temperature until the glaze is set. 
• Decorate with the swirls and nuts. 
• Store in the fridge until 30 minutes before serving. 

Banana-Oat Muffins with Walnuts

Healthy, whole wheat banana muffins with oats and walnuts, sweetened only with maple syrup. 

I can't believe I haven't shared this recipe yet!!! I first made and photographed these muffins a YEAR ago, and have made them so many times since, but somehow the post sat as a draft for a quite some time. So there's no time like now to finally share these muffins with you.

Over the past year I have made several types of muffins using whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour and pure maple syrup instead of white sugar - Healthy Apple-Walnut-Raisin Muffins, Carrot Muffins with Walnuts and Raisins, Whole Grain Blueberry Muffins, and some Banana Chocolate Muffins that I still need to photograph and blog! All of these muffins are so yummy and healthy (you won't miss the sugar!), and are a great choice for breakfast on the go or a mid-morning snack.

One of the best things about these muffins is that it uses up those over-ripe bananas you probably have sitting on your counter. And if you are like me, you also have a bag of over-ripe bananas in your freezer. My second favorite thing is that you don't need to use a mixer at all - just your hand, a whisk, and a spoon. Super simple!

Finally, they freeze so well! I wrap each one individually in plastic wrap followed by foil, and then put them all in a freezer bag. I pull one out of the freezer at night and let it defrost in the fridge overnight, and by the time I'm going to work it is perfect to eat with my cup of tea.

Banana-Oat Muffins with Walnuts
Adapted from: Cookie and Kate

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup 
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 tsp granulated sugar for sprinkling on top (optional)

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and fill your muffin tins with cupcake liners (12)
• In a large bowl, beat the oil and syrup together with a whisk. 
• Add in the eggs and beat well. 
• Stir in the mashed bananas, milk, baking soda, vanilla extract, and cinnamon.
• Add the flour, most of the oats (save some for topping) and the walnuts; mix with a spoon until just combined. 
• Divide the batter evenly between the muffin tins. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining oats and a pinch of sugar.
• Bake for 23-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
• Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. Remove the muffins from the tin after 5 minutes and let them cool completely before storing. Muffins will store for 2 days at room temp or 4 days in the fridge. If you plan on freezing any, freeze them on the first day for best results. 

The perfect cookie - Snickerdoodles

Soft on the inside, crispy on the outside, and with just the perfect amount of sweetness and cinnamon, Snickerdoodles are my absolute favorite Christmas cookie. Look how beautifully fluffy they are! 

My dad has been making snickerdoodles for years. A few years ago I told him I was going to try making them myself and he seem surprised. He knows I'm not a baker so he warned me that snickerdoodles are hard cookies to make. I took that as a challenge.

I knew that the key ingredient in snickerdoodles was cream of tartar. This special ingredient is what separates snickerdoodles from other sugar cookies. The cream of tartar is what gives them their tangy chew, everything I love about a good snickerdoodle.

I didn't find these cookies to be difficult at all, and my daughter had the best time coating the cookies with cinnamon sugar. These cookies will always be on my Christmas baking list!

Snickerdoodles

Source: Real Simple

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 c light brown sugar
• 1 1/4 c granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

• Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
• With an electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, and 1 c of the granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
• Reduce speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated.
• In a shallow bowl, combine the cinnamon and remaining 1/4 c of granulated sugar.
• Form cookie dough into balls (each equal to 1 level Tbsp). Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture and place on parchment lined baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart.
• Bake until the edges are golden, 12-14 minutes.
• Cool slightly on the baking sheets, and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

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Healthy Apple-Walnut Muffins

Back to school time means needing to have a lot of grab-and-go snacks around in addition to needing a lot of snacks for the lunch box.

My little one started first grade last week and since her lunch is so early, she is coming home so hungry! I'm sure some of that has to do with the fact that she's too excited and distracted at lunch to eat. I see how long it takes her to eat dinner most nights - I can only imagine the level of craziness, noise and distraction in a cafeteria with 100 other 6 year olds.

I try to pack lunches and snacks that are healthy and filling, low in sugar, and easy to eat. Muffins make the perfect snack for all of those reasons.

These muffins were inspired by carrot muffins that I made several months ago. They start with whole wheat flour and don't use any sugar - pure maple syrup provides some sweetness. Since apple season is starting, I was inspired to create a fall muffin with grated apples. Walnuts and raisins provide some other textures and flavors.

These are very simple, straight forward muffins to make (this is coming from someone who doesn't enjoy baking all that much so you know they have to be easy!). I was able to make 12 full sized-muffins and 8 mini-muffins with the ingredients below.

I had one of these this morning at work and it held me over for a long time. I think I will be making these several times this fall - the perfect mid morning snack, lunch snack, or afternoon pick me up!

Healthy Apple-Walnut Muffins Adapted from: Healthy Carrot Muffins with Raisins Ingredients

• 1 3/4 c whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 2 cups peeled and grated apples (note - don't grate your apples until you are ready to add them to the mixture as they will turn brown)
• 1/2 c roughly chopped walnuts
• 1/2 c raisins tossed in 1 tsp whole wheat flour (Optional)
• 1/3 c extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 c pure maple syrup
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 c vanilla fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp sugar for sprinkling on top (optional)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line muffin tins with papers 
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom. Add the grated apples, chopped walnuts, and floured raisins and stir to combine.
• In a medium bowl combine the oil and maple syrup, beating together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, and then add the yogurt and vanilla and mix well. 
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a big spoon until just combined (a few lumps are ok). 
• Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups and sprinkle the tops of the muffins with a pinch of sugar. 
• Bake for 13 minutes, or until the muffins are golden on top and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
• Place the muffin tins on a cooling rack to cool. Once completely cooled, store covered for 2 days or in the fridge for up to 4 days. 

Peanut Butter and Banana Granola Bars

I have always wanted to make my own granola bars. Something healthy, and something I can feel good about eating and giving to my daughter. You can definitely feel good about these bars, packed with real, healthy ingredients and no added sugar. 

The granola bars I made started with toasting walnuts and oats with some cinnamon. 

The glue that brings it all together is a mixture of mashed banana, peanut butter, vanilla and honey. 

For another texture, I added dried mixed fruit - raisins, cranberries, and golden raisins. 

Once everything is combined you spread it out in a baking dish lined with parchment paper. It bakes in the oven for 25 minutes. Once cool you put the dish in the fridge to set. 

I was worried that they would crumble or fall apart once I took them out but nope - look at this huge bar! I used a glass Pyrex baking dish so my bars were on the thicker side. I cut this large bar into 9 bars. For thinner bars, you could use a cookie sheet with a short edge. 

These bars are dense but very tasty and filling. They are not sweet at all so if you are looking for something like the big brand, storebought bars, you'll need to add a bunch more sugar. But if you are looking for a healthy, good for you bar with lots of textures and flavors, this is it! 
Peanut Butter and Banana Granola Bars Adapted from: Spoon University
Ingredients

• 2 cups of rolled oats
• 1 c chopped walnuts
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 c creamy, natural peanut butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 c mixed dried fruit (I used the raisins, golden raisins, cranberries mix from Trader Joe's)

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F
• Mix your oats with the nuts and cinnamon. Spread on a cookie sheet and place in the oven to toast for 12 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes.
• Mash your bananas with a fork. Mix the bananas, peanut butter, vanilla extract and honey in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until combined and warm, about 5 minutes.
• Place the oat/nut mixture in a large bowl and mix in the berries. Pour in the banana/peanut butter mixture and stir until fully combined.
• Line a baking sheet or glass baking dish (the size is up to you!) with parchment paper. Spread the granola mixture out evenly in your dish, using the back of a spatula to flatten.
• Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool completely and then place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. 
• Remove the bars from your dish using the parchment paper ends as handles. Use a sharp knife to cut the granola into bars. 

Healthy Carrot Muffins with Raisins and Walnuts

Can I just tell you that my five year old loved these muffins so much that she ate 2 of them today? She had one before dinner (and still ate a really good dinner, somehow!) and one after as her evening snack. I'm amazed at the things this kid will eat, but I guess that is because I am constantly introducing her to new things. Seriously, I can get her to put anything in her mouth to try it once, and it usually turns into a bunch of yumming and more eating!

It is so important to me that she eat a wide variety of (mostly) healthy things. Every kid deserves some ice cream or cookies, but they shouldn't be the only things they consider to be sweet treats. Most nights I can get her to choose fruit over ice cream as a snack, she understands protein/carbs/veggies, loves a veggie packed salad, and I can only hope that she keeps making good food choices as she grows up.

Getting your kids involved in preparing food is a great way to get them to try new things, too. She helped me every step of the way with these muffins, from putting papers in the muffin tins and measuring out ingredients to cracking the eggs, chopping the walnuts and mixing everything together.

As soon as these came out of the oven and cooled for just a few minutes we shared one (well, she gave me one bite and she ate the rest). The texture was amazing - soft with juicy raisins and crunchy walnuts. The sweetness came from the carrots and maple syrup, and the cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg added great flavor.

These are the perfect breakfast on the go, mid-morning or afternoon snack, or after dinner treat with a cup of coffee, milk or tea.

Healthy Carrot Muffins with Raisins and Walnuts
Adapted from: Cookie and Kate
Makes 16 muffins

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 c whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 2 cups peeled and grated carrots (I used one huge carrot and it was plenty, but it is probably 3 regular sized carrots)
• 1/2 c roughly chopped walnuts
• 1/2 c raisins tossed in 1 tsp whole wheat flour
• 1/3 c extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 c pure maple syrup
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 c plain, fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp sugar for sprinkling on top (optional)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line muffin tins with papers or grease with butter or non-stick cooking spray
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom. Add the grated carrots, chopped walnuts and floured raisins and stir to combine.
• In a medium bowl combine the oil and maple syrup, beating together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, and then add the yogurt and vanilla and mix well. 
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a big spoon until just combined (a few lumps are ok). 
• Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups and sprinkle the tops of the muffins with a pinch each of sugar. 
• Bake for 13 minutes, or until the muffins are golden on top and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
• Place the muffin tins on a cooling rack to cool. Once completely cooled, store covered for 2 days or in the fridge for up to 4 days. Original author notes that leftover muffins can be frozen for up to 3 months.