So I’ve been on an earnest quest for some years to find the perfect chocolate cake recipe. Dense and rich. With a to-die-for ganache icing. And I finally found it: the Brick Street Chocolate Cake for CONVENTIONAL Oven!
Hello friends. Today I have excellent news for modern man. (Also women and children.) Grab your forks! Today I’m sharing the recipe for Brick Street Chocolate Cake for CONVENTIONAL Oven. (If you’re looking for Brick Street Chocolate Cake for CONVECTION Oven, click HERE.)
If you’re ready to bake, scroll down for the recipe. If you want to hear the interesting story of how this recipe morphed into existence, keep reading! Always a story. So many of you know the original Famous Brick Street Chocolate Cake recipe was developed for convection oven only.
The recipe was originally given to me by a kind southern friend. It’s a luscious, dense, to-die-for chocolate cake recipe from the lovely, historic Brick Street Cafe in Greenville, SC where I lived for many years.
An excellent chocolate cake recipe’s like the little black dress. (Or suit.) Important to have in the wardrobe (recipe box) when the occasion arises. Not like you’ll need it every day or even every week, but there when you need it. Yes, that’s exactly how I feel about this luscious chocolate cake.
So I’ve been on a quest for some time (years) to find the perfect chocolate cake recipe. Dense and rich. With a to-die-for ganache icing. And not too many crazy steps to put it together. Yeah. Thought I found that recipe a few years ago. There was a chocolate cake recipe I really loved. But then I found this easy recipe for Brick Street Chocolate Cake.
I was initially told this recipe was for convection oven only and would turn out “soupy” in a regular (conventional) oven. Not to waste my time or ingredients even trying it in a regular oven. So who wants a soupy chocolate cake? Not me. I’m all about saving a dime too. And since I always do as I’m told (ahem), I published the Brick Street Chocolate Cake recipe for convection oven only.
BUT.
Last week a reader commented on the site that she had gone ahead and baked the cake in a regular, conventional oven and it turned out great.
Say WHATTTT???
So unfortunately, over the past Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays there were literally thousands of disappointed people who weren’t able to bake this cake because they didn’t have a convection oven. And of course I felt terrible about that. But now the tune has changed to a much cheerier one, and just in time for Valentine’s Day.
I’m delighted to say I baked a Brick Street Chocolate Cake for CONVENTIONAL Oven today in a regular, conventional oven. It turned out great: dense, rich and every bit as delicious as the original convection oven recipe. So pour yourself a big glass of milk and let’s clink!
All I can think of is…. “they said she couldn’t do it, and she went ahead and did it.” Many thanks to brave THLG reader and baker Caitlin who forged on ahead and blazed the trail, went right ahead and tried it anyway!
And also took the time to comment back and let me know! Thank you Caitlin, you’ve made more than a few people very happy. (And quite a lesson here I’m thinking.)
So the ingredients remain the same for this Brick Street Chocolate Cake for CONVENTIONAL Oven. The only change made to this rich chocolate cake recipe is an adjustment in oven temperature during baking.
I bake this Brick Street cake in a two-piece, round, metal angel food cake pan, also called a tube pan in some places. There is a hollow tube going up the center of the pan. It measures 9.5″ across at the top and 8″ across at the base and is 4.25″ high. It is by Ecko.
The bottom and center hollow tube are one piece and lift up and out of the sides of the pan. Unfortunately there aren’t standard size baking pans around the world, making it difficult, but I hope this gives you a good idea. Many others have baked this in a large bundt pan as well, with good success.
Can’t wait to hear if you make this luscious Brick Street Chocolate Cake for CONVENTIONAL Oven in your regular, conventional oven and hope you love it as much as we do!
Brick Street Chocolate Cake for CONVENTIONAL (regular) Oven
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups cake flour
- 1 cup baking cocoa sifted
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup instant chocolate pudding mix small box
- 2 1/4 cups buttermilk
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Chocolate Icing:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup baking cocoa sifted
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream more or less for consistency
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat regular, conventional oven to 350°.
- Beat sugar, butter & vanilla in large bowl.
- Beat in eggs.
- Mix in cake flour, baking cocoa, soda, salt, chocolate pudding and buttermilk.
- Stir in semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Pour into greased tube pan.
- Bake in regular, conventional oven at 350° for 30 minutes.
- Adjust baking temperature down to 325° and continue baking 30-40 minutes more, until cake tester comes out clean.
- (Check with cake tester at the one hour mark.)
- Cool cake completely before icing.
Chocolate Icing:
- Heat water, butter and vanilla together in sauce pan on stovetop until melted.
- Remove from heat.
- Stir in one cup cocoa.
- Stir in powdered sugar, sifted.
- Stir in heavy cream, up to 3 tablespoons (or more) until you get the desired consistency.
- Ice cake by filling the hole in the middle of the cake first, then spread icing over cake top and pour over the sides. Icing will harden as it cools.
Notes
You may also like: Brick Street Chocolate Cupcakes
nikkiana says
I may have started drooling over those photos. I think I need to make me some chocolate cake. 😉
Allie says
It’s a drool worthy cake, that’s for sure. Hope you try it Nikkiana, you won’t be disappointed. 🙂
Jayne says
I would like to bake this in 2 9″ round pans.Can I?
KATE says
Add me to the list of 9 inch round bakers. Can we?
Allie says
Hi Kate, not sure if you will get the response I posted to Jayne, so copying you here below. “This has been baked by a reader in 3, 8” pans. Here is what she said: “My mom wanted this delicious cake for her birthday last weekend but she also wanted a multi-layer cake. So I gave it a try in 3 – 8 inch cake pans (I don’t have 9 inch rounds). It was a success! I baked them at 350 for 15 minutes then at 325 for 25 minutes. They probably could have baked a couple of minutes less, but they were definitely still moist. The 8 inch pans made for a really tall cake! I frosted with a chocolate buttercream to make it more birthday cakeish. Thanks for the fantastic recipe!” I would think you could easily do it in 2 – 9″ pans, but you may not be able to bake all the batter, not sure because I haven’t done it. I would fill pans no more than 2/3s full and then have a pan underneath just in case some overflows. And keep a close eye on it for doneness. Happy baking!
Allie says
Hi Jayne, this has been baked by a reader in 3, 8″ pans. Here is what she said: “My mom wanted this delicious cake for her birthday last weekend but she also wanted a multi-layer cake. So I gave it a try in 3 – 8 inch cake pans (I don’t have 9 inch rounds). It was a success! I baked them at 350 for 15 minutes then at 325 for 25 minutes. They probably could have baked a couple of minutes less, but they were definitely still moist. The 8 inch pans made for a really tall cake! I frosted with a chocolate buttercream to make it more birthday cakeish. Thanks for the fantastic recipe!” I would think you could easily do it in 2 – 9″ pans, but you may not be able to bake all the batter, not sure because I haven’t done it. I would fill pans no more than 2/3s full and then have a pan underneath just in case some overflows. And keep a close eye on it for doneness. Happy baking!
Rebecca says
Hello. I haven’t torted the cake yet. But to let others know, I baked mine in two 8-inch rounds. I baked at 350 for 20 min and then 325 for another 30-40-ish minutes. My oven is a little wonky as it is getting old, so check through the window around the 25-30 minute mark. So far they look great. I didn’t add the chips though and I will be torting the layers. Thanks!
Allie says
Great to hear from you Rebecca, how did it go? So hoping it was a big success!
Nonna says
What is the depth of the pans and how high does the cake filled in the pans using either 2: or 3″ deep pans of 8″ or 9″. No one ever says what the depth or of their pans or how much to fill the pans with the batter. Thank you.
Kim says
I did and it came out just fine. I also used convection recipe before i realized i had conventional and it also came out just fine.
Lori Dilio says
I baked it in 8″ rounds and it was fine. Just keep a good eye on the baking time-test often with a toothpick.
Theresa says
Dumb question: do I make the instant pudding and add or add the box unmade?
Allie says
No dumb questions here, friend. Just add the pudding mix unmade. (Don’t make it into pudding.) Happy baking!
Sharon says
Can I use any instant choc. Pudding mix, I’m in Australia.
Allie says
Hi Sharon, a few readers have dropped by from the Philippines and Australia who said they couldn’t get instant chocolate pudding there. I gave them this link http://momsneedtoknow.com/how-to-make-homemade-chocolate-pudding/ so they could make their own chocolate pudding mix. I suggested mixing the dry ingredients only of this recipe, and using just 1/2 cup of the pudding mix in the cake. I am not familiar with what’s available as far as instant pudding in Australia, but you are looking for an instant chocolate pudding mix that makes four 1/2 cup servings of pudding. But you do not make the mix into pudding for this recipe, just use it dry. I hope you find what you need and that your cake turns out beautifully! Happy baking and many thanks for dropping by!
Julz says
http://www.usafoods.com.au/search?keywords=Chocolate%20pudding
Chocolate pudding in Australia 🙂
Allie says
Genius, Julz!!! Thanks so much for sharing!!!!
Lei says
I used Cottees choc instant pudding mix = success….
Judy says
Well I just put mine in the oven for my Birthday tomorrow, but without the pudding mix. Hope it’s the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had. Lol
Now I will bake some pecan short bread bars.
Allie says
Happy Birthday Judy!!!! Hope your cake came out awesome. You are brave to try it without the pudding mix. I’ve never made it without the pudding mix, and I do think it’s the pudding that gives the dense, moist and heavy texture. So hopefully you still loved it and please let us know how it turned out. Pecan short bread bars sound fabulous too. Hope it was your best birthday ever and a great year ahead.
Christina @ Christina's Cucina says
Oh dear! I wonder who started the rumor that it can only be baked in a convection oven?! Glad you reposted with the change in oven setting! It looks luscious, Allie!
Lisa says
I was wondering that too. Any oven should be able to bake a cake! Adjusting times and temps of course but she probably didn’t know that. My oven won’t take an hour.
Shirley A Kagel says
My grandmother used to make this cake years and years ago. It was so good. And believe it or not I was just thinking about her chocolate cake the other day and wishing I had gotten the recipe for it. She baked hers in old, old gas cook stove. Thanks for the memories and the recipe.
Allie says
Sure thing Shirley, I hope you get to bake this cake! Happy New Year!
Kellie @ Gratefully Vintage says
Ok! When can we meet for coffee again? And can it be at your house? With this cake!!! ??❤️
nancy mcmahan says
Give me a spoon…no make that two and I will clean up that frosting that seems to have spilled over. I am not a high chocolate cake eater but I am pretty sure I wou like d make an exception.
Shashi at RunninSrilankan says
Allie, I gotta admit, I was one of those “disappointed people who weren’t able to bake this cake because (I) didn’t have a convection oven” so thank you – to you AND Caitlin for this adapted recipe! Personally, I’d rather have a scrumptious chocolate cake (or recipe for a scrumptious cake) in my closet than a LBD! I’m dying to make this but I’m gonna try my darndest to hold onto this till my daughter or I have company – because us gals will have no willpower around this much deliciousness!
You are spot on – feels like Monday to me too – that 3-day weekend went by way too fast! Here’s hoping you have a wonderful week sweet friend! xoxo
heather @french press says
I am dying for a slice, and I don’t even like chocolate!! it looks that good 🙂
Allie says
Perhaps I must go to the ENT, but did I hear you correctly that you don’t even like chocolate, Heather? I hear people say this and it blows my mind. Hope you like this one! 🙂
Laurie Horak says
How long do I cool the cake before turning it out of the pan?
Allie says
I would say about 15-20 minutes Laurie, cake should still be warm, but not hot. Enjoy!
Joyce says
Hi Allie, this cake looks really yummy. Too bad I cannot have it though…..
Get ready for this, maybe you should sit down for this one…….because I know I was shocked when I heard about.
I am ALLERGIC to chocolate. Yep, I said it,. I am truly 110% allergic to chocolate. I about had a heart attack hearing this. So, going from serious chocolate lover to no chocolate ever, that is my life.
Allie says
Hi Joyce – wow, that is quite a disappointment – as a serious chocolate lover myself. So sorry to hear that. I have a blogging friend who is also allergic to chocolate. It does seem unfair. If only there were a chocolate substitute that tasted as good as the real deal. I say you must be sure to pamper yourself extra in other areas to make up for it. Like an indulgent pedicure? Or whatever will bring you moments of joy. XOXO
Susie says
I just wanted to add I made cupcakes with this recipe. I made 2 8” cakes (I only needed 2 because I made a mint chocolate chip ice cream cake with this recipe) so I used the left over batter for cupcakes. I never changed the recipe at all. I filled the cupcake cups half way and baked for 16-20 minutes @ 350 and 16 minutes at @325. My husband won’t start raving over them and doesn’t want frosting on them because their that good.
Reni says
Ha ha, me too! My sis and I are not choc people, but she is gonna get this next Sunday anyway. I just wanna eat up all that choc frosting on the plate and oh my gosh, the cake looks so moist…
Michelle | A Dish of Daily Life says
I’m not a big cake person, but this one looks fantastic and I am pinning it for future reference because I will make this one…it looks too good to pass up!
Karen says
Yay!!! So glad to try this! Must wait for my chocoholic sister to come in March though! Thanks, Allie and Caitlin
Leslie says
Oh my goodness…. my stomach just started roaring…..not joking. I’m starving and this isn’t helping. I’m thinking I do have to try this out if I can’t convince a sister to make it for me. MMMMMMMMmmmmm. I can already tell it will be finger licking good.
Leslie
Allie says
Well try to convince a sister first Leslie, and if that doesn’t work – I promise you this is an easy cake to bake that will turn out fabulous. Lunch. Is. Served!
Carina says
Well, that is interesting…. With a chocolate cake like this, available to all ovens, there is a happy Valentines day ahead for us all. 😉 Just wishin’ I could have a slice now. Thanks Caitlin and Allie.
Eva says
C’est juste une tuerie ton gâteau! Il est si gourmand et parfait! Tu as bien raison un bon gâteau au chocolat c’est comme notre inséparable petite robe noire! Indispensable !
Cheyenne says
Woohoo! Don’t you love rebels? I was going to adjust the temp and try this as well, so I’m glad someone beat me to the punch. Can’t wait to try it!
A quick question- all I have is a bundt pan, has anyone tried this recipe in one, or should I be the rebel this time and give it a shot?
Thanks again! 🙂
Allie says
Ooooo… another baking rebel out there. Ha. Several readers have said they have baked this in a bundt pan with good results. I have not yet done it myself, but that is the next baking variation on my list to try. Depending on your bundt pan design, I would just be very sure to grease or butter the pan very well, and “flour” it lightly with baking cocoa to insure a good release. I would also check it for doneness a little earlier, in case it cooks faster in the bundt pan. Happy baking, and please comment back and let us all know how it turned out! Thanks for dropping by Cheyenne.
Ute Steigerwald says
What size tube pan should I use? I don’t have one and when I looked to purchase, there are 9 and 10″ ones. Also, should they be 2 piece or one piece? This recipe looks amazing and I would like to try, but I am not a “baking rebel” and like to stick to the instructions.
Allie says
Hi Ute, I just measured my tube pan. It is 10″ across the top (opening), but the base of it is 9″. My tube pan is in 2 separate pieces. Hope you enjoy making this cake and that it turns out perfectly. Happy baking!
Rose says
Just made this and is now our favorite chocolate cake. Thanks
Allie says
Hi Rose. I’m so glad you like it, that makes my day! Thanks for dropping by!
Chrissy says
In the oven right now in a 9 inch tube pan and overflowed everywhere.. Smoke everywhere and I burned my finger trying to scoop it up. So maybe 10 inch is the way to go? Idk. I also had enough batter to make a 9″ round! I clearly did something wrong! Hopefully it tastes yum:) I think it will.. But not sure what I did wrong!! #hotvdaymess
Allie says
OH NO Chrissy!!! I am so sorry to hear this. I have gotten this comment about overflowing only one other time, and through commenting back and forth we discovered they were at 6K altitude and that must have been the issue. Are you at a high altitude? I’ve cleaned up overflow messes in the oven and it’s the worst. That and the smoke. And then you burned your finger. So so sorry. 🙁 If you have an epiphany about what might have happened, please let me know. I hate this happened to you and I’m just not sure why, as the size of the pan does not seem too drastically different. I sincerely hope it does taste wonderful to somehow redeem it.
Chrissy says
Nope- not at high altitude. Not sure what happened! However, I am pleased to report that it is positively delicious, and I didn’t even make the frosting. And now I have extra to bring into work! Next time I’ll just use a bigger pan. 🙂
Debbie says
I used a bundt pan , conventional oven and my overflowed too.
Giba says
I just made it in a bundt pan, and it’s great, but it did overflow and make a mess in the oven. If you need to use a bundt pan don’t use quite all the batter.
Erin says
Aside from not using all of the batter, were there any other changes you made while using the bundt pan? A bundt pan is all I have so I was hoping someone would go ahead and make it this way!
Molly says
I made it in a bundt and all of the batter fit with no overflow issues….hmmm. I made no changes to the recipe. I noticed my batter was really thick for cake batter but I followed all the directions except for I didn’t sift anything and I used all-purpose flour. Baked up perfectly in the 1 hour time slot too and slid right out of the pan after.
Erin says
Thanks Molly! I can’t wait to try it!
Lezlie says
I’m going to try it in a bunch pan also. I’m going to add coffee as the liquid to the ganache instead of water and see if that gives it some extra flavor.
Mandi Korn says
So yummy, I will have to make this when I take off the 8 lbs I gained from eating chocolate over the holidays:o)
Celia at Chicago Jogger says
I can’t imagine a more beautiful, luscious-looking cake! Adding this to my recipe dessert list 😉
Debra says
I made this cake today as my birthday cake, but I don’t like cake too sweet. So I left out the chocolate chips. Came out perfectly. Iced it with classic buttercream icing. Best cake I’ve ever made! Heavenly!
Allie says
So glad Debra and Happy Happy Birthday! I brought it to my sister’s 52nd birthday party in RI yesterday and even had a tiny sliver of it for breakfast this morning. Perfection!!! 🙂
Robin @ Simply Southern Baking says
This looks soooo decadent! My chocoholic hubby would finish this off in no time flat!
Jane C says
Super duper excited! I was thrilled when I got your email saying this was finally for a conventional oven! Can’t wait to try it! Though our friends in Greenville still want us to come for a visit!!
Allie says
I’m excited too Jane!!! So happy this all came together and I hope you love this cake. Happy baking, and I hope you still get to Greenville too. It is so beautifully done with all the renovations downtown. Great destination! And be sure to drop by Brick Street. They are famous for their sweet potato cake and also their coconut cake!
JJoy Plumley says
I had a hissy when I saw this recipe on Pinterest. We live in Travelers Rest, 20 mins or so away from Brick Street. I LOVE BRICK STREET! I wanted to see if you could get your hands on the recipe for Brick Steet’s sweet potato pie. That pie is to die for! Can’t wait to make the cake, thanks for the recipe
Allie says
I would love to get my hands on that recipe too, and you can be sure I’ll publish it here if I do. Meanwhile, if you come across it first, DO SHARE!!!! Have a fabulous weekend and happy, happy baking!
Ramona W says
We are expecting over two feet of snow today… I think I need a big slice of this cake to deal with it!! 🙂 Yummed and Stumbled your post as well. 🙂
Charlee says
Mercy, that looks divine! Thanks for posting the tweaked for regular ovens version. The ganache flowing over the sides is just gorgeous and made my mouth water. How’s the flavor? Well, other than fantastic. Is it more dark chocolate or more on the sweet side? I prefer more dark, less sweet and want to know if I should adjust the sugar.
Allie says
Hey thanks Charlee – I would say this is a darker chocolate cake (with the cocoa powder), though I would say the ganache is very sweet. If you decide to adjust the sugar, please comment back here if you can and let us know what you did and how it turned out. I’m sure there are others who are interested. Thanks so much for dropping by and happy baking!
Madeleine says
Ahhh, the news that made my Friday! We have friends coming over next weekend. I’ll be making this beauty “for them.” (As she laughs devilishly because let’s be serious, the cake is very much for her!)
Allie says
I can almost hear that devilish laugh from here….ENJOY and happy baking Mads!!!
Sherri says
Do you have the recipe for the Brick Street sweet potato cake? That one is my favorite!
Allie says
No Sherri, I sure wish I did though. More people have told me about that amazing cake. If I ever get it I will definitely post it here!!!
Madiss says
Hello there. Can I bake this on normal oven? And I dont have pudding, is it okay to bake without it? Pls reply
Allie says
Hi Madiss. Yes, you may bake this recipe in a normal oven. I’ve never made it without the pudding mix, so I don’t know. I’m sure it would change the texture significantly. If you decide to try it anyway, please comment back and let everyone know how it turned out. Happy baking!
Madiss says
Hello again Allie. Thank you for replying. Well I found a recipe for chocolate pudding. Ill give it a try. Is this cake super moist? Thank you so much
Allie says
Hi Madiss — please be sure you are adding chocolate pudding MIX (dry mix) to the cake, not chocolate pudding. Yes, this is a very moist and dense cake. It’s my favorite chocolate cake in the world and I hope you love it too!
Madiss says
Oh I was plannning to make a homemade chocolate pudding. (Sigh) Haven’t seen that here in our grocery stores in the Philippines. You think it will not work?
Allie says
Hmmmmm Madiss…this is quite a challenge. What if you mix together the dry ingredients only, of a homemade chocolate pudding recipe? If I were you, I might try mixing together the dry ingredients, and then use just 1/2 cup of that dry mix in place of the box of instant chocolate pudding mix. Here is a link to a homemade chocolate pudding recipe I found for you on Pinterest. http://momsneedtoknow.com/how-to-make-homemade-chocolate-pudding/ I wish you all the best and please let me know what you end up doing. I’d love to hear how it turns out. Good luck!
Brittany says
When the directions state to use a tube pan…is that the same as an angel food cake pan? Or is it something different? thanks so much! The cake looks perfect for my husband’s birthday!
Allie says
Yes – the same thing! Hope he loves it!
Pat says
My angel food cake pan is one piece. The middle does not come out.
Madiss says
Hello Allie, I wanna say thank you for all the suggestions. Will definitely give it a try. And I will keep posted for sure. God keep you.
Allie says
You are very welcome, I hope it comes out perfect!
Diane says
Sounds delicious and can’t wait to make it!
I need to make chocolate cupcakes for my daughter’s wedding guests as requested by the groom. What do you think the cooking time and temp might be? I might just do a trial run this weekend and figure it out. I’ve already done a trial run for the wedding cake!
Allie says
Sounds delicious Diane! I’ve not yet baked cupcakes from this recipe, but it’s next on my to do list. I’m thinking I’d probably bake these for 15 minutes or so and then start checking with a cake tester from there. I’m not sure what to say about the temp as I haven’t tried it. Maybe I’d try it for ten minutes at 350° and then turn it down to 325° for whatever the remainder is. Honestly that’s just my best guess. But if you decide to do a trial run, PLEASE comment back here and let us all know what you did how it turned out. When I get to it and bake a batch of cupcakes, I”ll reply back to this comment and let you know what worked best for me. Happy baking!
Kelli says
Just made this tonight! It really is as amazing as it looks. It is SUPER rich so only need a tiny piece.
I did use the tube pan and believe it or not, but there IS enough frosting to fill the center first. In fact if you don’t fill the center first then you’ll likely have too much on the top and sides then it will pool around the bottom.
I made my own cake flour using regular flour (flour & corn starch) and buttermilk (milk and a bit of vinegar) and it works perfect so no need to buy a special flour or milk.
Allie says
WONDERFUL!!! Thanks Kelli! I’ve made my own buttermilk often, but never my own cake flour. Glad it turned out great!
Sherry says
I have it in the oven as we speak. Can’t wait
Allie says
Oh oh oh. I am so excited for you!!! Enjoy!
Sherry says
It is as delicious as it looks. Used my grandmother’s tube pan. Came out perfectly. Very rich. Demands a cold glass of milk.
Allie says
Nice!!! So glad it turned out just right. Yes, a cold glass of milk is a must with this cake!
Allie says
Hi Donna, hoping you come back and check here. Somehow your comment disappeared as I was trying to accept it. My apologies. You were asking if anyone has baked a 3 layer cake in layer pans with this recipe. I’ve not heard that anyone has and I haven”t yet. But I’d love to try that. If I do, I’ll comment back here. If you get to it first, let us know how it went, I’m sure there are others who are interested. Many thanks for dropping by.
Barbara says
This recipe looks like heaven! Thanks for sharing (and especially for converting to a regular oven because I was so disappointed when I read it could only be baked in a convection oven!). Maybe my next oven…
Mimi says
Do you let the cake cool in the pan? Thanks.
Allie says
Hi Mimi, I let it cool for a while and take it out when still warm. Hope you enjoy!
Kris says
I think this is the best chocolate cake I have ever made! I didn’t even make the frosting because it didn’t really need it. The only change I made was mini chocolate chips instead of regular. Thanks!
Allie says
Hi Kris, I’m so glad you liked it! It’s the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made too! Glad to know the mini chips worked fine, and thanks for dropping by!
Lynn says
Since it is International Chocolate Day today, I thought …why not. The cake turned out perfectly. I used the recipe as stated and baked using a Bundt pan. I also dusted cocoa powder to the greased pan. It was ready 5 minutes early using the Bundt pan.. I’m on my way to make the frosting…my 12 year old is going to just “flip” when he smells the house when he walks in. Now to be able to “hold him back” from taking a piece till after dinner is going to be the next challenge.
Thank, Kris!
Allie says
What an awesome surprise Lynn, hope your son loves it! I’m so glad it turned out great! Good luck on waiting ’til dinner!
Megan - The Emotional Baker says
Man! This cake looks amazing! I know I couldn’t stop with just one slice 🙂
Liz says
Oh my goodness, seeing this blog post pop up on Pinterest totally made my day – actually, make that my whole year(whole life even!)! I LOVE Brick Street Cafe and my parents make sure to have this chocolate cake on hand when I come home to visit. I’m so glad I won’t have to wait to return to Greenville to eat this delicious cake! Thank you for sharing this recipe! The world is a much better place now haha!
Also, if you have never tried a slice of this cake warmed up (icing and all), try it. Somehow it becomes even more delicious!
Allie says
Hey Liz, I meant to answer this a few days ago! I’m so happy you have this recipe now! So fun. Maybe mum’s the word. As in… don’t tell your parents you got the recipe, so you can be sure they’ll still have that cake waiting for you! (Yeah I’m naughty.) I’ve not tried this cake warmed up and you better believe that’s next on my list. Thanks for the tip, and for dropping by. Happy baking!
Karin says
Hi there, this cake looks sooooooo yummy! I don’t have a tube cake pan at home, is there any other pan I can use instead? Thanks so much 🙂
Allie says
Hi Karin, I have not yet tried it myself, but others have used a bundt pan with success. One reader said it cooked a little faster in the bundt pan, so be sure to check it early. Hope it turns out perfectly and happy baking! Thanks for dropping by.
Allie says
P.S. Be sure to grease the pan well with butter or shortening and dust with cocoa powder for an easy release!
Melissa Bennett says
can I make this in a bundt pan?
Allie says
Hi Melissa, a number of readers have made it in a bundt pan with success. I’ve not yet made one in a bundt pan myself. The comment I’ve heard is that it bakes a little faster in a bundt pan, so be sure to check on it 10 minutes early just to be safe. Also grease the bundt pan well with butter or shortening and dust with cocoa powder for a good release. Thanks for dropping by and happy baking!
Patti Anderson-Fallon NV says
I just made this for my birthday yesterday.. I have NEVER in my life used so much chocolate in a cake recipe.. but~~I must say, this is fabulous, dense, not super sweet, yummy cake. The frosting is wonderful too and the two components meld together to just make your mouth water… Just way too good… I think it’s a keeper folks!!!
Allie says
YAY!!! Happy Birthday Patti. (Belated). So glad you loved it. Hope the rest of your birthday was as yummy as your cake!
Lynn says
My mom wanted this delicious cake for her birthday last weekend but she also wanted a multi-layer cake. So I gave it a try in 3 – 8 inch cake pans (I don’t have 9 inch rounds). It was a success! I baked them at 350 for 15 minutes then at 325 for 25 minutes. They probably could have baked a couple of minutes less, but they were definitely still moist. The 8 inch pans made for a really tall cake! I frosted with a chocolate buttercream to make it more birthday cakeish. Thanks for the fantastic recipe!
Allie says
You are so welcome Lynn, and this makes me SO happy. Thanks for letting us know, and the details. I love a tall layered cake, hadn’t tried it yet. Hope your mom had a wonderful birthday. She’s lucky to have a daughter who makes her chocolate cake.
Chandra@ The Plaid & Paisley Kitchen says
I have been drooling over this cake on Pinterest for a while now! I am telling you that I am in total love!! pInned, Yummed and tweeted!
Xtine says
I made this for my dads birthday yesterday, it made enough batter for my tube pan and 9 cupcakes. My dad had 3(!) pieces and my mom who doesn’t love chocolate says it’s a keeper! It was delicious, I may have had a piece for breakfast. 😉
Allie says
Score! So glad he loved his cake. I may have also had a slice for breakfast! And possibly more than once. 🙂
Kay says
How well does this cake keep. I want to take it to church on Sunday, but o don’t want to make it too early.
Allie says
I think it keeps very well Kay. I think it even tastes better on the second day. I’ve actually made this cake, then frozen it. Then defrosted and iced it just before taking to an event. Don’t think I would freeze it iced, but I had a piece of it yesterday that had been frozen and it was excellent. That being said, I really think you would be fine making it today (Friday) for church on Sunday. We’ve had it several days after and it’s just as good. I am making one today for a friend who is turning 80 as a birthday surprise. Can’t wait to deliver!
Deb says
With the baking time as written, this was a tragic waste of good ingredients for me. I checked the cake at one hour and could tell the center was not set. Checked with a tester in another 10 minutes, and it came out clean in multiple places, so I removed the cake from the oven. After cooling it for a little while (and watching the middle sink), I attempted to turn it out onto a plate, but the entire middle was soup. I ended up scooping up most of it and throwing it in the trash, just saving a little from around the edges that was baked. What was done was pretty tasty, but overall it was a huge disappointment.
Allie says
Hi Deb – How disappointing, I’m so sorry to hear about your cake.:( I know how frustrating it is to put in the time, effort and ingredients expecting a great result and not get it. I’ve made this cake many times and had excellent results, so this is a real mystery. Are you at an unusual altitude? Wondering if there may be another factor at play. So strange that your tester came out clean in several places, I’m truly mystified. I’m assuming you turned your oven temperature from 350° down to 325° after thirty minutes… So sad you didn’t get the beautiful Brick Street cake you hoped for, and I know you are too.
Kaye Williams says
High altitude adjustments anyone? We are in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Allie says
Hi Kaye – I’ve never lived at high altitude or baked at high altitude, so I don’t want to steer you wrong with my guesses. But here is a link from King Arthur Baking about how to adapt recipes for high altitude. Others readers here have found this article very helpful. https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Kelly Apo says
Hi Allie….this cake looks too die for! I am on a severely restricted sodium diet. Do you think I could substitute unsalted butter in the recipe? I have a product that is a replacement for baking soda. That would just leave the sodium in the buttermilk which should be okay and lower the sodium per slice so that I could indulge and enjoy a slice of cake. Thanks for your input.
Allie says
Hi Kelly, good to hear from you. I definitely think you can use unsalted butter. In fact, I use unsalted butter in all my baking and used it in this cake. I should have listed it that way. I am so curious the product you use that is a replacement for baking soda. If you have time, let me know, because there will prob. be others on a sodium restricted diet who would like to make this cake too. Sounds like you will be able to make it and I’m so excited for you. Would love to hear how you like it!
Kelly says
Hi Allie
The product is made by Ener called Baking Soda Substitute. Its a vegan product that is gluten, wheat, dairy, yeast, egg, soy, and nut free. I need it to be sodium free and that it is! I also use a sodium free baking powder made by Hain.
Allie says
Oh thank you for that wonderful information Kelly. I am sure there are others out there that will love to know this info.too!
Lynne H. says
What about high altitude? I live at 5000 ft. and have had some cake recipes that I enjoyed at sea level years ago
fall flat now at high altitude! Has anyone tried this at high altitude and had success?
Allie says
Hi Lynne, I haven’t baked this at high altitude. A reader baked it at 6,000 feet and reported it spilled all over the oven, smoked and made a mess in general. She said the pieces of cake that baked were delicious though. Since I’ve never lived or baked at high altitude, I gave her the tips from King Arthur flour Baking for high altitude. I’ve always trusted King Arthur’s baking advice through the years, and hopefully their tips will give you what you need for success. I’ve read them and they’re very specific, so I wish you all the best!!!! http://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Kelcie says
I’m currently trying to bake this in a spring form pan because i’m a poor student and i couldn’t find a bundt pan. I’m a little concerned that the middle isn’t going to set… I think i might end up with the same soupiness as Allie.
Allie says
Hi Kelcie, how did it come out? I have never baked it in a spring form pan before. It seems like it might not be big enough, but guess it depends on the size. And I know the metal center of the tube pan helps distribute heat to the middle. I know there have been some successful Brick Street cakes baked in a couple of round cake pans — they made a layer cake out of it. Sincerely hope you had success with your springform pan and thanks for dropping by.
Kelcie says
So I did manage to bake it in the spring form pan, and it worked… ish. The cake still turned out totally edible, very rich and solid, but I have the feeling that it isn’t nearly as moist as it was supposed to be. This is probably because i ended up almost doubling the time it was in the oven for so that the middle set. Next time I’ll try it in cupcake form instead, at the very least it will take less time to tell whether they’ll turn out or not!
Fiona says
Can I use just normal round (non tube) pan? I want to make this my birthday cake. Thank you and it looks yum!
Allie says
Hi Fiona, I haven’t done it myself, so I can’t tell you for sure. I know a reader recently made it in a springform pan and it took much longer to bake and wasn’t as moist on account of almost having to double the baking time for it to set. The tube in the center of a tube pan helps distribute heat and helps the cake to bake evenly. If you decide to go ahead with your pan, I hope you’ll comment back and let us know how it worked and if you had to adjust baking times, etc., as I’m sure there are other bakers who would like to know. Thanks so much for dropping by, happy baking, and have a very happy birthday!
Stephanie says
Well I made this recipe today in my regular oven. I cooked it 37 minutes at the lower temp after 30 at the higher temp. It turned out so amazing. I have never had a cake come out of the pan so beautifully!! And the frosting is soooo rich. This is amazing. Thank you!!!
Allie says
Stephanie, so happy to hear this and glad it turned out perfectly! Thanks for letting me know!
Amanda says
Should the cake be stored in the refrigerator or can it be left out?
Allie says
Hi Amanda, I leave mine out on the counter and it does just fine. But it also keeps well tightly wrapped and in the refrigerator.
Amanda says
Thank you!
Fiona says
Success. I did this recipe in a spring form pan and baked half for the same time as what you recommended and did the same with the other half. I then put half the icing between the two cakes and the other half on top. It was the most delicious cake. Happy Birthday to mee 😉
Donna says
Is the baking cocoa regular or dark cocoa?
Allie says
Hi Donna, it’s regular cocoa. I haven’t tried it with the dark. Happy baking!
Laurel says
Hi!! Is the cocoa supposed to be sweetened or unsweetened?
Allie says
Hi Laurel, it is unsweetened baking cocoa. Hope you enjoy!
Audrey Johnson says
Turned out great! Filled a bundt pan about 2/3 to 3/4 full, and the remaining batter I just baked in 4 : 4 inch ramekin dishes. I baked at 350 for 30 min., reduced temp to 325 and baked the bundt for another 20 min, and the ramekins for 10 min. Served with vanilla ice cream. To die for!
Allie says
Oh yay!!! So glad it turned out great Audrey. Many thanks for dropping by, loved hearing from you.
Ayanna says
This looks amazing! May I ask what kind of butter you used? Plugra or just regular land o’ lakes kind of butter? Also, do you think Dutch process cocoa powder would work well? Thanks and I can’t wait to try this!
Allie says
Hi Ayanna, just heading to bed and saw your comment. I used regular land o’ lakes kind of butter. Actually, it was probably generic, and I always use unsalted butter in baking. I think Dutch process cocoa powder could work fine, I used Hershey’s unsweetened baking cocoa and had excellent results. My guess is that the better ingredients used, the better the cake will be!!! Happy baking!
Kellie says
Oh my word!! This is the most delicious cake!! I had the honor of sharing some with you in your beautiful home! Yesterday was my Dad’s 70th birthday and I made it for his party last night. It was a hit everyone LOVED it!! Thank you for sharing! Your blog is now my favorite site to look for recipes! Thank you, my friend!
Allie says
KELLIE!!!! This makes me so so happy to hear this, that Brick Street Cake was part of your wonderful dad’s 70th birthday celebration!!! I am so glad it was a hit. Thanks so much for letting me know, totally made my day. XOXO
Rebecca says
Hello. This cake looks delicious. Would you recommend this cake for a stacked cake/tiered cake with fondant? thanks
Allie says
Hi Rebecca, great question. I know this has been baked as a stacked case with success, but I’ve never actually worked with fondant so I really don’t know if it would work well with it. This is a dense, somewhat “heavy” cake if that helps. Maybe someone else who has worked with fondant and also made this cake will reply back to your comment here? If you decide to go ahead with it, please let us know how it worked! Thanks for dropping by and have a great weekend!
Lindsey says
Hello! I live in Greenville, SC and ADORE Brick Street Cafe’s desserts! Their sweet potato cake?!? Heaven! I was so excited to stumble upon this recipe on Pinterest. Thank you for sharing, can’t wait to try it!
Karen says
I made this cake recently and I used 1/2 cup Hershey’s Cocoa and 1/2 cup Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa. It was to die for, the best chocolate cake ever! Thanks for sharing. I baked mine in my grandmothers tube pan and it ran over a little in the oven as other stated, but no biggy, next time I won’t fill it so full and bake the reminder of the batter in some other pan. My choco-holic daughter is having a birthday soon, guess what she is getting. ?
Allie says
Hi Karen, so glad you dropped by. I’d been wondering about using Hershey’s Special Dark myself, but hadn’t tried it yet. Half and half sounds perfect. Glad it was a hit. I think your daughter is going to have a very happy birthday!
Carolyn Voegtlin says
Good morning,
Birthdays aren’t usually a big deal to me when they’re mine BUT this year is different. My birthday is in May and I rarely (if ever) have requested any certain present but this year I’ve requested NO presents — just Brick Street Chocolate Cake ! 🙂
Can’t wait
Carolyn
Allie says
Oh boy. Pressure’s on. I hope you really, REALLY enjoy this Brick Street cake Carolyn! And I wonder who the baker will be…. Happy, happy birthday! (almost)
Nancy says
Hi,
So what’s the ideal type of pan and size to bake this recipe in? For example, when you made this recipe what pan did you use with the recipe’s baking temp? Thanks
Allie says
Hi Nancy, I used a round tube pan, sometimes called an angel food cake pan. It is flat on the bottom and measures 9″ across the bottom and 10 ” across the top. I hope that helps. Whatever kind of pan you use, please fill no more than 3/4 full. Some cakes have spilled over in smaller pans and you don’t want that big mess on the oven. Happy baking and hope you love this cake!
Katelyn says
This cake is so damned good it’s ridiculous! As a retired baker I had to leave a comment, though I see this recipe already has loads of reviews!
I’ve made this recipe twice, once in three 9″ round pans, filled with Baileys buttercream, and then covered with mint ganache. Hands down the best cake I have ever made. Also made this as a little boy’s birthday cake with vanilla icing, and it too, was delicious.
Allie says
Hi Katelyn, this makes me so happy. So glad you loved this cake and that you dropped by to let me know. Thank you!
Conrad says
Delicious chocolate confection! I took the liberty of adding a couple of teaspoons of espresso powder to enhance the chocolate (as if it needed it) and a 1/2 cup more sugar for a bit more sweetness. It came out wonderful!
Allie says
You had me with the espresso powder! Sounds incredible, will definitely have to try it with the espresso powder. So glad you enjoyed Conrad, and thanks for dropping by!
Lidija says
Hi, just wondering is that 350 Farenheit or Celsius? 🙂
And for the pan, how much would that be in centimeters?
I’m from Croatia, different metric system 😛
Allie says
Hi Lidija, somehow I missed this comment/question of yours, my apologies. The 350° is Fahrenheit, and the pan should be around 23 cm at the base and 25.5 cm at the top. You may not have that same measurement of a pan where you are. Just be sure to fill no more than 3/4 full whatever size pan you use, because you don’t want it to spill over in the oven, a real mess. Hope you love this cake as much as we do!!!
SusyB says
Hi there,
Just wanted to say that I tried the recipe and it was scrumptious!! I baked it in a tin loaf and the batter made enough for 2 loaves. Followed the recipe to the T but found the frosting too sweet so I put in salt flakes instead of decreasing the sugar. Kept tasting until I was happy with the taste. Thanks for sharing the recipe. This is a definite keeper!??
Allie says
Hi Susy, sounds absolutely delish with the salt flakes in the ganache, great twist and I’ll have to try that myself! So glad you enjoyed the cake and many thanks for dropping by — loved hearing from you.
Kimberly says
Hi there! Is this a cake that needs to sit for a day to really develop good flavor, or is it good to go right after it is cool? I made a flourless chocolate cake that most definitely benefited from a day to mature.
Allie says
Hi Kimberly, I don’t think this needs a day to mature. It tastes wonderful when cool and also the next day. And the next day. And the next day!!! Ha. We know from experience. It also freezes well! Thanks for dropping by and happy baking!
Sarah says
Hi there. I love the recipe. However, when you’re blog has so many ads that it takes this long to load on my brand new very expensive PC, I won’t be following you. The ads are just too much.
Andrea says
Just put this in the oven in two 9″ round pans for Austin’s birthday! 🙂
Allie says
Oooo…yum. Hope he loved it Andrea! Happy Birthday to Austin!
Kelley Burke says
Hi Andrea, did you use 2″ tall cake pans or 3″ tall? How long did you bake it and what temp? Thanks!
Ginny Taylor says
Just made this. I have a 14″ glass deep dish pizza pan I made it in. I followed the recipe to a T. It’s still cooling so I havent tried it yet but it looks amazing!
Jennifer Lyons says
Made this today and was a total hit after a big family dinner! At serving time, whipped the remaining heavy cream with some sugar and vanilla and topped it off with fresh whipped cream~ Will make again and again!
Allie says
Oh I’m so glad Jennifer, thanks for letting me know. I made this recipe into cupcakes for the first time last night. Yum. The whipped cream sounds perfect!
Ashley says
Hey I wondered, do you think I could add some instant Coffee to make this a mocha choclate cake? Would the coffee make it not Bake right? What do you think?
Allie says
Hey Ashley – That sounds awesome! I don’t think the coffee would affect the baking at all. Another thought would be espresso powder. I know a few readers have added instant coffee to the ganache with excellent results. If you make it, PLEASE let us know how it turns out!
ASHLEY says
So I added instant coffee. I used powdered buttermilk, so when I mixed up the buttermilk I used 1/4 cup less water and added 1/4cup of hot water with 1/2Tablespoon of instant coffee and mixed it in with everything else. It turned out great with just a hint of coffee flavor. I’ll probably add a little more coffee next time but the cake is amazing! Thanks for the recipe.
Allie says
Hey Ashley – thanks so much for this great info. Also the reminder about powdered buttermilk. I have some in my pantry and keep forgetting about it. Every time I make this cake I go out and buy more buttermilk – I should use what I’ve got. Also need to try this cake with the coffee – sounds divine!
Penny says
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. I am planning to make it for my birthday Wednesday. I’m assuming you use liquid buttermilk when you make yours? I’ve never baked with powdered buttermilk. I’m just wondering if I should use liquid or powdered.
Allie says
Yes, please use liquid buttermilk Penny. I believe you could also use powdered buttermilk but you’d have to add water to reconstitute it to make liquid buttermilk – however it says to do that on the package. But I have only used fresh buttermilk in this cake. Have a very happy birthday and I hope you love this cake! 🙂
Kelly Gilmore says
Can this recipe be used for cupcakes? If so what would the baking time be?? Thanks!
Allie says
Hi Kelly – timing is everything. I’ve been experimenting making these into cupcakes myself and am planning to post this as a cupcake recipe in the next few weeks once I get it perfected. So I made this recipe into 2 dozen cupcakes a few weeks ago and they were way too big, spilled over. Next time I will try making this recipe into 2 1/2 dozen cupcakes, I think that will be about right. As far as timing, I would prob. start checking them around the 13 or 14 minute mark and keep a close eye on them. I’m not sure because mine were too big and prob. took longer to bake. If you go ahead and make them and have any tips – please share. Thanks for dropping by!
Kelly says
So I made a trial batch. They baked up perfectly at 18 mins at 350 in my oven. However mine were light and airy. Nothing like the picture shown. Not sure what happened there.
Allie says
Wow, that’s very strange Kelly. How did they taste? Mine were not light and airy at all. Hmmm….my question would be, did you beat it a lot (extra air)? This cake you don’t beat a lot and that’s what helps make it dense. You’re basically just mixing ingredients ’til they are well combined. And I’m guessing you already went over the ingredient list to make sure you didn’t miss anything. Between the chocolate pudding mix (powder), the cocoa, cake flour, chips and buttermilk it should be a very thick batter.
Kelly says
That’s what’s strange, the batter was very thick. Almost mousse or pudding like. I’m truly not sure what caused this. Perhaps I beat it too quickly. I’ll try again as I wanted to make them for w birthday party this weekend. I’ll keep you posted.
diana salha says
Do I need to beat the sugar and butter until light and fluffy? Or just until combined?
Allie says
Hi Diana – just until combined!
Patti says
I baked the cake at 350 for 30 minutes and then 325 for 30 minutes. The inside was soupy so I baked another 10 minutes and it is still gooey on the inside. I don’t live at high altitude and I checked the recipe and followed it correctly. What have I done wrong? I have a football crowd coming in 2 hours and no dessert to feed them unless I serve this cake as a pudding!
Allie says
Oh NO Patti! I’ve baked this cake many times and not had that result. Beyond frustrating. So sorry to hear this report and I do hope there were parts that were salvageable. So disappointing. I’m wondering if your oven temperature is correct? You might want to check that w/an oven thermometer if you aren’t sure. I wish I could diagnose further from here, but there are so many variables….oven temp., ingredients, ingredient measuring, kind of cake pan etc. And we know altitude is not at play here. I’m so sorry to hear this and I’m disappointed too.
Jealith says
I just made 38 cupcakes with this recipe and I have to say this is without a doubt the best chocolate cake I’ve ever tasted and they aren’t even frosted yet. I baked each dozen about 22 minutes at 350 degrees in my gas stove. I used medium sized cupcake baking cups. I followed the recipe exactly. This is definitely a keeper!
Allie says
Hi Jealith – Thrilled to hear this! I love this chocolate cake recipe and have baked it as cupcakes before, but the first time around I filled the cups too full and had major spillage. Thanks for all the great details, and many thanks for dropping by!
Diana says
I, personally, loved this cake. It is similar to a chocolate cheesecake. I made it for my husband’s birthday. I used the toothpick method. I had to bake it 20 minutes longer than specified. My husband didn’t care for it. He said it was too much like fudge. It was a bit too rich for him. I gave it to my neighbors. I hope their children enjoyed it.
Thanks so much for the wonderful recipe.
Allie says
So glad you loved it, but too bad your husband didn’t, especially since it was his birthday. Lucky neighbors!!! Thanks for dropping by.
Karen Scanlan says
This chocolate cake was absolutely delicious! It is rich, moist and very decadent! Loved the ganache on it also. Definitely a keeper. Will be making this again. Big hit with the family!
Allie says
Hey Karen — so glad everyone loved it! I need to make it again soon. Thanks for dropping by, have a great weekend!
belle says
i made this on eand its really delicious,but i want my cake to be densed as the one in the picture. do you have any suggestions ?thank you!!!
John Stroud says
Was preparing for a holiday event and wanted to make a chocolate/peanut butter cake to die for. Your Brick Street Chocolate Cake was the perfect foundation for my hankering! I followed the recipe for the cake, but I used Peanut Butter Chips in the cake instead of semi-sweet chocolate. I baked the cake in a 9 X 13 glass pan. Then, instead of using your icing recipe, I used the Fluffy Peanut Butter Icing recipe at http://allrecipes.com/recipe/84429/fluffy-peanut-butter-frosting/?internalSource=next%20recipe&referringId=7496&referringContentType=recipe&clickId=next%20recipe%20module&EventName=84429&AnalyticsEvent=right%20rail%20nav
Oh my gosh! It was amazing!
I made a bit of an error following your baking instructions, so my edges and cake bottom got a little too hard, but it was still a winner.
It would be really helpful if you could provide alternative baking instructions for readers like myself who don’t have a the kind of pan for which you give time and temps. What would you recommend if we’re using a 9 X 13?
Thanks so much for sharing this phenomenal recipe!
Allie says
Hey thanks John – this sounds like a fabulous combo. I’m a fan of anything peanut butter and chocolate. I did make this in a 9 X 13″ pan once and it came out great but I didn’t write down all the stats – and yesterday I had a reader yesterday ask me about baking this recipe into cupcakes. Sounds like I need to spend a day just baking variations of this cake in different size pans and cupcakes and add my findings to the instructions. One suggestion I have for baking it in a 9 X 13″ pan would be to try a metal rather than glass pan if you have one. I always have a better experience baking with metal pans. Less overdone sides and edges. Mine came out great in the metal 9 X 13″. I will def. comment back when I get a chance to experiment more with baking this recipe in different pans. Merry Christmas!
Lisa says
Can you half the recipe? Or use for cupcakes?
Allie says
Hi Lisa – thanks for dropping by. Don’t see why you couldn’t half it, maybe bake in a 9 X 9″ square pan? Also, I have made cupcakes with this recipe and I wasn’t thrilled with the result – I made really big cupcakes. They were good, just not fabulous – not as moist as I’d like. I plan to play around with the size, baking temp etc. in the New Year and will comment back to you once I’m happy with the results. Meanwhile, if you decide to go ahead, would love to hear what you did and how they came out.
Adrienne says
Do you think this would work in a binder pan? Would I have to adjust cooking time? I am another person who is not a chocolate lover, but this cake looks too amazing not to try.
Allie says
Hi Adrienne, I’m not sure what a binder pan is. Do you mean a bundt pan? I know that a number of readers have cooked this in a bundt pan with good success. I don’t think they had to adjust the cooking time. You’ll need to grease and flour the pan very well so it doesn’t get stuck in the pan. (You can use cocoa instead of flour.) Happy baking!
Adrienne says
Darn predictive text! Yes, a bundt pan. I will give it a try and let you know how it comes out. Thanks for the response
Allie says
Oh that’s so funny. I googled binder pan and nothing came up, then it occurred to me it might be bundt pan. Enjoy!
Evey says
Hi! I just baked this in three 8″ pans as proposed by a previous commenter. The batter fits perfectly in 3 round 8″ pans, and I did 15 minutes at 350F and 20 minutes at 325F (as the previous baker mentioned she did 25 minutes at the lower temp and it could have used slightly less). Mine were perfectly done at that point and look gorgeous. I torted them just now and the inside is beautiful with the chocolate chips.
Unfortunately, I haven’t tasted it yet as it’s for a birthday this coming week. So all 6 layers are going into the freezer. Later on I will be using a chocolate buttercream along with the chocolate glaze you have here to fill and frost this beast! Can’t wait!
Allie says
Hi Evey – thanks for dropping by and for all the careful notes – I really appreciate it — we all do! No joke. I spent the weekend cutting down this recipe for cupcakes and testing the baking times in both a convection and regular oven. Success! I’ll be publishing that later this week. I’m really glad to hear from you and the next time I make the Brick Street Cake it will be in 3 – 8″ rounds as you have done. Can’t wait! I hope your cake is a huge success at the birthday party, six layers of chocolate heaven! Enjoy!
Michal says
Can take be more with gluten free flour? I’ve had great success with other recipes when I converted them.
Allie says
Hi Michal – I haven’t tried a gluten-free Brick Street cake yet. Next on my list, seriously. You’re not the first person to ask. If you get to it before I do, please let me know, I’d love to hear how it turned out and any tips you might have! Thanks for dropping by.
Joyce says
I have made this cake 2 times. First time was delicious, second time I forgot the chocolate chips, still delicious. I am in the process baking this again for a birthday party. Can’t wait to taste it! Thanks for the best and most moist chocolate cake I have eaten.
Allie says
This makes me so happy Joyce, and glad to hear it’s still good without the chocolate chips. Good to know. Says the girl who once made Pecan Surprise Bars and forgot… the pecans. Surprise!!! No pecans. Lol. Enjoy the cake and hope it’s a big hit at the birthday party!!! Thanks so much for dropping by!
John Stroud says
I did the Brick Street cake again yesterday, but I did it in 4, eight-inch cake pans. Took an “educated guess” at how long to cook it and kept checking with my stick, but I got it wrong. 🙁 My cake- though delish, turned out a wee bit dry, and it lacked the density that I was hoping for (I like this cake because it’s usually more like a fudge brownie than a box cake- if you know what I mean). I love the way it looked frosted with my fluffy peanut butter icing. Fit for a hotel bakery. But when we cut it, the cake was crumbly. Maybe I simply over cooked it?? Maybe I should have done 3 layers instead of four?? Is there anything that could be added to make this scenario more successful?
Oh yeah, and is there anything that can be done to “rescue” a cake that it a bit dry? LOL I put a glass of warm water in the cake dish to try to create a humid environment. We’ll see.
Allie says
Hey John – we’re buried in snow here in NH right now, wish I had a brick street chocolate cake baking in the oven now. Sorry to hear it was not a great success with the 4 – 8″ cake pans. Here is what reader Katie says about baking it in 3 – 8″ pans. “My mom wanted this delicious cake for her birthday last weekend but she also wanted a multi-layer cake. So I gave it a try in 3 – 8 inch cake pans (I don’t have 9 inch rounds). It was a success! I baked them at 350 for 15 minutes then at 325 for 25 minutes. They probably could have baked a couple of minutes less, but they were definitely still moist. The 8 inch pans made for a really tall cake! I frosted with a chocolate buttercream to make it more birthday cakeish. Thanks for the fantastic recipe!” Peanut butter icing sounds awesome. If you are are looking for that many-layered cake, why not cut the three layers horizontally in half to get more layers? Another reader did that and had good success. I suggested she pull dental floss through it or use a serrated knife. Might want to use the mini choc. chips if you use the dental floss, it might catch on the big ones. I have also heard several times that freezing cake layers first before frosting helps to make a moister cake. I also know that if you know a cake is dry before frosting it, you can brush the layers with a simple syrup made of boiling equal parts water and sugar together, then brushing the layers with the syrup. A lot of bakeries do this regularly for all their cakes. Sometimes they flavor the syrup with liqueurs or extracts too. So my suggestion for next time would be to bake it in 3 layers and follow Katie’s suggestions, except bake a few minutes less so it doesn’t dry out. Wishing you all the best!
John Stroud says
Fantastic suggestions! I will go with the 3 layers next time. I only did 4 because I thought it would allow me to use more frosting! LOL. The simple sugar and freezing ideas are great as well! Thanks! Can’t wait to try it again.
RD says
Holy mother of cakes! This is the most amazing cake EVER! I baked it as a gift because Brick Street does not ship. The recipient said “its better than the original!
Allie says
Hey RD – you totally made my day. I’m so happy your cake was well received. Understatement, right? 🙂 Nothing like a little chocolate cake to lift the spirits. I might have to bake one here today, seeing as it’s Valentine’s Day and all. Thanks SO much for dropping by and I’m thrilled your cake was a success.
Katie says
It looks great – will try it today! Just a note: the ‘print recipe’ option is 3 pages long. You might want to condense it. 😉
Allie says
Hey Katie – Thanks for the feedback – I tried printing it out this morning and it’s 2 pages from my printer. So I wonder if it might have to do with printer settings? I just fill out a template when I write recipes and the recipe plug-in formats it. Unfortunately I don’t have control over font size or spacing. Hope you love the cake!
Leyanne Taylor says
I baked this last night but I only had a large 10″ cake pan so I don’t really know how it’s turned out yet. My question is though, could I substitute some of the water in the coating for Rum? And possibly make it with less sugar?
Allie says
Hi Leyanne – hope it turned out great. I bet rum would be good, haven’t tried it so I don’t know. Someone else used a different kind of alcohol and had good success, but now I can’t remember what kind of alcohol. I don’t know about the sugar, it may affect the texture and thickness of the ganache. Good luck, I hope you have great success!
Nicole says
OH. MY. CAKES! This is beyond my little black dress of cakes. Thank you so much for sharing, braving through the “convection” oven only and showing all how to cook this amazing cake. Best ever cake and made my little ones birthday dreams SO PERFECT!!
Allie says
Dear Nicole, I’m SO HAPPY you loved this cake. Thanks for dropping by to tell me. You totally made my day. XO
Dr Haleema says
Thank you for a nice must try recipe but please guide if I can use gluten free flour in it for my son with celiac disease?
plasterer bristol says
This sounds lovely. Going to give this a go. thanks for sharing this recipe.
Simon
Brenda says
I’m bad about NOT reading all directions.. I baked completely on 350 for the allotted time. No problem at all with doneness. I think I should have taken it out of the pan while it was still warm, it was hard to release and broke apart a bit. I pressed it all back together, poured the wonderful icing on top and never thought twice about it! it was wonderful as usual! Everyone loved it. Great recipe!
Allie says
Hi Brenda – I’m SO THANKFUL it all worked out. Especially since it sounds like it was for Easter dessert. Thank you so much, I’m so glad you dropped by. It always brings me joy to hear people are enjoying this cake!
Dana Halverson says
I made this cake today for my daughter’s birthday. I’m not a baker, I even had to go buy a tube pan (googled it first). I made the cake flower with ap flour and corn starch. It came out perfect. I should have taken a picture because it looked exactly like the one pictured here. The only problem it takes an awfully long time to cool. After making the whole house smell like choc cake. My family could not wait for me to ice it. So while it was still a bit warm in the middle I poured little by little the icing to let it harden a bit each time. It is so rich and chocolatey.
Allie says
Oh yay!!! Another Brick Street Chocolate Cake success story!!! You’re right Dana, it does take a long time to cool. I think it’s because it’s so rich and dense! Well I’m so glad your family loved it and you sure made my day by dropping by to tell me about it. Thank you! 🙂 (And it’s nearly midnight here and now I’m craving a piece of Brick Street cake!)
Alexandra says
I am baking it at the moment. Will let you know how it turned out. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Allie says
So how was it Alexandra? Hope it was awesome and gave you your chocolate fix. Wish I had a piece now! Thanks for dropping by.
Marlene says
Has anyone tried using banana pudding instead of chocolate?
Allie says
Not that I know of, Marlene. But I love bananas and chocolate together. Hmmmmm….would love to hear if you try it and what you think!
Alisa says
Hey there\1
I’m so so so happy I came across your site! I’ve been scouring the internet high and low for a moist, yet lightly dense chocolate cake. I’m one of those people who prefers a heavier/denser cake. It makes me feel like I’m actually eating something you know? LOL!
I do have a question regarding one of the ingredients, you mentioned “1 cup of butter” Can you specify if I can use unsalted or salted? I only have salted on hand, but I will make a trip to the grocery store and grab unsalted if needed be.
Thanks again!!
Alisa
Allie says
Hi Alisa – I hope you love this cake! I always use unsalted butter in baking, esp. if there is salt listed as an ingredient. Thanks for bringing that to my attention, I will go into the recipe later tonight when I get home and edit to say unsalted butter. Thank you – let me know how you like it!
Alisa says
Hi Allie!
Thank you for your quick response! I’ll head out today and grab some!
One more questions (I promise!)
I have granulated sugar and brown sugar on hand; can you specify which one I should use?
Thanks a million!
Allie says
Hi Alisa – you want white, granulated!
Diane says
I made this cake in 2 small angel food pans. 7″X4.5″ I weighed one of the pans to get the weight then zeroed out the pan weight and then added batter. I switched the pans back and forth on my scale to make sure I had the same amount of batter in each. I then baked them for the same as the first half of the baking time. 350° for 30 minutes. Then turned the oven down to 325° and continued baking for 30-40 minutes. I took them out after 35 minutes. They were delicious, but think I’ll take them out after 30mins next time. I thought they were a tiny bit drier than they should be. I froze one after it was cooled and wrapped very well. I love this recipe and will make it again in my two small pans. It has become my favorite chocolate cake.
Allie says
Hi Diane – So glad to hear you did this successfully and many thanks for passing on your notes! Another reader, Del, just baked this in two loaf pans. She said it came out and looked great, but she hadn’t yet tasted it. So I’m anxious to hear how that went, because this would be a nice cake to make in two loaf pans for giving or freezing easily. There’s something I really love about the density and texture of this cake. Rich and worth the splurge.:)
Diane says
Hi Allie…. Oh a loaf pan would be even easier than the small angel food pans. I liked the small loaf pans for a fancier look. But since the pan is small you have to be careful putting the batter in it. Did she bake the loaves for the same amount of time?
Diane says
opps…. liked the small angel food pans for the fanciers look, not the loaf pan.
Allie says
Right – the angel food pans make a pretty cake – but loaf pans are so easy to wrap and freeze. I was actually thinking about mailing one to my son at college that way in colder weather – maybe next fall. Freezing it first, wrapping it super well – and sending two day mail. I’ll have to try it. Ummm….let’s see, this is what Del said about baking it in two loaf pans: “Hi Allie – Yes it seems to have worked! I baked it for about 50 mins! The test will be as to how dense and moist it is! Oh I also decreased the heat after 20 mins! I like baking in loaf pans as they are easy to store – I usually freeze one or give it away!!
I will update you as to the denseness and moistness issue!!”
Obaid says
Hi Dear,
I was searching “how to make a chocolate cake?”. Recently, I’ve seen your article and read it. You’ve explained very good. I really liked it. So, keep up the good work.
Michael Brown says
Hi from Australia!
Made your cake exactly as per your recipe.
It turned out perfectly, absolutely delicious & was exactly what i was expecting!
Dense, dark, excessively chocolatey decadence.
I’m not the best baker in the world but this time i was patient, purchased the correct ingredients (no substitutes) and carefully followed the recipe including the oven temperatures.
Like a good chilli, the taste of the cake matured overnight and was much better the following day.
That’s my advice for newbies – if you can, avoid making this the same day you need it.
Thanks for your awesome recipe.
Mike ?
Allie says
Mike! You made my day. So thrilled to hear your cake was a success! Yes, we like it best next day too, preferably for breakfast! 🙂 Thanks so much for the feedback. Sorry it took me so long to respond – we were away in Romania and were in a remote part with terrible wifi. I saw your comment but wasn’t able to respond. Have a great day and happy baking!
Christopher Rohland says
I used chocolate milk instead of buttermilk, omitted the baking soda and baked 2-8″ rounds. For the frosting, I substituted 1 cup of the powdered sugar with granular sugar and added 1/4 chocolate chips. I stacked the rounds with frosting in the middle, after I chilled everything, and covered the whole thing with frosting and into the fridge. When you microwave the slices it tastes like a huge double fudge brownie. Pretty fantastic.
Allie says
Wow – sounds like a lot of changes and you pulled it off royally! Absolutely amazing. Thanks for dropping by – I loved hearing about your variation!
cakengifts.in Delhi says
It’s toooo Awesome!!! thanks for sharing this wonderful article… Important tips are given in this article for making this awesome cake.
Trish says
Hi, I followed the recipe to a “T” and I at the time it was supposed to be done it was still very “not done” so I put it on 10 min longer, then another 5, it ended up falling a bit, but we didn’t really care too much about the looks. When I let it cool a few minutes and turned it over to release it from the pan, some of it was still runny, I had to throw it back in the oven for another 15 min. Anyway, it looked like a disaster, and I’m wondering if anyone else has had this problem. I am glad to report that everyone that tried it said it was the best cake they have ever had! At least it tasted great, even if it looked terrible! lol
Allie says
Hey Trish – What a mixed review – a cake that tastes like the bomb but looks like a bomb detonated! Ouch. So sorry to hear things did not work out well for your cake. And no, I have no heard of this happening yet. It’s super hard to trouble shoot not knowing all the details and from a distance. But here goes: was your batter very thick to begin with? Just asking because it’s a super thick batter for starters. Did you use a tube cake pan with a center tube going up the middle? That center tube helps to distribute the heat in baking. Do you have any altitude issues? Sometimes baking issues happen when there are altitude issues. And lastly, do you have an oven thermometer? My oven says it is at 350° but my oven thermometer confirms it is really at 380°, so I have to adjust the temp. down. This happens more often than you’d think, and I’m just wondering because a significant degree difference either way can make a huge difference in how your cake bakes. I’m sorry it wasn’t a huge success, but glad it was still edible and enjoyed. 🙂 Many thanks for taking the time to drop by and give feedback – have an awesome weekend!
Sarah says
My daughter just spent the afternoon making this cake for her grandmother ‘s birthday. Followed the recipe to the T. Complete flop 🙁 Even though we checked it with the cake tester, after it came out it completely sunk. It was nowhere near done. Huge disappointment. 🙁
Allie says
Oh Sarah – that is hugely disappointing for everyone and I’m so sorry to hear it didn’t come out well. What a shame. I’ve made this cake many times and not had this result, so it’s frustrating news to hear on my end too. Factors that can affect a cake not baking well are altitude, an oven that isn’t calibrated correctly (I keep an oven thermometer in my oven and adjust the temp. according to the reading) or even baking in a different kind of pan. (A tube pan helps distribute the heat in the center.) So many factors affect a cake. I’m wondering why it tested done with a cake tester, but then wasn’t. Very unusual and frustrating. Again, I’m sorry to hear it wasn’t a success and thank you for your feedback.
Sarah says
Thank you for your reply. We did use a tube pan and don’t normally have trouble with baking times or temperature. We tested it several times and even gave it an extra seven minutes or so. Oh well. Certainly unfortunate as we were really looking forward to it! The batter was yummy!! By the way, my daughter is 21 years old and a very capable baker. No idea what went wrong. Thank you again for your reply – very kind.
Sarah says
This is my all time favorite chocolate cake!! I’m going to try making it in 9″ and 6″ rounds this weekend but I have to make it ahead by a few days and I’ve never had to do that. Does this cake freeze ok?! If so, should I wrap it in plastic wrap and foil and then how long do you think it would need to defrost? Or would it just be best to have it chill in the fridge for 3 days??
Thanks so much! And thank you for the amazing cake recipe!
Allie says
Hi Sarah – I’m so sorry I’m just seeing your note now, I’ve been out of town at a wedding all weekend and am just getting to my computer. This does freeze well, but it would also chill just fine in the refrigerator easily for three days. In fact, I think this cake is best the day after it is made and chilled in the refrigerator! As far as how long to defrost, I would think 2-4 hours at room temp. – if the cake is frozen separately. If already assembled, maybe a little longer? I have definitely frozen the cake, but I haven’t timed the defrosting of it. Glad you love this cake too and hope all went well!!!
Kay says
Finally! This is the cake recipe I’ve been looking for! I just had to say thank you. I’ve been skimming through chocolate cake recipes looking for something a little different as my previous cakes were just a little too airy and dry. The pudding mix and large volume of buttermilk stood out to me so I thought I’d give it a try. It has a fantastic fudgy texture. Adding to my recipe bank for sure!
Some notes from how I made it:
I used 2 8-inch pans (USA pan brand).
I used salted butter and omitted the salt.
Finally bought actual cake flour. (I didn’t want too many unnecessary variations).
Omitted chocolate chips.
I used an oven thermometer as well as my oven is 25-30 degrees cooler than it should be. I baked it at 350 for 25 minutes and then 325 for another 22 minutes. Came out perfectly baked! So springy to the touch!
Allie says
Wonderful Kay – I’m so glad to hear this cake was a hit and thank you for the the adaptations and notes – I know they’ll be helpful to many. I have those USA brand cake pans too and I love them. They’re so heavy duty and I love how my cakes bake in them. Thank so much for dropping by and have a great week!
CakenGifts.in Faridabad says
Wow!!! its watching very nice. What a wonderful cake!!! It Very nice and simple recipe that can provide me very amazing cake.
Danielle Hood says
I made this as a birthday cake for our sons nanny and it came put amazing!!! I added coconut and sliced almonds too. Sooooooo good. Best ganache ever. Thanks!
Allie says
Wow – that’s the luckiest nanny ever! (And I’ll come watch your sons any day!) 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks for dropping by Danielle!
Layla says
This cake looks amazing! Would this work for 3 9 inch pans to make a layer cake? I’m going to make peanut butter frosting to go with.. Yum!
Tiffany says
Hello, how should I cook in 12 inch wilton cake pans? Has this worked in a regular household oven? Does this recipe work okay for stacking layers and covering with fondant?
Christine says
Hi there. I made the cake and it smells great.. just wondering if I can use a Bundt pan next time. I had a little difficulty getting it out of the tube pan, which I don’t use all that much. Thanks for the recipe!
Allie says
Hi Christine – I’ve heard folks have successfully baked this in a Bundt pan, you’d just have to grease and flour it very well to make sure it would release well. Thanks for dropping by.
Angie says
I made this cake last Thanksgiving and I will be making it again this year by popular demand. I followed the recipe to a tee. I’ve gotten special requests for this cake. I’ve even given it as a gift. This cake is AMAZING in every way. I love how rich it is and it has the perfect density. This is my all time favorite chocolate cake to make. It’s so good, I don’t even want to see another chocolate cake recipe. If you want to impress, this is your recipe!
Allie says
Hi Angie – Thanks so much – great to hear from you. I’m so glad you love this cake too! I’ll be making it for several events over the upcoming holidays. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Beverly Whitley says
I made this cake and it’s wonderful. It will be my chocolate cake to make from now on!
Allie says
So glad Beverly, thanks so much for dropping by – have a wonderful Christmas!
Heather says
I couldn’t find anywhere in the recipe where it said what size pan to bake this in. Can you include that now?
Allie says
Hi Heather – I bake this Brick Street cake in a two-piece, round, metal angel food cake pan, also called a tube pan in some places. There is a hollow tube going up the center of the pan. It measures 9.5″ across at the top and 8″ across at the base and is 4.25″ high. It is by Ecko. The bottom and center hollow tube are one piece and lift up and out of the sides of the pan. Unfortunately there aren’t standard size baking pans around the world, making it difficult, but I hope this gives you a good idea. Many others have baked this in a large bundt pan as well, with good success. Happy baking!
Allie says
Hi Heather – I added this information to the post and also a picture of the baking pan I use. Happy New Year!
Amber says
About how many slices comes out of one cake? There’s going to be 10 people where I’m going. Should I make two cakes?
Allie says
Hi Amber – I’m sorry I was traveling and didn’t see your comment until today – I would def. say one cake for ten people. This cake is heavy, dense, rich, thick, etc. A little goes a long way! Enjoy.
Kapri Kirkbride says
Did I see correctly that you are in Cheyenne??? I live in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
I was going to ask if there are any changes for high altitude but I just made it w/out changes. Also, I did make mine in a bunt pan & needed to add 15 extra minutes @ 350°.
Allie says
Hi Kapri – no I don’t live in Cheyenne, I’m in Manchester, NH. You’re a long way from me! I don’t have instructions for high altitude on this cake, that would prob. be a good idea, though I’m not sure how I would test it…..might have to make a trip to Cheyenne. 🙂 Thanks for the baking tips – so appreciate it. Hope you enjoyed the cake and Happy New Year!
ANN leiseboer says
G’day Allie from a very hot Queensland.
I have been making the same chocolate cake from a recipe i have had for for over 40 years.
THAT IS until i came across your recipe for Brick Street Chocolate cake. I made you cake today in a 8 ” by 12′ deep cake tin and it has turned out HUMONGOUS. It is so easy to make and i am sure it will taste divine. Thank you for sharing. One other thing i have to say is Australia does have Chocolate Instant Pudding it is made by COTTEE”S it is made for Heinz company Australia.
Love your site Please keep the recipes coming. Regards to you from Ann L
Allie says
Hi Ann – super to hear from you, and thanks for dropping by. So it’s hot there, huh? It’s in the single digits here in NH today. Brrr…I’d take some of your heat in a heartbeat. Glad to know Australia does have chocolate instant pudding and now I know to tell others there. I’ve had quite a few questions from countries that don’t have it, including Australia, so glad to know this tidbit of information – I know it will be helpful for many. Thank you for the kind words and wishing you and your family a beautiful 2018!!!
Kathy Bresso says
Hi, I just baked this cake this afternoon and i have never tasted a chocolate cake this good. i used an angel good cake pan and baked it for the time given in the recipe and it came out marvelous. i just put on the ganache and as always, because i hate to waste anything i put on too much, but it is fabulous. i will be making this cake over and over again in the future. i bet this cake can turn my family from a cookie only family to a mix of chocolate cake and chocolate chip cookies. love, love, love
Allie says
Hey Kathy – you totally made my day! So glad it was a hit. If any cake can convert your cookie lovers into cake lovers, I think this would be it. Good luck! (And now I’m craving a slice myself!) Thanks for dropping by.
Marlene says
Oh my gosh….you first fill in the hole with ganache? Oh…just give me the hole! I am SO making this cake.
Allie says
Ha ha. YES Marlene!!! I could just eat the hole too. We have good taste you and I. Enjoy!
Michelene says
Hi there! This looks divine and I’d like to try making it. I
have a question: Can you substitute regular flour for the
cake flour? Does it make a huge difference?
Allie says
Hey Michelene – Thanks for the question. I have heard that people have made this with the regular flour and had no problems. I have not tried it myself. I know that you can make your own cake flour if you have corn starch on hand. I think it is something like 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in place of two tablespoons of the flour, per cup of flour. Here’s a link to how to do that. http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/cake-flour-substitute-87689 Good luck – I hope you love this cake!!! It is my absolute favorite cake in the world. ENJOY!!!
Christina says
Is there a vanilla version of this Brick Street Cake?
Allie says
Hi Christina – There isn’t, not yet. But I’ve always wanted to try a white cake. I’ll probably try it soon and use vanilla beans to make it extra special! So stay tuned – hoping I can get to it in the next few weeks
Tina says
Use regular unsweetened cocoa?
Allie says
Right Tina – unsweetened baking cocoa!
Sephonnie says
Oh. My. Goodness. This cake is stupid good. Lol. I ran out of cocoa, so I didn’t even get to making the frosting. I just ate the cake warm from the pan, because as it turns out, I didn’t grease it well enough, so it wasn’t pretty enough to take to a friend. Oh darn. 🙂 Holy moly. This cake is delicious, the recipe is perfect, and you are going to heaven for sure for sharing this with us! Thank you!
Allie says
Hey Sephonnie – You totally made my day!!! Thank you. I can’t imagine how much you will love this with the ganache because I think that’s the best part. You gotta try it. We just remodeled the kitchen and I promised the contractors I’d make them a Brick Street Chocolate Cake when the kitchen is finished. So we’re just waiting on back ordered cabinet doors for one more set of cabinets and then, it will be time to bake THE CAKE!!! Have a fabulous week!
Tatiana says
Allie!
I’m from Colombia (South America) .. I baked this gorgeous cake like 8 times and I’ll keep doing it for the rest of my life! Is absolutely delicious and by far, the best ever!!
I’m having some problems and it happened with the 3 last cakes.. when I take it out from the pan, the bottom is super moist and that doesn’t let me have a perfect flat “surface “… what can it be?
Allie says
Hi Tatiana – So good to hear from you. I love hearing from people from all over the world and finding we are connected by chocolate cake! 🙂 So glad you love this cake. I’m not exactly sure why the bottom of your cake is wet, especially since it wasn’t before but now it is. It’s a mystery. It could be that you are cooling it too long in the pan and the condensation is building up as it cools and causing it to stick? Another possibility could be your climate is very humid and you might want to try using a little less liquid. Maybe a few tablespoons less of buttermilk? I wish I knew and we could experiment on this in your kitchen together. Here is a link to an article that helps troubleshoot this very issue, maybe it will give you an idea. https://www.quora.com/Why-does-my-cakes-bottom-part-get-wet-after-baking-How-do-I-prevent-it Happy baking Tatiana and I’m so glad to hear from you. Please let me know if you solve the mystery! XOXO
Jenny says
This cake is OFF THE HOOK insanely delicious!!
I was intrigued by the title, and even more so after reading this blog about it, but also because I have a delicious recipe I use occasionally that is fairly similar, only it uses a cake mix. I am all in favor of ditching the boxed mix and going straight up homemade, so I found it irresistible to try this.
This recipe is basically perfection. My other one overflowed the pan a bit, but this is JUST the right amount of batter for a bundt pan. My other one always burned a bit on the edges before the middle was done, but not this one! The reduction in oven temp partway through baking is genius. All in all, I got a perfectly moist, chocolatey, delightful cake. Needless to say, my other recipe is no longer needed:)
Now, I ran out of cocoa after making the cake and didn’t feel like running to the store, so I made a butter and chocolate chip ganache which was great. But the frosting recipe here looks amazing, and I intend to try it next time I make this cake!
Allie says
Jenny – this makes me so happy! Glad you love this cake. It’s one of the best I’ve tasted and pretty easy too. You’ll chuckle at this. I made a Brick Street Cake for my eight year old Hudson this past weekend for his birthday. He has Downs and autism and a lot of hangups, some of them food-related. He refused to try even one BITE of his birthday cake. He did however love the candles. It was kind of too bad, but as my husband (who often sees the silver lining) quietly pointed out…more for the rest of us. I’m not sure if more for us is a good idea with bathing suit season on the horizon, but it was as always very delicious. Thanks for taking the time to drop by and let me know about your experience. Have a fabulous week!
Sally Bradley says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I have been dying for a Buca di Beppo chocolate cake, and this one looks very much like it. Right now it is sitting, iced, on my counter. The timer is set for 20 minutes for the icing to firm up, and then we’re eating this thing! Can’t wait.
Question for you: Since there is cream in the icing, does it need to be refrigerated? I’m guessing the frosting batter wasn’t warm enough to cook the cream by the time the cream got in there.
Thanks!
Allie says
Hi Sally – so glad you like this cake. I have one sitting on my kitchen counter right now. It was my Hudson’s 8th birthday yesterday. He has Downs and autism and lots of sensory issues. One of his many hangups is food. He wouldn’t even TRY a bite of his Brick Street birthday cake. Crazy huh? I’m sure there are folks out there that would insist on refrigerating this cake. It’s very delicious cold, especially for breakfast. (!) I can vouch for that. But we usually leave it out on the counter and have never had any issues at all. I guess it’s a preference call. Now I will have to look up the Buca di Beppo chocolate cake – I have never heard of it. So glad you dropped by, enjoy the cake!
Chenney says
OMG I just made this cake and it really was so easy. Now how am I supposed to wait until tomorrow to eat it????
Allie says
Ha ha! Did you pull it off and wait? It does make a great breakfast too. Sure hope you enjoyed it!
Michelle Summitt says
I made this in a conventional oven with a standard bundt pan. I had to bake it for 53 minutes, but it turned out well and came out of the pan nicely. I found the frosting to be a bit too thin for my liking, so I will use less water next time. Overall a good, moist cake. I will most likely make this again. Thank you so much for posting it!
Allie says
Sure thing Michelle – so glad you liked it. I need to mention in the directions for the frosting that if you let it cool a bit before pouring over the cake, it will thicken as it cools. I typically wait until the frosting is just warm before I fill the center and pour over the sides. Anyway, you may like it even thicker than that – thanks for the great feedback. I think I’ll go in and mention that in the notes. Thanks and have a super week!
ELizabeth says
I used this recipe to make 2 dozen cupcakes (actually it made 2.5 dozen, and they were pretty big), and oh my gosh, they turned out amazing. Baked at 350 F for 20-25 minutes. They were super rich, moist, and melted in your mouth. I’ve been searching for a great chocolate cupcake recipe for a while now and my search is over.
Allie says
Hey that’s awesome, thanks for all the great tips Elizabeth!!! I’ve made this into cupcakes too, and they disappear fast. So glad you dropped by, and have a great summer!
Abigail says
Thank you so much for the recipe! I have lived in Greenville for the past 5 years and am the BIGGEST Brick Street cake fan (my fave is the chocolate peanut butter, it is heavenly)!! And as an avid baker I always want to try to recreate their masterpiece. I plan to make this cake for my mother’s birthday this week but cannot decide whether to bake it as is and then split it into 2 layers or in 9in rounds. Any suggestions as to which would feed more people? Either way I plan to frost with a peanut butter buttercream or plain vanilla buttercream 😊 thanks again!
Allie says
Hey Abigail — Great to hear from you. I love their cakes too. Would love to have the recipe for that sweet potato cake for sure. The magic of this cake (to me) is how dense and rich it is, and while I haven’t baked it in two 9 inch rounds myself, I know readers here have done that successfully. I have baked this recipe into cupcakes, and it does lose a little of that dense heavy feel in the middle. There’s something about cooking it all in one layer that seems to contribute to the density. My suggestion would be to bake it as is, then cool it completely before splitting it in two to frost. Also, I would def.use an electric knife for that task. I often use dental floss to split cake layers, but with the chocolate chips in this recipe, I think the floss could get caught and it might turn into a big mess. So an electric knife is great for this task. Wishing you all the best, I hope your mom loves her birthday cake. Happy baking and would love to hear how everything turns out if you get a chance. Thanks for dropping by.
Danny says
O M G ! Absolutely amazing! I made this this evening. Instead if the usual Sunday supper I threw pizza in the oven while that was baking I whipped up this cake. It was better than supper!😂 I actually had no cake flour so I made my own ,remove 2 tbsp if flour per cup and add 2 tbsp corn starch. AND I had no buttermilk so I made my own as well . 1 tbsp vinegar per cup of milk let it sit for 15 mins or so. Came out absolutely perfect. I’m not really a baker I mean every now and then I’ll whip up something but I think I’m getting addicted. Especially when it tastes sooo good and everyone is raving about it. Thanks so much for a dependable fool proof recipe . Definitely a keeper.
Danny NL
Allie says
Hi Danny – I love this!!! I’ve used both your tricks at various times re: cake flour and buttermilk, but not sure if I’ve ever used both in the same cake, so good to know. Glad you loved it. We’re kind of partial to it around here as well.:) Have a super summer and happy baking!!! Thanks for dropping by.
Karen says
Have already baked the cake (in the tube pan you described) but have not tasted yet!! Wished there were some instructions on how long to cool in the pan before removing. Removed mine after approximately 20-25 mins and came out nicely however when I went to remove the plate part with the stem the cake started to split in half!! I quickly stopped and kind of mushed it together. I will glue together with ganache but not sure (and kind of afraid) to try and remove that part again!! Any quidance you can provide?
Kelly says
Previous comments said to remove the cake pan while cake is warm but not hot – after sitting 10-15 minutes. I just took mine out of pan after only 5 minutes and it worked well.
Kelly says
Thank you for these recipes!!! I have never been much of a fan of chocolate cake/cupcakes but that was because I never tried this one. For years, I have ho-hummed and even complained about cupcakes – which, for most people, are eaten with your hand – so I could never understand why bakeries made cupcakes so light and airy while they crumbled and fell apart when you tried to eat them. This is EXACTLY how I have imagined the perfect chocolate cupcake. I borrowed a friend’s tube pan to make this tonight. It is cooling now and will be shared tomorrow at the office, after being topped with my Nan’s pudding icing (less sweet yet heavenly). The pan was dark non-stick so I baked the cake at 325 to start and after the 30 minutes, lowered the temp to between 300-325. It cooked another 50 minutes or so. But I was concerned the dark metal would overcook the cake. So far it looks and smells amazing.
I could have baked it yesterday however I took the time to read a LOT of comments in order to really understand what to do as a first-time baker of this recipe. I had no cake flour but followed the recommendation of another commentor to use plain AP flour mixed with corn starch. I was confident at every stage of making this and this recipe will be saved and re-made many times (along with the edited version for cupcakes, duh!)
Thank you for putting the time and energy into re-creating this for the public.
Allie says
Hi Kelly – You’re so welcome, and I’m so glad you found this recipe. Thanks for all your great tips and I hope everyone at work loves it. Side note: I’d LOVE your Nan’s pudding icing recipe if you’re in a sharing mood.:) It sounds HEAVENLY! Happy baking, and thanks so much for dropping by!
Kelly says
Everyone enjoyed the cake and were super happy that I did not use the original ganache. This cake was so rich, the ganache would have been overboard I think.
And I’m sure my Nan’s pudding icing is a common one although there are variations in the way it is made. My Nan made an instant pudding mix (any flavour) using 1/2 the amount of milk called for in the original recipe. Then she made Dream Whip topping, also using half the amount of milk in the recipe. And then she folded the two together (you can also use mixer on low speed). The lesser milk in both mixes means the finished consistency is thick enough to stay on the cake and not droop or slide down. It was even thick enough to make us Barbie cakes when we were girls. She made a bundt cake, placed a naked Barbie in the centre hole then “iced” the whole cake and Barbie’s bodice using the pudding frosting in a piping bag with star tip. Barbie always had the most splendid strapless formal gowns you could imagine! I prefer real whipping cream whipped, in place of the Dream Whip. Even Cool Whip Topping mixed with thick pudding works.
I would have included a pic but there is no upload feature.
Jennifer says
Been looking for a dense chocolate cake that can stand up to carving and so glad I ran across this. I ended up splitting the batter between 2 6inch rounds and 1 small half sphere pan (Using it to stack and make a caldron cake.) Baked them 15min at 350F and 35min at 325. Came out perfect!
Allie says
Stands up to CARVING!!!! Never had anyone describe this cake quite that way, but what a fitting description…. I’m so happy everything turned out perfectly for you. Jennifer, thanks so much for dropping by!
Lisa says
Just wanted to say that I tried this and it was absolutely delicious. I did make my own cake flour by subbing 2 tbsp cornstarch for every cup of all purpose and it was perfect. I did make cupcakes and it yielded 12 jumbo size, which would probably have given me 24 standard size cupcakes. I really dismt need to adjust cooking time all that much, but found that rotating half way through helped them all cook at the same time. Definitely a keeper!!!
Allie says
Oh, I’m so glad you liked this cake Lisa. I’ve had to substitute with making my own cake flour on the occasion when I just have to have a slice and there is no cake flour in the pantry. It’s a pretty simple substitution. Thank you so much for dropping by, super to hear from you.
BEv says
Thanks fir the cake. I am a fellow baker and part time business baker. I made the cake for a birthday celebration yesterday. I omitted the chocolate chips and I was right it was sweet enough without them. When making the icing I cut the icing sugar back 1/2 cup and added a bit more whipping cream as it was dry to the mix. Cake was dense but yet perfect in texture.
Nadir says
I decided to try out this cake by making it as a Christmas dessert. You need a very large mixing bowl as all the flour and cocoa and such plus with all the egg and butter will be almost twice a normal cake batter recipe. It turned out perfect and the Icing was purely magic. I did add a bit more cream towards the end.. About a 1/4 cup for the Icing. The Guests were amazed. Along with my freshly made Artisan bread and Prime Rib, the cake topped the night!
Allie says
Wow – sounds like an all around fabulous meal Nadir. Wish I had tasted that prime rib and your fresh artisan bread. What a great meal, and with the Brick Street Cake as dessert….incredible. I’m so glad it was a big success! Happy, happy New Year and so glad you dropped by.
Erin says
I don’t know what I did wrong, my icing would NOT set. I ended up with thick chocolate syrup. Any tips?
Allie says
Oh no – I hate to hear that Erin. I’m not sure since I wasn’t there to see what may have happened. Could have been a wrong measurement or some kind of weird fluke. I usually let this thicken up some by cooling a bit before I pour over the cake… it’s usually thick and still warm (but not hot) when I fill the middle, then pour over the rest of the cake. If I were you, I might add more powdered sugar to try to thicken it up. I’m so sorry it didn’t come out for you and wish I had been a fly on the wall to see what might have happened to cause it to be so thin….:(
Acruz says
If I were to bake this cake in mini-angel food or mini-bundt pan, how would I adjust the cooking time?
Allie says
I’ve never done that Acruz, so I can’t tell you for sure. If it were me, I’d be watching very closely through my oven window and check at maybe the twenty minute mark or twenty-five minute mark, or whenever I think they might look done. I’m guessing you would be using multiple mini pans, as this is a big recipe. Timing would depend on the volume of your pans, how many pans, how they are placed in your oven, etc. I suggest placing them all on the same rack in the middle of your oven for the most even baking. I hope you’re able to get an excellent result with these few tips, please comment back here and let everyone know what you did and how it came out, I know it would be helpful to many. Thanks so much for dropping by and happy baking!
Rae says
This is like a death by chocolate cake lol 😂 very good. Very moist. Shared it with my mom and she said it’s the best cake she ever had.
Allie says
Hey Rae – that makes me super happy. I made it here this past week for a school group I had here for one of my boys. They all liked it! So glad you and your mom did too. Thanks so much for dropping by.
Susie says
Omg! I have had this recipe saved to Pinterest for a long time and finally made it. Now I’m mad at myself for waiting! This is amazingly delicious!! My only suggestion is to make sure you have a big glass of ice cold milk 🙂
Allie says
Oh you’re funny Susie. I’m SO glad you finally made it and now hopefully you’ll make and enjoy it many more times. Yes, the milk is a requirement!!! Thanks so much for dropping by.
Brook Lowther says
I love it! Thank you. We lived in Greenville for several years and this was one of our favorite places. One thing from Brick Street that I particularly miss are the Love Muffins. If you can come up with a copycat for that, I would be in heaven 😉
Thanks again!
Allie says
Love Muffins, eh? I’ll have to do some research and see what I come up with Brook. I’d love the recipe for love muffins and their sweet potato cake recipe. I’ve heard such wonderful things about that sweet potato cake. Thanks so much for dropping by!
Jena says
This is now my go to chocolate cake! I absolutely love it and so does everyone else that tried it.
Jarett says
Allie
Have you ever done this recipe as a cupcake?
Jarrett says
Allie
Sorry bout my previous post. I meant have you ever done this in a shallow pan for like a brownie effect?
Allie says
No I haven’t, sounds like an interesting variation, but I’ve definitely done cupcakes with excellent results!
Valette Hamilton says
The denseness of this cake is exactly what I was looking for, dense and moist, but not overly moist, just perfect. However, for me, it is too dark chocolate. I will make this recipe again just use less cocoa, it will be perfect for us then. However, my husband is loving it. Also, the frosting is too dark for us, so less cocoa there as well. I tried pouring the frosting into the “hole” but it would have had to sit overnight to harden. So I scooped it out and just added some to each slice and that worked great. I made this in a bundt pan and it came out wonderfully.
Melissa Burgess says
DO you use Dutch Cocoa or Natural? I notice the recipe calls for baking Soda, but then also buttermilk. So I’m not sure how that affects acidity. Thanks!
Tonya Turbville says
Yummy! I made this in 2 9-inch round pans at 350 for 30 minutes, and the toothpicks came out done. There was no overflow with these pans. I could have probably cooked it adequately for 25 minutes. Still moist, though. I did use regular flour because I had no cake flour, and I used vanilla pudding mix because I had some on hand. I also used powdered buttermilk with water.
I melted my butter for the ganache in the microwave, added to hot water, etc, rather than cooking on the stovetop. Turned out perfectly wonderful! Rich and decadent. I will save this recipe as one of my favorite home-made chocolate cakes! Thank you!
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Katiana says
This cake was amazingly delicious!!! Thank you for this recipe !! 😋😋
Allie says
Wonderful, so glad you enjoyed it Katiana, thanks for letting me know.
V says
I just made this recipe and it was a success. My husband said it was the best chocolate cake he’s ever had. I baked it with the recommended pan (2-piece angel food cake pan 4.12 x 9.94 x 9.94 Inches – $9 at Walmart). It dripped a little from the bottom of the pan in the beginning, not sure why. The mess in the oven wasn’t too bad and didn’t affect the overall result. I grease with butter and sugar. I used Dutch processed cocoa. I’m a beginner baker so I wasn’t sure if I should’ve just added the eggs or beat them separately, so I decided to add the egg whites stiff at the end. It turned out dense and fluffy at the same time.
I am at sea level and baked 30 minutes at 350*F and about 45 minutes more at 325*F. It cooked throughout.
I was feeling super successful until the last step when I found out my heavy cream had gone bad, so I made a judgement call and just replaced it with buttermilk and it turned out okay. The cake is delicious, it could definitely have gone without the icing or maybe just half recipe.
My plate was too small, so it made a bit of mess when I cut it, but it was just an excuse to lick the fingers.
I definitely recommend this recipe to anyone. Will do it again.
Dawn Summers says
This is my go to chocolate cake for get togethers, gifts for new neighbors. Make people feel important cake. It has NEVER EVER failed to impress. Can’t recommend highly enough if you want a fool proof cake. Be well
Kathleen A. Flynn-Kasuba says
May this cake be made with Gluten free flour?
Heidi says
I know I may not get a reply but I am trying to make my first 3d cake and of course my son wants chocolate! Does anyone know if this would be a good batter for one? Or if not does anyone have a good recipe that would work? Thanks!
Susan says
This is the best chocolate cake I have ever eaten!
Allie says
That’s awesome, thank you for dropping by, Susan. We had it here for Mother’s Day. It’s our favorite chocolate cake!
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Edward Parr says
This cake is delicious, even as a sugar-free variation! I’ve made it twice now, with a few sugar-free tweaks, and I’m making it again today with one more tweak. The tweaks I used previously (and today) is that I use stevia blend for baking instead of sugar (1 cup stevia = 2 cups sugar) as well as sugar-free chocolate chips and pudding mix. I did find the icing a bit too sweet for my liking (using stevia confectioner’s blend) and so today I am going to try using 2 cups instead of 3-1/3 cups.
One other note: when clicking on today, I was redirected to a “prize” website telling me I was a 5 billionth viewer and as such I was entitled to a prize. I was leery, but clicked on anyway (I’ve got pretty good protection software). I was then redirected to a blank page and so I was unable to claim the prize (it showed a $1000 Amazon gift card). I’m not sure if maybe that was a scam and that this website has been hacked…
Theresa Mckay says
Hi
I have made this cake 3 times in an attempt to get it right. It takes almost 2 hours to cook before the tester comes out clean and the outside is crisp but the centre is soft. Can you think of anything I may be doing wrong?
Allie says
Hmmm… maybe get an oven thermometer and check your oven temperature? Also be sure to use a cake pan that has a central tube going up the middle. That helps to distribute the heat and cook it evenly. Happy Baking!