Chocolate Cake perfect for Carving – The Best Sculpting Cake Recipe
Chocolate Cake Perfect for Carving – The Best Sculpting Cake Recipe
One of the most important things necessary to sculpt a novelty cake is a perfect base. A cake that can be cut and manipulated without falling apart. A cake with soft crumb and yet taste delicious. This chocolate cake perfect for carving will prove the best sculpting cake recipe for you.
Chocolate Cake Perfect for carving Novelty Cakes
When you ask a person how they like their cake, almost everyone will say rich and moist. But carving a rich and moist cake is definitely difficult and not recommended for novelty cakes and a cake not rich and moist is definitely not desirable. So…..MUST to find the right balance. I think I did. This is the best sculpting cake recipe you will love.
A Chocolate Cake Perfect for Carving Novelty Cakes The best sculpting cake recipe
About this cake
I have been using this Chocolate Cake perfect for carving recipe – for a long time now and carved many cakes very successfully. It’s not as dense as a pound or sponge cake but not as delicate as a rich moist cake.
I strongly recommended that you freeze the cake for an hour at least before you carve it. Freezing the cake helps with less crumbs. So while I say this is dense it’s also rich and delicious. Some of the cake I’ve made with this recipe have had rave reviews from my customers.
Chocolate Cake perfect for carving The best sculpting cake recipe
How much cake do I need ?
One of the most common question I get is how much cake do I need? When it comes to Novelty cake it’s difficult for me to say you need two of these for a car cake. Why? because it depends on the size of your car template. So this cake serves 15 to 20 people and it can be double and more successfully. So if you choose to make a cake for 60 then you’d multiply the recipe times 3 and follow the same method as below.
Chocolate Cake perfect for carving – The Best Sculpting Cake Recipe
Chocolate Cake perfect for carving or The Best Sculpting Cake Recipe
Tools
- Mixer – Hand Mixer / Kitchen Aid / K-MIx
- Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Oven
Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter – 228 grams (2 sticks)
- Light or Dark Brown Sugar – 200 grams (1 cup)
- All Purpose Flour / Plain Four – 220 grams (2 cups)
- Salt – 1/4 tsp
- Cocoa Powder – 60 grams (1/2 cup)
- Baking Powder – 1 1/2 tsp
- Prepared Coffee 1/4 cup (liquid)
- Buttermilk – 150 ml (make homemade buttermilk in 5 mins here’s how)
- Eggs – 4 large
- Vanilla – 2 tsp
Method :
- Preheat your oven to 160 C / 320 F.
- Grease and line the baking pans you pan to use for your novelty cake.
- Have all your ingredients ready at room temperature.
- Sift dry ingredients – flour, salt, cocoa powder and baking powder.
- Cream soft room temperature butter,sugar and eggs until light and fluffy.
- Add the flour mixture followed by the Buttermilk and coffee in three batches.
- Lastly add vanilla and give it one more mix.
- You batter is ready.
- Pour into your baking pan/pans and baked for about 30 to 40 minutes until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- If using two pans the baking time will be reduced – you can check at about 25 mins
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes invert on to an oven rack to cool completely.
- Once cooled wrap in two cling wraps, followed by aluminum foil.
- Place in the freezer for at least one hour before you carve into it.
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Chocolate Cake perfect for carving – The Best Sculpting Cake Recipe
Progress Pictures – Chocolate Cake Perfect for Carving – The Best Sculpting Cake Recipe
Chocolate Cake Perfect for Carving – The Best Sculpting Cake Recipe
Recipe Card – Chocolate Cake Perfect for Carving – The Best Sculpting Cake Recipe
Chocolate Cake Perfect for Carving The BEST Sculpting Cake Recipe
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 20 servings
One of the most important things necessary to sculpt a novelty cake is a perfect base. A cake that can be cut and manipulated without falling apart. A cake with soft crumb and yet taste delicious. This chocolate cake perfect for carving will prove the best sculpting cake recipe for you.
Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter - 228 grams (2 sticks)
- Light or Dark Brown Sugar - 200 grams (1 cup)
- All Purpose Flour / Plain Four - 220 grams (2 cups)
- Salt - 1/4 tsp
- Cocoa Powder - 60 grams (1/2 cup)
- Baking Powder - 1 1/2 tsp
- Coffee 1/4 cup
- Buttermilk - 150 ml (make homemade buttermilk in 5 mins here's how)
- Eggs - 4 large
- Vanilla - 2 tsp
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 160 C / 320 F.
- Grease and line the baking pans you pan to use for your novelty cake.
- Have all your ingredients ready at room temperature.
- Sift dry ingredients - flour, salt, cocoa powder and baking powder.
- Cream soft room temperature butter,sugar and eggs until light and fluffy.
- Add the flour mixture followed by the Buttermilk and coffee in three batches.
- Lastly add vanilla and give it one more mix.
- You batter is ready.
- Pour into your baking pan/pans and baked for about 30 to 40 minutes until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- If using two pans the baking time will be reduced - you can check at about 25 mins
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes invert on to an oven rack to cool completely.
- Once cooled wrap in two cling wraps, followed by aluminum foil.
- Place in the freezer for at least one hour before you carve into it.
Notes
This recipe can be double as many times successfully.
Courses Dessert
Cuisine American
I wish you could see how soft and moist this cake is.
I made this in a couple small pans for my sons cake and had no issue carving it (aside from the fact that they were very small due to my cake vision). As per someones comment many years ago mine also came out a bit dense like a brownie, but that’s all well and good with us because we love those too! I’m planning on placing it on top of a bigger round chocolate cake, so the contrast will be nice as well. Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Thank you Heather. Happy to hear that you enjoyed it and all worked well. If you bake it in smaller pans you must reduce cooking time considerable. Yes it is dense and actually meant to be used for Novelty cakes which usually use ganache. This cake with ganache is very delicious.
Just wanted to say thanks for posting this. Had my first foray into cake carving making a Lamborghini cake for my son’s birthday over the weekend and could not have done it without your recipe! The cake flattened a little more than I expected, but with two stacked together it still worked well for the car.
Thank you so much Jill. So happy to hear you say that.Yes it does bake flat mostly which is a good thing so you don’t loose much on the dome. I made this myself three times this week for novelty cakes.
Hi Veena,
I have read the recipe over and over again and I can’t find the step where you add the eggs. I’m assuming it’s after creamjng the butter and sugar, right?
Anyway, I just made the recipe and adde the eggs like I said, let’s see how it works!! ?
Best from Chile!
I usually add the butter sugar and eggs at the same time.. as in the progress pictures. I think I skipped the word eggs which I have just added. Thanks for bringing that to my notice.
Sorry if I missed this somewhere… but I need to make 1/2 a sheet cake. Is this the same amount as the recipe?
you can bake this in any size pan you need. Yes a half sheet pan works too.. This recipe serves 20 you can adjust the recipe accordingly. Thanks
thank you! another question: is the coffee just the powder or liquid?
Liquid Thanks
Please advise on how many times I would need to multiply the recipe to serve 60 party servings.
This sheet cake should be about 24 servings so you will need at least three.
Hi Veena,
I need a recipe for a cupcake bouquet. The recipe I used before was too fluffy and the cupcakes barely held up. Do you think this would work as cupcakes? 1/2 full with a 22-25 min bake time?
Any recipes that does not need the eggs to be whisked up will work for the cupcake bouquet. These will work for sure but may be a bit dense too
Hi. I’m planning on making a harry potter sorting cake hat and I think this recipe will be perfect! Just wondered what cake flour is? Can I use normal plain or self raising flour?
Yes you can use normal flour. Look for my post on flour and substitutes to see what cake flour is.
Hi Veena I have tried many recipes but this one is a killer . I have lost count of the number of times I baked this one And the wows I get for the texture and taste all credit goes to u for coming up with this wow recipe . Was just wondering do U think I can make this one as a vanilla cake by replacing the cocoa powder with flour and coffee for water ????You truly have been a blessing to me . Stay blessed
Thank you Anu. So happy to hear such a lovely comment. THank you !!
I think it should work the vanilla way too
I swear this recipe saved me biiiggg time. Thanks loads. Carved well and ingredients were axcurate to get good cake. This and butter cream made a mean cake to carve!! Whewww!!
Ah glad to hear that. Thanks hun <3
Hi,
If I want to carve this cake, do I freeze it? And if yes, when? Do i let it completely cool off and then freeze it (and for how long) and then take it out and immediately carve?
Thank you!
Cool it completely, then freeze for an hour or two before you carve. This will make carving easier.
I went to buy the ingredients to make this cake and at the store I found bleached and unbleached flour I was not sure which one to get
Both work as long as they are cake flour. Bleached flour contains chemicals added when processing so the final product is more superior in texture and color.
Thank you for your reply. What kind of cake flour did you use? I just discovered your blog and i love it. I have so much more to explore! I enjoy making cakes and im making my first cake that im getting paid for next month. They want chocolate and i need to make a taller square shape. Ive been struggling with my cakes falling apart and that cant happen if im getting paid so i plan on testing this recipie friday!
I’m making cakes for a birthday party and we want one white or yellow cake and a chocolate is it possible le just to eliminate the cocoa powder? I made the chocolate one and it was amazing!!
I have not tried it but may work. Why not choose a tried and tested vanilla cake instead
HI CAN I JUST USE MARGARINE INSTEAD OF BUTTER. IS THAT THE SAME THING? THANKS FOR QUICK REPLY
Technically you can – margarine has more water content so the texture will be a bit different – and of course butter vs margarine in terms of taste
Hi Veena this is my first go at making your chocolate cake. I have read and re read your recipe and I can’t see anything that says how much lemon juice to add to the buttermilk? Thanks Dawn
HI Dawn. Thank you for bringing this to my attention- I think a whole sentence got deleted when I did copy and paste for the recipe in the recipe software. I have added the sentence so it should make sense now. Thanks and my apologies. I do hope you enjoy your recipe.
Hi Veena!!
I’m desperately looking for a recipe of a chocolate cake that fits on a 11×16 inches (or so. Actually 40×30 cm) for sculpting.
This whole recipe would fit? Or should I prepare one and a half??
You’ll be really kind helping me, because your recipe looks delicius!!
Thank you in advance! 🙂
You can double or triple this recipe and it works fine.!! This is good for carving. I have two other sheet cakes recipe on here you can make more than one recipe too!
Hello Veena, when do you add the coffee mixture?
Honey it’s says add the flour, milk and coffee in three batches..
Thank you ill make some more. Thank you for replying so quickly
Hi I have made the cake on Monday and haven’t had space to freeze would it last until Saturday. And ill freeze for an hour or so before carving. It has been wrapped im tinfoil.
Wow Monday to Saturday out of the fridge is a long time.. I usually give most of my cakes 5 to 8 days shelf life if stored properly.
I store well in the fridge to keep fresh.
Is the coffee instant or brewed?
Instant
Is this cake suitable for ball shaped cakes. If not pls…. Share me a recipe
Yes it will be great for a ball shaped cake
Thanx a lot…..
Hi Veena Sherrine just wanted to say thank you for sharing your recipe I made my practise cake the other day to carve and it was amazing and tasty thank you defo recommend this site .
Great – Thank you so much
What is cake flour is it plain flour or self rising flour
Look under Tip Thursday for the different types of flours post. Thanks
Hi there I would like to try out this recipe but don’t like coffee do I have to put coffee hope to hear from you soon
No you can omit the coffee!
is this american measurements?
Hey Veena I think the cake is too sweet. Will putting more sugar in it affect the recipe?
Hello Veena, Thanks for always sharing. Tried out this recipe and it came out really good. This is the first time i am trying your recipes and i can't tell you how pleased i was with the results. thanks a lot.
Hi Veena…….u said in ur FAQ that u douche all ur cakes with simple syrup,does it mean including the chocolate cakes too?Thank u.
Heyy i was just wondering can i use regular white Sugar instead of brown sugar?
Yes you can use white sugar instead of Brown sugar but the texture might be a bit crusty.
Hi veena. That's for all your tips and tricks! I was wondering if u thaw the cake completely before carving? Thanks! 🙂
Sorry for the delay in replying. No I carve it semi frozen. so that way I do not loose too much cake..
Hi! Am I just having a moment or does the method not say when to add the coffee mixture.
By the way – I love this page!!
Jo x
ok i have made this cake twice now, once for a test cake and now for the real deal, both times i got something totally different, flavour is great but it tastes like a chocolate mouse before baking and a really dense brownie after it is cooked…am i beating the egg butter, sugar mixture to long? I am doing it in a food processor. The first time the cake rose a little bit and flattened itself out
Hi Sarah, Sorry the cake didn't turn out right the second time. This is actually a very simple cake to make. I do have a cake mixer but have done it by hand with a bowl and whisk many times.
So it's not the food processor.
Looks like the second time you had a bit extra flour. Are you using weight measurements or cup. A cup of APF contains 130 grams of flour while cake flour
Really exotic,rich and an amazing recipe.For a smaller 6 inch cake do we half the recipe.
Yes Shalu, You will have to half the recipe for a 6 inch cake.
Thanks
Veena