The Silver Palate’s Chocolate Cake

Recipe from "The Silver Palate Cookbook"

Adapted by Christine Muhlke

Updated May 9, 2019

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1 hour 15 minutes
Rating
5(3,219)
Comments
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This recipe is adapted from “The Silver Palate Cookbook,” written by Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso, who through their store in Manhattan, the Silver Palate, introduced bisteeya and poppy-seed dressing to the Upper West Side. For many, their cookbook, originally published in 1982, was a book of revelations: even if you hadn’t mastered the art of French cooking, a meal of chicken Marbella and an indulgent dessert, cooked with confidence, was not beyond your grasp. Enter this decadent chocolate cake, whose title belies its incredible simplicity. The ingredients take hardly any time to whip together, and it bakes in a tube pan for under an hour. Gild it with a gooey chocolate frosting, and feed it to those you love with good cheer. —Christine Muhlke

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Ingredients

Yield:12 servings

FOR THE CAKE

  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing pan

  • 1 ¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for flouring the pan

  • 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 2 cups sugar

  • 2 eggs, separated

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • ½ cup sour cream

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

FOR THE FROSTING

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips

  • 6 tablespoons heavy cream

  • 1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)

66 grams carbs; 66 milligrams cholesterol; 472 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 22 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 156 milligrams sodium; 5 grams protein; 48 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

  2. Step 2

    Cut the chocolate and butter into small pieces and place in a large bowl. Pour 1 cup boiling water over them; let stand until melted. Stir in the vanilla and sugar, then whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time.

  3. Step 3

    In a small bowl, mix the baking soda and sour cream and whisk into the chocolate mixture. Sift the flour and baking powder and add to the batter, mixing thoroughly.

  4. Step 4

    Beat the egg whites until stiff but not too dry. Stir a quarter of the egg whites thoroughly into the batter. Gently fold in the remaining whites.

  5. Step 5

    Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Set on the center rack of the oven and bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, unmold and cool completely before frosting.

  6. Step 6

    To make the frosting: Place all the ingredients in a heavy saucepan over low heat and whisk until smooth. Spread on the cake while the frosting is still warm.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
3,219 user ratings
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Comments

Mark

If you like chocolate (and if not, you're probably reading another recipe), add 3T unsweetened cocoa powder to cake batter along with chocolate and butter before the boiling water. Add 2T cocoa to frosting recipe, and pull back 25% or so on sugar. Bake time is a bit optimistic -- at least 50, maybe 55 mins. Allow cake to cool completely WITHOUT draping it in plastic wrap to avoid surface sogginess (oops).
P.S.: I used salted butter in cake and thought it essential.

Lorna

I've been making this cake since 1987 and have always used a 10 inch springform pan. No problem with baking time and easy removal. And it looks quite elegant, either frosted or dusted with confectioner's sugar.

Carol Arnold

I made this cake for Thanksgiving and it was a huge hit. I let it cool for an hour before I removed it from the pan. I made it again this week (for a party) and let it cool for 10 minutes like the recipe states, and it fell apart when I removed it from the pan. I took the pieces, made a layer of them in a big glass bowl, put on a layer of sweetened whipped cream flavored with kahlua, repeated the layers and topped the whole thing with shaved chocolate. Everyone loved it!

greekmamacook

The Silver Palate was the first cookbook I ever received as a Christmas present from my brother over 40 years ago . My edition is bound together lovingly with rubber bands . GREAT CAKE ! Subbed 2% Fage strained Greek yogurt , used 4 oz of chocolate, and weak coffee instead of water . Baked in a Bundt pan . Don’t skip the frosting ! Leftovers , (which you won’t have , but sometimes I steal a slice or two to keep for later) freeze perfectly. Thaw at room temp .

Me

Someone in the comments mentioned they used a spring form pan so I did as well.. this was not ideal, the edges finished cooking around 40min, the center was still slightly undercooked. I pulled it out at one point to not over cook the edges and the center collapsed. If doing this, I would advise covering your edges with foil at some point… or just use the pan originally suggested for the recipe.

carol s.

Seconding all the cocoa additions. But there’s no salt and this cake suffers for its absence.

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Credits

Adapted from "The Silver Palate Cookbook"

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