How to Get the Best Flavor From Your Chocolate Cake

Baking can be a science. Ingredients need to be measured exactly, and baking conditions and times really matter. Sometimes, though, a good substitution can make all the difference.

When you’re baking a chocolate cake, coffee is the perfect additional ingredient to make your dessert taste even more delicious.

Jerrelle Guy, James Beard Award nominee and author of Black Girl Baking, explained that adding coffee makes the chocolate flavor bolder, but you won’t have to worry about it making your dessert taste like coffee either. As for when to add it, you’ll replace one of the final steps with coffee.

Usually, you’ll pour boiling water into your batter before the cake goes into the oven. The water helps thin out the batter and activates the leaveners. Guy said, though, that water has an overall bland flavor, and while it won’t tank your chocolate cake’s flavor to use it, coffee is the better option. Unlike water, coffee brings out cocoa, but there are some things to keep in mind. Guy said to choose a coffee that’s more robust and well-rounded and that instant use coffee is off-limits.

The next time you’ve got a special occasion or just have a massive chocolate craving, don’t forget to grab the coffee for your chocolate cake.

[Via The Kitchn]