Chocolate cake is the most baked cake in Norway. The reason might be that it’s easy to put together, using ingredients everyone most likely have in their cabinet already.
Recipes vary, and there are countless versions with different fillings or ingredients, like chopped chocolate, nuts, jam etc. Some choose to glaze their cake, while others just keep it simple and eat it plain, almost like a mix between a cake and a cookie. A lot of times Norwegians choose to bake their cake in a 13X9 inch pan, called a “langpanne” in Norwegian – and the cake is cut into squares, and sometimes topped with a chocolate glaze and coconut flakes (one of my favorites!). This is also easier when baking for kids, as it’s easier to hold on to and less messy.
Regardless of what recipe you choose to do, it is hard to go wrong when deciding to serve a chocolate cake to your guests. Most everyone I know, lights up when they see chocolate, and the dark chocolate in this cake also has some health benefits (ok, that’s a long stretch, I know – but who needs excuses to sink your teeth into this one??)
What makes this cake just a tad more delicious than the average chocolate cake, is the addition of the typical Norwegian vanilla sugar; a vanilla flavored, powdery confectioners sugar that just makes all baked goods so much tastier than when using the more artificially tasting vanilla extract.
The second ingredient in this cake is the slight touch of cinnamon which I think goes really well with dark chocolate. If you are not crazy about cinnamon (like us Norwegians), you can of course choose to leave this out of your batter.
I personally find that the glaze is what completes the cake, and while it doesn’t have to be super decadent, it has to be smooth and have the right consistency. This one is incredibly easy to work with.
Play around with different versions—and try my vegan version below that produces a rich, juicy cake, you will be amazed that the recipe does not contain any dairy or eggs! 🙂
JUICY CHOCOLATE CAKE
2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla sugar (or vanilla extract)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tablespoons freshly brewed, strong, black coffee
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 cups hot water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Glaze:
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 stick vegan butter (about 100 grams)
2 tbsp freshly brewed, black, strong coffee
1 tbsp soy milk (optional)
about 2 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Grease a springform or 13 x 9-inch baking pan with a little oil and coat with a little flour. Set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla sugar, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda. Combine well and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the coffee, brown sugar, water, and oil. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk quickly until a smooth batter forms. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan and bake in the middle of oven for 25-30 minutes until a cake tester comes out clear.
Cool the cake on a wire rack while you prepare the glaze.
In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and butter.
Add in the optional soy milk if needed, and whisk in the confectioners sugar until a smooth glaze forms. Spread the glaze evenly over the top and sides of the chilled cake.
Keep chilled or in a cool spot until ready to serve.
Optional: You can divide the cake in two and double the glaze recipe and add in chocolate creme in the middle too for an extra, decadent cake!
What is vegan butter?
Hi Lois, you can use margarine – that is made from oil, and not milk solids 🙂
A heavenly divine creation & what a great & tasty chocolade cake! I love it too! I would top the top with fresh raspberries or so! 😉 Yummm! I will make this today! x
Thank you, sweet Sophie! Let me know how it comes out – and I bet it’s delicious with fresh raspberries or any berries for that matter! 🙂
Two questions: Soy milk is mentioned in the directions, but not in the list of ingredients; do we use just what’s needed to get the right consistency? Also, does the recipe work just as well using butter and regular, skim milk?
Hi Gail, Thanks for stopping by my blog! You are correct, the soy milk is just needed if you feel the glaze is too thick/to get it to the right consistency. I will go in and correct this and make it clearer – sorry for the confusion! And yes, of course you are free to use butter and regular milk if that is your preference. Hope that answers your questions! Thanks again! 🙂
Hi again! I take it in norwegian: Denne kaken så fantastisk ut!! Som sagt er jeg en elendig kokk, men denne tror jeg at til og med jeg kan greie å lage! 🙂 Hvor mange dl tilsvarer 1 cup? Og hvor mange grader celcius steker man den på? Barna mine kommer til å elske den!! 🙂 Hilsen Lise Brændeland
Hei Lise! Saa hyggelig aa hoere fra deg! 1 cup tilsvarer 5 dl, og du kan steke kaken paa 175 grader. 25 minutter er helt sikkert nok, jeg liker den mer paa den fuktige siden. Dette er en utrolig enkel kake sa jeg tror nok du klarer det 🙂 Meld gjerne fra naar du har proevd!!
Tusen takk! Det skal jeg gjøre! 🙂 Må bare komme hjem fra plattformen i Nordsjøen først! 😉
Oh wow, jobber du i Nordsjoen, Lise? Saa spennende! Lykke til og god tur hjem naar den tiden kommer!!
Hei! Da er jeg kommet hjem fra Nordsjøen ( jobber på en oljeplattform som sykepleier) og skal nå ut for å handle ingrediensene til kaken. Så lurer jeg på: hva er baking soda? Og er granulated sugar det samme som vanlig hvitt sukker? Og confectioners sugar, er det det samme som melis? Og ” one cup dark chokolate chips”, hva slags sjokolade er dette? Og hvor mange gram tilsvarer det? Beklager alle spørsmålene!!! :p Hilsen Lise
Hei Lise! Baking soda er det samme som natron. Du er korrekt at granulated sugar er det samme som vanlig hvitt sukker, og confectioners sugar er melis 🙂 Naar det gjelder dark chocolate chips, sa kan du bruke moerk sjokolade (jeg liker helst minst 65% kakao) – jeg spiser ikke melkesjokolade da jeg er veganer, men du kan velge hvilke som helst sjokolade du liker, men jeg synest moerk er best og gir mest intens smak. 1 cup = ca 250 gram. Haaper det hjelper! lykke til!! 🙂