Sue B's Chocolate Cake

Oh my goodness, it's my cake recipe! I'm so happy to see all these reviews, and so happy so many people are enjoying it. I developed this recipe years ago for a woman (Sue B.) on the old Fine Cooking discussion boards. She had a recipe she kind of liked, but it had problems. I took it and reworked it for her, thus, Sue B.'s Chocolate Cake.

Not quite as chocolatey as I expected, but a fantastic chocolate cake! Next time I'll throw in some mini choco chips (just me though) My Fiance requested a 1 layer square chocolate cake for his friend's "leaving for a new job" lunch. So I made this in a 13x9, and baked about 40 minutes -perfecto! Frosted with chocolate whipped cream frosting (tastes like ice cream with your cake) He came home and actually used the word "phenomenal"!! His boss tried to steal the left overs and sneak home lol But I managed to get a piece. Used strong coffee for the water - that was my only alteration. For those who said the batter is thin - it's normal. I make several cupcake recipes this consistency. I had no troubles with rising and falling. All went great!

When I asked DH what he would like for desert for Thanksgiving, he told me that if he could have anything he wanted it would be a sour-milk chocolate cake like his mother used to make. After 36 years of marriage, this is the first time he has ever mentioned his mother's cake. This recipe was in answer to a request I posted. The cake was so very easy to make that I was surprised by the result. A lovely dark chocolate color with a very tender, very light and very moist texture. DH's Review: "I feel like a kid again and I feel 10 pounds heavier", this coming after eating 1/2 the cake in 24 hours. Thanks Mean Chef for giving DH a very special holiday gift.

My nephew said this was the best chocolate cake he every had. This chocolate cake is moist and full of flavor without being overly sugary like a lot of box cake mixes. I have made it several times and it works great as 2 rounds and also as a 13"x9" or 12" round cake. I found that I didn't need to use the parchment paper. It slides out with just cooking spray/flour applied to the pan(s). Thanks for a great recipe!

I have made this cake several time now, and it is quite good. However, unlike the description, I would not consider it a "dense" cake. It is more dense than a box mix by a little, but not as dense as several other home made cake recipes I have tried over the years. It is very moist, and makes a HUGE cake. In fact, I now cut the recipe back to 2/3 of the original volume most of the time. I have also found it takes longer than 30 min to bake. Thanks for a good base recipe.