Chocolate cake is the most popular type of cake in the world. This is possible because chocolate is even favored in countries where dessert is not necessarily favored.

It is believed the earliest cakes were yellow or spiced and accompanied with a hot chocolate beverage. Chocolate was not yet used as an ingredient for cakes. The first chocolate cakes were simple yellow cakes with chocolate icing. In fact, this use of chocolate in icing acted as a catalyst for eating chocolate and the eventual manufacture of chocolate bars.

The first chocolate cakes were baked late in the 17th century. In the mid-1600’s some business minded bakers in England began adding cocoa to cake recipes making chocolate available to everyone in solid form for the first time. Within decades, solid chocolate becomes available throughout Europe in a variety of forms, including bars, lifting the status of chocolate from that of a stylish drink to that of a superb, sweet delicacy. ”In just a few short years chocolate became available in Europe in a variety of forms, including bars, changing it from just a drink to a compact sweet treat.

In 1828 Dutch Conrad Van Houten developed a mechanical method of separating the fat from cacao liquor to produce butter and the partially defatted cacao in the form of “rock cacao” which could be ground into powder that helped popularize chocolate. A few years later (1879), another process was developed that made chocolate smoother and more adapted to adding to cake batter.

As the price of chocolate began to decrease in the second half of the 19th century, the practice of adding chocolate to cake batter became more prevalent and quickly spread all over Europe and by the end of the century, chocolate cake had become a popular dessert in many countries of the (predominantly western) world. Over the course of time many thousands of different chocolate cake recipes which has given us the variety of chocolate we enjoy today. There are all kinds of ingredients which can be used most are based on egg, cocoa powder, shortening, sugar, salt and baking soda. Water or milk is also used and various icings and frostings are often added.

From Europe one of the oldest chocolate cakes is the German Black Forest cake. It is called Schwarzwälder kirschtorte in German, which means Black Forest Cherry Torte (torte is the German word for cake). Some historians believe that this cake dates back as far as the late 16th century. This cake had its origins in the Black Forest Region of Germany in Baden-Württemberg. There are many exciting recipes for this type of cake that include chocolate, cream, cherries, and a type of brandy called Kirsch made sour with Morello cherries which are famous in that region. There are many exciting recipes for this type of cake that include chocolate, cream, cherries, and a type of brandy called Kirsch made sour with Morello cherries which are famous in that region.

Sachertorte is also a very popular chocolate worldwide. This sumptuous cake originated in Austria. It was created in 1832 by a 16-year-old chef’s apprentice, Franz Sacher. The original Sachertone is only sold in Vienna and Salzburg (it can be shipped from both cities). Sachertone is a two-layer sponge chocolate cake (not too sweet), with a apricot jam between the layers. The cake is made with very dark chocolate icing and served with unsweetened whipped cream. The original recipe is registered by the Hotel Sacher in Vienna which was established be Franz Sacher’s son in 1876.

Among the best and most renowned chocolate cakes in the world are the Belgian cakes because of the high quality. The typical Belgian chocolate cake is a pound cake with a layer of thin chocolate ganache. The top of the cake is neatly decorated with chocolate discs and chopped nuts as the finishing touch. This cake is renowned for its coarse dark texture much like pure Belgian chocolate. The cake has the same bittersweet taste of the dark Belgian chocolate from which it is made. This particular Belgian chocolate cake (one of my personal favorites) is pure chocolate bliss - with no fancy additions except for a handful of ground almonds. This particular Belgian chocolate cake is truly a little piece of heaven with nothing more the a handful of almonds.

The French chocolate was not made with flour but instead made with custard baked in a bain marie or over hot water. It is very much like the molten chocolate cake which uses little or no flour. The main ingredients of any molten chocolate cake or flourless chocolate cake, are eggs, butter, chocolate and sugar. Both butter and chocolate are melted together and the eggs and sugar may be whipped together but sometimes the egg whites are whipped separately for a lighter cake.

There is an interesting and amusing story related to the Hungarian Chocolate Mousse Cake. The famous gypsy violinist, Rigo Jancsi, played for Prince Josef and Princess Klara in 1896 Paris. Although the affair was short lived Rigo Jancsi created with a confectioner a favorite Hungarian dessert known as Sutemeny Rigo Jancsi in honor of Princess Klara. This is a sponge cake that uses rum, heavy cream and chocolate frosting.

Any cake with made with chocolate or cocoa can be classified as a chocolate cake.The chocolate butter cake had been the most common in the United States.The most popular chocolate cake in the United States is perhaps the German Chocolate Cake. This “delightful, moist and rich confection made with sweet baking chocolate, pecans and coconut … ” derives its name from that of one Sam German who, in 1852, was working for Baker’s Chocolate Company and created a type of chocolate baking bar, which the company named ‘Baker’s German Sweet Chocolate. ’In 1957, the first published recipe for ‘German’s Chocolate Cake’, appeared in a Dallas newspaper and rapidly became popular all across the country. The cake is a layered chocolate butter cake made of sweet baking chocolate and filled and topped with pecans and coconut. Chocolate frosting can also be used on the sides and decorated with maraschino cherries.

In America one of the most popular chocolate cakes is the Devil’s Food Cake which also goes by the name of Red Velvet, Waldorf Astoria and the Hundred Dollar Cake among other names. Devil’s Food cake originated in the southern United States, where it was first made from beets and cocoa, explaining the dark red color nowadays dye is used instead of beets in most recipes). Devil’s Food cake was highly popular during the early 1900’s, when the recipe first appeared. It is a moist chocolate cake, traditionally served with white frosting and usually contains a greater proportion of chocolate than other chocolate cakes. “Fannie Farmer [1923] doubles the amount of chocolate required for her devil's food (4 ounces compared to 2 ounces for "regular" chocolate cake.)”

Unfortunately, this article cannot possibly discuss all the varieties of chocolate cake recipes that man has invented since chocolate was first used as a means to flavor desserts early in the 18th century. There are countless recipes for chocolate mousse, layer, coffee, icing, tarts and many more. In Japan, for example, they make a light but very chocolaty steamed chocolate cake with candied orange peel, using egg whites as the only leavening agent.

Once the processing of chocolate had been mastered, the popularity of chocolate cakes quickly spread across Europe and North America, and more gradually, all over the world. Even today chocolate is hard to resist.