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Dessert

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate-Pecan Frosting

A chocolate cake with chocolate-pecan frosting made from flour, sugar, cocoa, butter, margarine, water, sour cream, eggs, vanilla, and pecans.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 18 ingredients
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Why it works: Vanilla and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate-Pecan Frosting

Oven350°F
Timeabout 35 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F.

  2. Lightly butter and flour a 13 x 9-inch baking pan, tapping out the excess flour.

Make and bake the cake

  1. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to combine.

  2. In a medium saucepan, bring the butter, margarine, water and cocoa to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the butter and margarine.

  3. Pour the hot mixture into the flour mixture and whisk well.

  4. Add the sour cream, then the eggs and vanilla, and beat well.

  5. Spread the batter evenly in the pan.

  6. Bake until the cake springs back when pressed in the center, about 35 minutes.

  7. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack.

Make the frosting and serve

  1. Bring the butter, milk and cocoa to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the butter.

  2. Gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar, then the vanilla. Stir in the chopped pecans.

  3. Pour the frosting over the warm cake.

  4. Cool the cake in the pan on the rack.

  5. Cut into pieces and serve directly from the pan.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1296Calories
48 gProtein
56 gFat
148 gCarbs

Counts 10 of 11 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 10 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Pecans1 oz (28g / ~19 halves)196
Chocolate1 oz (28g) semisweet155
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Yogurt170g plain Greek100
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Vanilla1 tsp extract (4ml)12
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Vanilla + milktop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together19,187 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

  2. Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  3. Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together41,516 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

  4. Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together35,032 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  5. Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together43,450 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

All-purpose flour
Provides the structure that holds the cake together as it bakes.
Eggs
Bind the batter and add structure and richness to the crumb.
Sour cream
Adds moisture and tenderness and a slight tang to the crumb.
Baking soda
Reacts with the acidic sour cream and cocoa to lift the cake as it bakes.
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Supplies the chocolate flavor and deep color of the cake and frosting.
Confectioners' sugar
Sweetens the frosting and gives it a smooth, thick body.

The step that matters

Pouring the frosting over the warm cake. The cake must be warm so the frosting soaks in and sets into a glossy layer; a cake that is too cool keeps the frosting on top and it may crack or stay soft.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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