Chocolate cake is a dessert popularised at the end of the 19th Century and Chocolate cake is now very popular throughout the world. Chocolate Wedding cake is often served at weddings instead of the traditional fruit cake.
Ingredients for the cake can vary depending on the recipe, but usually include a combination of eggs, sugar, cocoa powder, chocolate, butter or oil, salt, and baking soda. Water and/or milk is used as base for the liquid content of the cake. Other constituents may be included like melted chocolate, sour cream, buttermilk, fruit juices, or syrups. Many bakers use vanilla extracts, liqueurs, or flavoured liquids like coffee to accent different properties in the chocolate. A variety of toppings, icings, glazes and spices can also be used.
Traditional recipes and national based chocolate cakes are always popular and forma basis for cake varieties such as Black Forest cake and German Chocolate Cake. Many recipes include coconut, pecans, caramelised cream and chocolate flakes.

History of Chocolate Cake:
Conrad Van Houten developed a chocolate extraction method the Netherlands in 1828. This process extracted the Cocoa fat from cacao liquor to produce cacao butter. This partially defatted cacao Butter was then sold raw or ground into powder. This processes transformed chocolate from an expensive luxury into an inexpensive desert. In order to make the chocolate smoother, a process known as "conching" was developed in 1879 to make baking and preparation more successful. In the USA, The Duff Company of Pittsburgh introduced chocolate cake mixes in the 1930s. After World War II, Du Mills and Duncan Hines introduced a Three Star Special cake mix dominated the market in the USA. From the 1980s and 1990s, cakes with liquid chocolate centres and chocolates with exotic flavours were introduced as the desire for different cholate based patisseries and deserts are just as popular as ever.

Popular variants on chocolate cake include: Traditional Chocolate, Chocolate layer cake, Black Forest cake, Chocolate soufflé, Fudge cake, German chocolate cake, molten chocolate cake, Snowball cake and Chocolate torte. There are many other chocolate cake recipes and every day a new variety is added. Chocolate cake is, and will remain, a firm favourite with all both young and old.

See the selection of Chocolate Wedding cake and Chocolate tier cakes from The Cake kitchens - always surprising and always delicious.