Rich Chocolate Cake or Brownies

This recipe is two desserts from one bowl. Pour the same batter into a 10×15 pan and you get fudgy brownies; pour it into a 9×13 and you get a tall, tender chocolate cake. Same ingredients, different shapes, different bake times.

Start with the chocolate. Melt the unsweetened chocolate squares slowly over a double boiler so the cocoa butter doesn’t separate. Rolling water below the bowl scorches the chocolate fast; gentle steam keeps it glossy and pourable.

The chocolate chips folded in at the end stay mostly intact during baking, giving you puddles of melted chocolate throughout the crumb. That’s the move that pushes this from chocolate-flavored to actually chocolatey.

Alternate the dry mix with milk when you fold them into the creamed butter and sugar, that staggered addition keeps the batter from breaking. A smooth, even batter bakes evenly all the way across the pan.

Cool fully before glazing. A warm cake melts the chocolate glaze right off the top.

Pro Tips

• Use a good-quality unsweetened chocolate; this is what drives the entire flavor and budget chocolate makes a budget-tasting cake
• For brownies, pull the pan at 25 minutes when a tester shows moist crumbs (not wet batter, not dry)
• For cake, give it the full 40 to 45 minutes for a clean tester; an underbaked center will sink as it cools
• A simple chocolate glaze: melt a cup of chocolate chips with a few tablespoons of cream and a pat of butter; pour while warm and let set

Variations

• Sprinkle the warm glaze with shredded coconut, chopped nuts, or flaky sea salt for texture
• Stir a teaspoon of espresso powder into the dry ingredients to deepen the chocolate flavor without coffee taste
• Fold a half cup of dried sour cherries or fresh raspberries into the batter for a fruity contrast