Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake

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DRY, GRAINY, FLAVORLESS.

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Made this cake for my husband's birthday. Was a little intimidated at first, but it was a breeze and very tasty. I was generous on many of the ingredients and used regular sugar and cake flour. My husband love it. It is very very chocolaty!

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I was so excited to bake a cake from scratch, as I usually bake the Duncan Heins cakes from a box, I was expecting a decadent cake. that I could be proud of. I followed all of the directions perfectly and the cake did not taste good, it was bland and dry eventhough I started to check it at 22 minutes. I could have put cardboard and water in my food processor and had the same results. I was bummed because Nigella's recipes are usually awesome. The $1 cakes from a box are way better than this one. After reading the reviews, I'm not a pro at baking, so if you just want to have fun while baking a cake, look for a different recipe.

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I can't figure out why some of you were disappointed in this cake. To the person who suggested a different cocoa,(not alkali kudos to you. I believe you have a point. To the rest of you who knocked this recipe to the ground, learn to bake first, then criticize. If you claim you are baking forever, you should know to test a cake always before the time mentioned in the directions since all ovens are different. This cake was anything but dry and the frosting.....WOW! I baked this cake for my daughter in law's birthday and she loved it. I didn't even use the suggested pans. I used a silicone bundt pan and it was wonderful. You need to watch the time
Nigella, you are one of my favorites and you did it again!

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Wow, am I surprised at the many low ratings! Do not be afraid to try this recipe. This cake is good and very easy to make. I followed the recipe, baked it for 26 minutes, and have a moist, chocolaty cake as a result. It is not a death by chocolate cake; it is an old fashioned chocolate cake.

The people who have rated this poorly must have problems following simple instructions. I would guess the people who find this dry must have baked it too long, that people who found it bland must not appreciate the delicate flavour, and the people who found it flat must have used the wrong sized pans or used the wrong cocoa. I would not recommend, as read in an earlier review, to use Dutch alkalized cocoa. The alkalized cocoa would lower the PH and may alter the reaction between the soda and sour cream.

However, if I were to make it again, I would try a different frosting. While the icing turned out well, it was on the sweet side for my liking. A chocolate cream cheese frosting might be the perfect complement.

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I cooked this for only 20 mintues because I saw that there wasn't much batter. It was very dry. The taste was good, but i would not make this again.

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I was so excited to make this cake and so disappointed in the results. The frosting was delicious but the cake was extremely dry.

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It was the best chocolate cake I EVER HAD!!

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Seriously. I have been baking since I was seven years old and this is
probably the worst cake I have ever made. I followed the directions to
a "t". I agree with all comments made. I baked them in 8" All-Clad
cake pans - so we know that wasn't the problem. I was actually
void of any flavor -- a waste of my good Dutch cocoa.
Note to the food network - remove this from the recipe list.
I can't believe she actually make this on an episode titled Chocolate Heaven?
More like Chocolate Hell. Anyone reading this -- go on to another recipe.

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I haven't tried this yet either, but I did notice that Nigella is using 8-in. cake pans. These are a little hard to find, especially with removeable bases, but the diameter of the pans will affect both the height of the layers and the cooking time. Just a thought as to why such different results for different bakers.