Savor this Luscious Retro Chocolate Cake Recipe With a Fun, Surprise Ingredient

Chocolate cake is a sacred indulgence for chocolate lovers, easily claiming the throne as the supreme cake flavor. There's truly nothing comparable to digging into a slice of decadent chocolate cake along with a steaming cup of coffee. It's a match made in heaven.

Chocolate cake is such a ubiquitous dish because you can have it for breakfast (on those days when you just want a comforting start to the day), for lunch (after all, it has protein, sugars, fats, and carbs), as a mid-day snack when you're peckish, and for dinner (to wrap up a hectic day with a celebratory slice). What's more, is that chocolate cake is just fine all by itself; it doesn't need any excess embellishments of fondant, frosting, ganache, glaze, or cream. You can also enjoy plain chocolate cake warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or with a liberal dusting of icing sugar.

There are plenty of chocolate cake recipes out there: some with eggs and also without them, some use yogurt instead of milk for increased softness, while some omit the use of rising agents altogether and instead incorporate egg white meringue. Some recipes call for the addition of peanuts, almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts to bring some textural dimension. Coffee, known to pronounce chocolate flavor, can be added in varying amounts, depending on how coffee-forward you want your cake to be.

But here, we will focus on the bizarre, surprising addition to chocolate cake that will incite your curiosity to take this retro recipe from 1912 out for a spin. It's potatoes. This 1912 recipe gained virality after social media personality Dylan Hollis recreated it on TikTok. Since then, it has become the subject of awe and admiration among many home cooks, cooking blogs, and vlogs. Who would have thought that you could put potatoes in a cake? The logic behind this is quite straightforward: potatoes are neutral in flavor but chock-full of starch and water that will infuse the cake with moisture, fluffiness, and richness.

The only possible drawback with this recipe is that it demands at least an hour or two of your day because of the prep time. You'll need to either bake the potatoes in your oven or boil and mash them into a smooth consistency. However, this extra step produces a satisfying by-product.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup room temperature butter
• 2 cups granulated sugar (you can powder it in your mixer-grinder too)
• 1 cup mashed potatoes
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups refined flour
• ½ cup Cadbury cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Instructions:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F before you begin. The oven will take around 12 to 15 minutes to heat up.
• Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until light, fluffy, and pale yellow; this will take about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add one egg at a time and mix. After this, add potatoes and vanilla extract.
• Sift the cocoa, flour, and baking soda mixture into the wet ingredients.
• Avoid dumping the dry ingredients into the bowl at once; this will increase your labor and generate more gluten than needed in the flour.
• Alternate between adding the flour mix and the milk.
• Pour this into a greased cake tin or springform pan of the desired shape. You can also line the cake tin with parchment paper to prevent the cake from sticking to the bottom.
• Bake for at least 45-50 minutes or until a knife or skewer comes out clean.
• After cooling for 10 minutes, loosen the edges of the cake so that you can easily pop it out of the pan.
• Let it completely cool, then dust it generously with icing sugar before serving.

Additional tips:

• Ensure that you mash the potatoes to a smooth and lump-free consistency, using a masher or a potato ricer.
• Just like the dry mix, the addition of the potatoes has to be done gradually; incorporate small portions and mix well.
• Using an electric mixer will help break down any potato lumps easier than a handheld whisk.
• Do not abandon the cake mix and let it rest; it's best to pop it in the preheated oven for the best results.