Chocolate cake may be the ultimate crowd pleaser, appropriate for all ages and occasions. Chocolate is such a versatile ingredient that the genre ranges from your most basic layer cake (below) to five-star desserts like Molten Chocolate Cake and Death-by-Chocolate Torte. Chocolate complements nearly every flavor or ingredient you might want to pair it with, which makes it endlessly versatile.
It should go without saying that better chocolate yields vastly better results. Read up on the many varieties of chocolate on page 23 before you get started.