Stovetop Chocolate Cake
This no-oven chocolate cake comes together in a pan—steamed, rather than baked, resulting in a moist, tender cake every time.
- Makes8 servings
- Cook Time35 minutes
- Active time plus cooling10 minutes active
- 23
Steaming produces a light, moist chocolate cake, and is a great way to avoid having to fire up the oven. To elevate the cake above the water that steams the batter, we fashion a ring from an 18-inch length of foil. Brown sugar and espresso powder gave the cake complexity while sour cream added richness and a welcome tang. We like serving this cake dusted with powdered sugar or topped with whipped cream. If your Dutch oven has a self-basting lid—that is, if there are bumps or spikes on the underside—lay a sheet of foil across the top of the pot before putting the lid in place to prevent water from dripping onto the surface of the batter.
Don’t open the Dutch oven too often while steaming, but do ensure that the water is at a very gentle simmer. You should see steam emerging from the pot. If the heat is too high, the water will boil away before the cake is cooked.
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