chocolate cake overrated

[ivykaty44]

am I being unreasonable to say I think most chocolate cake is overrated?

I'd think fruit cake or ginger cake, even banana loaf is tastier

My favourite has always been a Victoria sponge, I find chocolate cake too heavy.

Yes!! I love chocolate but don’t like chocolate cake, brownies, mousse or anything like that. I do like rocky road, tiffin slices etc. But for cakes and dessert I much prefer victoria or lemon sponge, lemon tart or fruit crumbles.

@PurpleDaisies

I agree. I would eat chocolate cake if given it but it wouldn’t be my first choice.

Agree. Love chocolate. Love cake. But chocolate cake? Would never be my first choice. Lemon drizzle, carrot cake, even your plain old Victoria sponge would be a first choice over chocolate.

Chocolate ice cream is like the chocolate French Fancies, it leaves a funny smell afterwards.

Chocolate cake is hard to get right, it works much better as a goey torte rather than a cake IMO.

Banana cake is definitely my first choice or a nice lemon cake.

@Noshowwithoutpunch

Best cake ever is the madeira with the layer of raspberry jam and buttercream covered in fondant icing aka supermarket Birthday cakes.

It's got to be an M&S birthday cake though.

Depends on the cake! Home made is almost always better than bought so homemade chocolate vs bought Victoria would normally see chocolate win. I made my OH a home made black first gateau for Valentines last year and it was hands down one of the best cakes I’ve ever made. Would still swap it all for my homemade Xmas cake though

@TheAntiGardener

Yes, the texture and flavour generally aren’t great. It isn’t actually very chocolatey either so ends up a dry, crumbly disappointment or horribly sickly with lashings of ganache or buttercream to overcompensate.

I disagree about chocolate ice cream. Generally disappointing, but if done well it is amazing. A good chocolate gelato is chocolate heaven.

Chocolate yogurts were good. In no way tasting of actual chocolate, but I liked them. Never see them now.

It might be the recipe you’re using. The home made cake I have had is never dry and crumbly.

It’s not my favourite either. It’s all personal taste, but I find it a bit too much, especially those really rich ones like chocolate fudge. I like a brownie though (with caveat below).

My favourite is coffee cake, but I’d go for a fruit cake, Victoria sponge or most things really!
Lemon drizzle is a bit over rated imo, and I can take or leave carrot cake.

The one thing I’d never touch is orange chocolate cake/ brownies etc

"Home made is almost always better than bought "

Unless buying from somewhere which has them handmade. We have a local cake shop which does so and a restaurant.
I don't understand people who don't have food moments where they want a specific food. So then that food could never be overrated.

Fruit cake/ Christmas cake should be eaten with cheese, which I believe is a Yorkshire thing, but I’m not from Yorkshire.

If you have a good English hard cheese with it - I have Stilton or cheddar but I’m guessing it ought to be something like Wensleydale - it’s lovely.

It’s my birthday today. I’m providing my own cake later in case someone forgets and gets me a chocolate cake, that’s how strongly I feel about the matter

To prevent dryness brush the cake with warmed then strained apricot jam before icing, I also find adding 1/4 to 1/2 cup of coffee to the batter enhances the chocolate cake taste.

I would prefer chocolate cake to ginger cake.

But a perfect lemon drizzle, Victoria sandwich, carrot cake, apple cake, Guinness cake, coffee cake are all superior.

What I do think though, as a home baker, is that a chocolate cake can hide the flaws a bit better. Certainly as to how it rises and as to moistness. So whilst a perfect lemon drizzle, or Victoria sandwich etc is divine, even a mediocre chocolate cake can be quite palatable. Just my view.

Good chocolate cake is amazing! My other fave is cheesecake. Victoria sponge and cakes that can sit on the shelf for months I can pass on

Banana cake is the work of the devil 🤮

@IHateWasps

Fruit cake? Fruit cake isn't acceptable let alone better than chocolate. It's an abomination!

A slice of buttered Bara Brith (traditional Welsh frruit loaf) is delicious.

Hard to answer IMO, and some chocolate cake is LUSH, and other chocolate cake is 'mehhh...' Like a bit dry and tasteless. So I couldn't vote.

I’m not mad keen. Would prefer a Victoria sponge any day, especially my own, with black currant jam and no cream.

Don’t much like fruit cake. Dd makes a lot of banana bread, which I quite like, but IMO it’d be greatly improved by some lemon zest - I find it a mite over-sweet.

I always like a really lemony lemon drizzle.

@CounsellorTroi, is that the same as Barm Brack? Fruit soaked in cold tea and just one egg?

I made some of that during the first lockdown when shelves were empty - used up some out of date GF flour I’d only ever used for a visiting BiL, and dried fruit left over from Christmas.

It was very nice, sliced and buttered.

Well I don't disagree that a lot of chocolate cake can be ovverrated but ginger cake is disgusting as are ginger biscuits and any ginger flavoured desserts so I'm not with you there I'm afraid

Supermarket /bakery bought iced elaborate chocolate cakes are Mostly dry and tasteless , I think because the sponge is made in advance and then icing takes time so it’s basically two days old when you get to eat it.

Bananas are like blueberries , only tastes good when eaten like a fruit. Never ever in cakes !

I'm not to keen on chocolate cake, much prefer fruit cake

It's very, very rare that I enjoy any kind of sponge cake. But we are a rarity OP!