Best ever chocolate cake

[SiobhanSharpe]

I've been asked to make a special chocolate cake for a friend's birthday, so what's your 'best-ever' chocolate cake recipe, please.? Also Î need to bake it thursday or friday for sunday. Should I freeze it?. If so, needs to be freezable...... Am i asking too much? (It doesn't need to be elaborate with lots of layers or toppings just very chocolate-y)

peanutbutterandjulie.com/2009/06/my-favorite-most-reliable-and-ohsoversatile-chocolate-cake-recipe.html

This is the THE one

After years of disappointing Choc cakes and a late at night day before kids birthday cake disaster I found this and is the only one I have made ever since, been asked for the recipe loads of times

It comes out with a sort of glossy sheen so great for icing or cream on top.

I have frozen several times and is perfectly fine, if you are doing a buttercream frosting then apply while it is defrosting so you don't get crumbs in it

Have a google for 'the ultimate chocolate cake' - it's part of a series done in the Guardian - was recommended on a MN thread a couple of years ago and I've made it ever since.

The writer tries loads of other chefs' recipes and distills the best bits out of all of them to make 'the ultimate'. There's a whole series of them and now a cookbook or two as well I think.

This one. It's bloody amazing, and very simple to make.

That looks amazing, really chocolate-y, thank you!

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3092/ultimate-chocolate-cake

This is heavenly. I chop a flake rather than make curls though

Thank you all for the suggestions, I have some reading to do and decisions to make! At first glance they ALL look and sound wonderful.