For presentation I would probably pipe on vanilla frosting onto a flat top cake. Pour a little sauce in the middle and then on the edge so it's dripping down. Or I would spoon sauce around the bottom of the cake.

My mother always made this recipe for my son for his birthday. It's quick, easy and delicious.

PREHEAT oven to 350°

2 cups granulated white sugar

2 cups white flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup BOILING water

2 sticks butter or margarine

4 Tbs cocoa powder

1/2 cup buttermilk - heated but not boiling

2 eggs well beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl, mix dry ingredients, except cocoa.

Add butter and cocoa to boiling water. Mix until butter is melted.

Pour over dry ingredients and mix well

Add buttermilk, eggs and vanilla and beat well.

Pour into jellyroll pan and bake 15-20 minutes.

When cooled, frost with birthday cake chocolate frosting.

BIRTHDAY CAKE CHOCOLATE FROSTING

1 stick butter or margarine

6 Tbs cocoa powder

6 Tbs buttermilk

1 lb box of confectioners sugar

Put butter, cocoa and buttermilk in sauce pan. Bring to boil.

Pour over powdered sugar. Beat until well mixed.

Pour over cooled cake.

Here's an easy and delicious one from my old Betty Crocker cookbook. Everything goes into one bowl, no creaming, etc. You can sprinkle the top w/ powdered sugar to make it pretty, instead of icing it.

Betty Crocker's Best Chocolate Cake

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup buttermilk (sub = plain yoghurt)

1/2 cup margarine/butter

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 ounces melted unsweetened chocolate(cool)

Heat oven to 350F.Grease & flour baking pan,13x9x2 inches, or 2 9-inch or 3 8-inch round layer pans - or line 24 muffin cups.Measure all ingredients (make sure everything is @ room temp. - choc. can still be a bit warm) into large mixer bowl.Blend 1/2 minute on low speed, scraping constantly.Beat 3 minutes on high speed, scraping bowl occasionally.Pour into pan(s).

Bake oblong 40-45 minutes, layers 30-35 minutes, cupcakes 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool before icing.

ETA: I usually frost it w/ lightly sweetened, stiff whipped cream & top w/ sliced strawberries.

My favorite chocolate cake is from Colleen. I never find caster sugar, so I just use regular sugar, half white cane sugar, half light brown. I also use butter instead of margarine, but I'm sure that doesn't surprise you, LOL.

Colleen's Chocolate Cake

1 Cup caster sugar
1 Cup brown sugar
2 eggs
250 g margarine (8 ounces)
2/3 Cup cocoa
1 Cup sour milk*
2 Tsp
1 Cup boiling strong coffee
3 Cup plain flour
2 Tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 170C (325F), grease and line two 20cm (8") round cake tins.
Put ingredients into mixing bowl in order listed and turn on mixer. Beat until just combined. Pour into prepared tins and bake 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven and leave to stand in tins for 20 minutes. Turn out onto a rack to cool.

Ice with chocolate icing.

*If you have not got sour milk, add a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to milk and leave in a warm place.~
NOTES : This is a very rich, almost black chocolate cake which stays moist for days and freezes well.

I'd probably gild the lily with some dark chocolate ganache, then drizzle the raspberry sauce over so it runs down the sides a bit, but if the ganache is a bit much (how could that be?) this is a nice icing recipe, also from a member here. It doesn't make a lot, but I usually make it thin enough with the coffee to be more like a glaze.

Della Dufour's Chocolate Icing (Dances)

1 1/2 Tbl butter
pinch salt
1 1/2 Cup sifted icing sugar
1 Tsp vanilla
5 Tbl cocoa
2 to 3 tbsp hot coffee

Cream butter. Add salt and vanilla. Gradually add cocoa. Add sifted icing sugar alternately with the coffee until the right consistency to spread over cake.

The Princess and her cheer team are going to the state finals in Grand Rapids later this month. They are Level 5, and took 2nd at the regionals, maybe we'll see you there!

Annie

I second Colleen's recipe as posted by Annie........my only recipe for years now. I too you Alexa's chocolate icing....yummers

The one I make the most is Ina Garton's chocolate ganache cake -- It's really easy and it's so yummy!

Martha

INA GARTEN'S CHOCOLATE GANACHE CAKE

• • 1/4 lb butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 (16 ounce) cans hershey chocolate syrup
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

FOR THE GANACHE

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Butter and flour an 8 inch round cake pan, then the bottom with parchment paper.
3. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs one at a time.
5. Mix in the syrup and vanilla.
6. Add the flour and mix until JUST combined (overbeating with make the cake too tough).
7. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until just set in the middle.
8. Let cool thoroughly in the pan.
9. For the ganache, cook the heavy cream, chocolate chips, and coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally.
10. Place the cake upside down on a wire rack and pour the glaze evenly over the top, making sure to cover the entire cake and sides.
11. You can tilt the rack to smooth the glaze.

This is a recipe for DSII's favorite cake. He always requests this cake for his birthday cake. Tropicals9b posted it on this forum some time ago.

I bake it in a bundt pan; comes out very moist.

I use a cake mix extender recipe because cake mixes have been downsized.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Best Ever Chocolate Cake (Source: tropicals9b Gardenweb cooking forum)

1 (18.25 ounce) Devil's Food cake mix

1 (4 serving) instant chocolate pudding mix

1 cup sour cream

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1/2 cup warm water

2 cups semi sweet mini chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Ina large bowl, mix together the cake & pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and our batter into well greased 12 cup bundt pan.

3. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch & wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour and a half before inverting onto a plate. If desired, dust cake w/ powdered sugar.

*I only let it cool for 30 minustes & it came right of my pan each time as the choc. chips had cooled enough. I always use the crisco/oil/flour mix to grease my pans.

----------------------------------------------

My notes: I think I usually use only about 1 cup of regular sized choc. chips because that's what I always have around. I do like to use the dark choc. chips in this cake.

Ci-lantro, that was my favorite cake for many, many years. I used to teach 1st grade and the kids ate lunch in the classroom with me until recess time. One day the sweetest little girl gave me a piece of cake that her mother baked. I thanked her and took one bite. Then I yelled out that it was the best cake I had ever tasted. I must have been really loud and forceful, because she froze with a worried look on her face. When I finally came to my senses, I assured her that I was just so happy eating that delicious piece of cake. I begged her to ask her mother for the recipe. The next day, she came with another piece of cake for my lunch and a beautifully hand written recipe card. I always referred to the cake as "Kimberly Dickey's Chocolate Cake."

What a nice story, Shambo! Sure enough, it is a good cake. I remember that I just had to try the recipe because it claimed to be 'Best Ever' and was posted as a Tried & True recipe on this forum. I'm seldom disappointed with recipes from this forum.

I forgot to mention that I sometimes/ usually substitute yogurt for the sour cream but most bakers know that you can do that anyway. I even used a 6 oz. container of pumpkin pie flavored yogurt the last time that I made it. That yogurt was getting a bit long in the tooth and needed to either be used or tossed. Cake was still wonderful even with that kinda' weird substitution.

ina's recipe is one I always made back in high school (70s). Easy peasey. Baked it in a brownie pan. Sprinkled with powdered sugar. Friends always called them 'dave brownies.'

dave

Ci: When I google cake extender, I get different ingredients and quantities. Can you share yours? (I don't do mixes much and have never heard of an extender.)

This is the one that I've been using, Lizbeth...

Cake Mix Extender

1/2 c. flour

1/8 c. sugar

1/2 t. baking powder

I don't think that I have added any additional cocoa but it wouldn't hurt and is probably a good idea. Maybe something like 1 T. cocoa? Hopefully someone else will weigh in with an opinion or recommendation about additional cocoa.

Thanks, Ci_lantro!

I like chocolate and I like fruit, but not together, so I would not want to eat chocolate cake with raspberry sauce. Put the sauce for me on a white or yellow cake. The only fruit I would want to eat with chocolate might be bananas. I do not care for chocolate dipped strawberries, though I will eat those if put in front of me.

Sue

I was going to make Ina Garten's recipe, but now it looks like there will be 16 people in total and I am not sure 2 8" round cakes are enough. I am thinking I'll have to do one that goes in a sheet pan instead.

So would you prefer a frosted or unfrosted cake if served with rasberry sauce?

I think I would prefer a chocolate cake dusted with powdered sugar and maybe a dollop of whipped cream w/ the raspberry sauce.

I didn't read all the replies, but I would make a flourless chocolate cake to serve with raspberry sauce - I see and order that frequently in restaurants. The size of a slice of it is very small and you could serve 16 people from one 8" or 9" cake, or even more if you use a 10" springform pan. I like it best because the cake is so dense that the sauce doesn't soak in and make it soggy. I don't have my recipe handy, but they are all pretty similar, if you search a favorite source online.

oops, I just reread your original post and you say you didn't want flourless. I still think it would be the easiest, best choice for serving with a sauce.