Baking the perfect chocolate cake for Valentine seems like a very difficult task to many, especially when they come across pictures of elaborate fancy pieces of art that are actually chocolate cakes.
However, the task at hand is not that difficult and if you follow these simple tips, you too will be able to bake the perfect chocolate cake, which will leave your family in awe. General advice to anyone baking a cake for the first time is to start with simple chocolate cake recipes. This will help develop your baking skills overtime and also perfecting simple recipes earlier will be really helpful when you set out to make a fancy cake.
Regardless of what recipe you follow, use the following tips to help create the perfect chocolate cake, every time:
1) Make sure you use the size of the pan that the recipe calls for and grease every inch of the pan, especially if the pan is shaped irregularly. You may also use a non-stick vegetable spray.
2) Before mixing the batter, make sure you have measured your ingredients as required by the recipe. Also, when mixing the batter, you need to make certain that all the ingredients are at the same temperature (room temperature preferred). Except for butter, as it has to be softened before being added to most recipes.
3) You are not limited to baking chocolate for baking the perfect chocolate cake, in fact you can add any chocolate you like, as long as it contains 70% cocoa. If you are looking for other options, you can opt for NestlE semisweet chocolate chips; however, you can also try Valrhona, Lindt, or Perugina for bittersweet chocolate.
4) Pre-heat the oven, according to the requirement of the recipe, while you beat the ingredients. Never bake a cake in an oven that is not preheated.
5) When pouring in the batter, make sure you do not fill the pan to the top so that the cake has space to rise. Ideally, only 3/4th of the pan should be filled. If you are using a pan different than the one the recipe calls for, make sure you make enough batter. An easy way to check is by measuring water in the measuring cans that were used for the ingredients and then putting this water into the baking pan. Adjust the batter according to the amount of water in the pan. (Note-this will not provide precise measurements and will only give an estimate.)
6) Always put the pan on the center rack, so that the heat can circulate properly and remember to decrease the heat by 25 degrees F if using a colored or dark pan. What’s more, if the cake is baking unevenly, make sure you rotate it many times, so that the heat is distributed evenly.
7) 
You are free to decorate your cake in your own special way. Still, sprinkling confectioner’s sugar is a good idea.As you are baking a perfect chocolate cake for Valentine’s Day, you may want to dot with maraschino cherries, heart-shaped candies, or dried tart cherries and a single red rose.
8) To check if the cake is completely cooked or not, insert a toothpick in the baked cake and if it comes out clean, you are good to go.
People often complain that some cakes were too dry, others too moist, or too sweet, or too flat. But, above mentioned are simple yet effective tips that will guide you towards baking the most perfect chocolate cake for Valentine Day.
