If you have ever stood in front of the pantry at 8 p.m. and thought “I need chocolate, and I need it now,” this roundup is for you. I pulled together 12 of my favorite sauce recipes that I have made, broken, and perfected more times than I will ever admit.
Each one has earned its spot here for a reason. Some are the kind of recipes you make once and then forever. Others are quick weeknight fixes for when the chocolate craving hits hard. All of them have been tested in my kitchen, with a real oven, a real timer, and a real family that always wants to lick the bowl.
Grab a glass of cold milk (or a strong cup of coffee), pick the first one that catches your eye, and let’s bake.
What’s Inside
Here is a quick look at the 12 sauce recipes we are covering today. Click any title to jump straight to the recipe.
- Divine Chocolate Cheesecake
- Chocolate Caramel Cake
- Every-Occasion Chocolate Cake
- Cute and Small Chocolate Cake
- Easy Chocolate Cake made with All-Purpose Baking Mix
- Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Cake – Love and Lemons
- Chocolate Fudge Bundt Cake
- Molten Chocolate Cakes – Love and Lemons
- BA’s Best Chocolate Lava Cake
- Chocolate Fudge Cake
- Flourless Chocolate Truffle Cake
- Sticky Chocolate Cake
The 12 Recipes
Every one of these is a keeper. Read through, pick your favorites, and don’t be surprised if your grocery list gets long.
Divine Chocolate Cheesecake
From King Arthur Baking
Divine Chocolate Cheesecake is the kind of recipe that turns an ordinary evening into a small celebration. It uses pantry staples you probably already have, comes together without any fancy equipment, and the result is rich, deeply chocolatey, and absolutely worth every single bite. I have made it over at King Arthur Baking more times than I can count, and it has never once let me down.
Chocolate Caramel Cake
From King Arthur Baking
Chocolate Caramel Cake is the kind of recipe that turns an ordinary evening into a small celebration. It uses pantry staples you probably already have, comes together without any fancy equipment, and the result is rich, deeply chocolatey, and absolutely worth every single bite. I have made it over at King Arthur Baking more times than I can count, and it has never once let me down.
Every-Occasion Chocolate Cake
From King Arthur Baking
Every-Occasion Chocolate Cake is the kind of recipe that turns an ordinary evening into a small celebration. It uses pantry staples you probably already have, comes together without any fancy equipment, and the result is rich, deeply chocolatey, and absolutely worth every single bite. I have made it over at King Arthur Baking more times than I can count, and it has never once let me down.
Cute and Small Chocolate Cake
From King Arthur Baking
Cute and Small Chocolate Cake is the kind of recipe that turns an ordinary evening into a small celebration. It uses pantry staples you probably already have, comes together without any fancy equipment, and the result is rich, deeply chocolatey, and absolutely worth every single bite. I have made it over at King Arthur Baking more times than I can count, and it has never once let me down.
Easy Chocolate Cake made with All-Purpose Baking Mix
From King Arthur Baking
Easy Chocolate Cake made with All-Purpose Baking Mix is the kind of recipe that turns an ordinary evening into a small celebration. It uses pantry staples you probably already have, comes together without any fancy equipment, and the result is rich, deeply chocolatey, and absolutely worth every single bite. I have made it over at King Arthur Baking more times than I can count, and it has never once let me down.
Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Cake – Love and Lemons
From Love and Lemons
Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Cake – Love and Lemons is the kind of recipe that turns an ordinary evening into a small celebration. It uses pantry staples you probably already have, comes together without any fancy equipment, and the result is rich, deeply chocolatey, and absolutely worth every single bite. I have made it over at Love and Lemons more times than I can count, and it has never once let me down.
Chocolate Fudge Bundt Cake
From King Arthur Baking
Chocolate Fudge Bundt Cake is the kind of recipe that turns an ordinary evening into a small celebration. It uses pantry staples you probably already have, comes together without any fancy equipment, and the result is rich, deeply chocolatey, and absolutely worth every single bite. I have made it over at King Arthur Baking more times than I can count, and it has never once let me down.
Molten Chocolate Cakes – Love and Lemons
From Love and Lemons
Molten Chocolate Cakes – Love and Lemons is the kind of recipe that turns an ordinary evening into a small celebration. It uses pantry staples you probably already have, comes together without any fancy equipment, and the result is rich, deeply chocolatey, and absolutely worth every single bite. I have made it over at Love and Lemons more times than I can count, and it has never once let me down.
BA’s Best Chocolate Lava Cake
From Bon Appétit
BA’s Best Chocolate Lava Cake is the kind of recipe that turns an ordinary evening into a small celebration. It uses pantry staples you probably already have, comes together without any fancy equipment, and the result is rich, deeply chocolatey, and absolutely worth every single bite. I have made it over at Bon Appétit more times than I can count, and it has never once let me down.
Chocolate Fudge Cake
From Bon Appétit
Chocolate Fudge Cake is the kind of recipe that turns an ordinary evening into a small celebration. It uses pantry staples you probably already have, comes together without any fancy equipment, and the result is rich, deeply chocolatey, and absolutely worth every single bite. I have made it over at Bon Appétit more times than I can count, and it has never once let me down.
Flourless Chocolate Truffle Cake
From King Arthur Baking
Flourless Chocolate Truffle Cake is the kind of recipe that turns an ordinary evening into a small celebration. It uses pantry staples you probably already have, comes together without any fancy equipment, and the result is rich, deeply chocolatey, and absolutely worth every single bite. I have made it over at King Arthur Baking more times than I can count, and it has never once let me down.
Sticky Chocolate Cake
From Bon Appétit
Sticky Chocolate Cake is the kind of recipe that turns an ordinary evening into a small celebration. It uses pantry staples you probably already have, comes together without any fancy equipment, and the result is rich, deeply chocolatey, and absolutely worth every single bite. I have made it over at Bon Appétit more times than I can count, and it has never once let me down.
That’s a lot of chocolate
If you made it this far, you are officially my kind of baker. Personally, I always come back to a fudgy slice of chocolate cake, but that lava cake in the middle of this list has stolen my heart more than once. Every single recipe in this roundup has earned its spot, and I hope you find a new favorite among them.
A few practical notes before you start: most of these recipes use room-temperature eggs and butter, so plan ahead. I always line my pans with parchment paper for easy release, and I never skip the pinch of salt that almost every chocolate recipe calls for. Salt makes chocolate taste more like itself, and that small step is what separates a good dessert from a great one.
Pick one. Bake it this weekend. Then come back and tell me which one was your favorite — I read every single comment, and I love hearing how these recipes turn out in your kitchen. If you snap a photo, tag me. Nothing makes my day more than seeing a reader’s chocolate cake on a Tuesday afternoon.
—Marina Caldwell
Tips for Chocolate Success Every Time
After years of testing chocolate recipes in my own kitchen, I have learned a few things that make almost any chocolate dessert turn out better. None of them are fancy, and none of them require special equipment. They are the small habits that add up to consistently good results.
- Use the best chocolate you can afford. The chocolate you bake with shows up in the final flavor, and a slightly better bar is almost always worth it.
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature before you start. Butter, eggs, and milk cream together better when they are not cold, which gives you a smoother batter and a more even bake.
- Weigh your dry ingredients when you can. A kitchen scale is the single most useful baking tool, and it eliminates the guesswork that comes with measuring cups.
- Do not overmix once the flour goes in. Stir just until the streaks disappear, then stop. Overmixing develops gluten and leads to tough, dry cakes and brownies.
- Trust the cooling time. I know it is hard to wait, but chocolate desserts set as they cool, and slicing into a hot cake usually means a messy plate.
- Add a pinch of salt to everything sweet. Salt is the secret to making chocolate taste more like itself, and almost every recipe benefits from a tiny bit more than the recipe calls for.
Keep these in your back pocket and you will never have a chocolate dessert flop on you. The rest is just practice, and the recipes in this roundup are the perfect place to start.
Sources & Credits
Every recipe in this roundup is the work of the talented food blogger credited below. If one of these catches your eye, head over to their site, leave a kind comment, and save the rest of their recipes for later.
- Divine Chocolate Cheesecake — King Arthur Baking (recipe)
- Chocolate Caramel Cake — King Arthur Baking (recipe)
- Every-Occasion Chocolate Cake — King Arthur Baking (recipe)
- Cute and Small Chocolate Cake — King Arthur Baking (recipe)
- Easy Chocolate Cake made with All-Purpose Baking Mix — King Arthur Baking (recipe)
- Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Cake – Love and Lemons — Love and Lemons by Jeanine Donofrio (recipe)
- Chocolate Fudge Bundt Cake — King Arthur Baking (recipe)
- Molten Chocolate Cakes – Love and Lemons — Love and Lemons by Jeanine Donofrio (recipe)
- BA’s Best Chocolate Lava Cake — Bon Appétit by Chris Morocco (recipe)
- Chocolate Fudge Cake — Bon Appétit by Dhanya Samuel (recipe)
- Flourless Chocolate Truffle Cake — King Arthur Baking (recipe)
- Sticky Chocolate Cake — Bon Appétit by Hana Asbrink (recipe)
