The Best Chocolate Cake for Passover is just that – the best. It is also simple to make and dairy free. You can barely even taste that it is kosher for Passover!
The Best Chocolate Cake for Passover is a terrific dessert. Have it after the seder, on Shabbat or…just because. Have it plain or add frosting. It is even good for the day of the seder when nothing containing any kind of matzo may be eaten!
If I can bake, anyone can
I am the type of person who, when she sees something that looks easy to create, will try to do just that. And I will continue to try and try (sometimes spending more on the attempt than the item would cost to buy ready-made), until I either succeed or decide that I have had enough and have at least given it my best effort.
So, after a visit to a bakery one day, I decided to try my hand at some baking, starting with chocolate chip cookies.
Happily, they always came out tasting good (unless I forgot them in the oven and they burned), but I could never get them to come out the same way twice in a row. Sometimes they were more cakey, sometimes they were flat, and every once in a while they would even come out just right. But they never came out the same way twice in a row. Ever. However, I never gave up.
My next attempt at baking was birthday cakes. I started with a 9″x13″ pan and those were fine, but I wanted to present my kids with birthday cakes that were made of layers. So, I bought the round pans and found a good recipe.
Birthday after birthday, the cakes came out tasting terrific, but they were always lopsided. I was told to use a knife to level them off, but I would’ve had to cut off so much, I would’ve been left with very short cake, which wouldn’t have done at all. So, I just worked with what I had and used frosting to fill in the valleys as best as I could.
During this period of time, I learned a very valuable lesson. DO NOT put on frosting if your cake hasn’t cooled because the frosting will get runny. This is especially true if your cake is not level because everything on the top of your cake will slide…right…off.
Another issue I had while learning to bake cakes is that it is not like cooking. With cooking, like a lot of people, I can eyeball ingredients and the dishes will still come out good. Not so with baking. Most baking requires measuring, but like with measuring actual measuring spoons and cups.
One day, my daughter Elissa came into the kitchen while I was preparing some recipe or other (I had moved on to try other things besides just chocolate chip cookies and birthday cakes). Elissa is very competent when it comes to following directions when cooking and baking, and was horrified.
“You are NOT really measuring oil in the palm of your hand, are you?!”
I didn’t see what the problem was, and told her that I couldn’t be bothered to stop what I was doing to get the measuring spoons, and I certainly know what a tablespoon of oil should look like.
“You can’t bake the way you cook,” she informed me.
Finally, I decided OK, I am going to follow directions. I will measure properly and that will be it. So, I did.
The cake came out tasting really good, but it was really heavy.
I complained to Elissa.
“I followed the directions and even measured and look at it!”
We decided that she would try the recipe to see what was wrong (she is great at following exact measurements and was tired of my complaining).
I read the instructions to her (off a very highly reviewed recipe) and was very gratified when it came out heavy for her too. Ha!
She insisted we go over the instructions again and she also wanted to see the original recipe. I gladly showed her.
“You doubled the recipe,” she accused me. “Why?”
“Because I wanted a higher cake.”
“That is NOT considered following directions. The recipe is for two pans and you put double in each pan, so it couldn’t rise.”
Oh. I took back my “ha” and never did that again.
After a while, I finally gave in. Now, I follow directions and measure properly. Well, mostly.
Not surprising, everything I bake comes out as it should (of course…as long as I don’t forget to remove from the oven…!).
Baking and dessert necessities for Passover
I like to make sure I can bake anything with very short notice. To that end, I keep a variety of supplies and ingredients in the house that will allow me to do just that.
I can’t tell you how many times I was glad to have whatever I needed within reach for the last minute visitor or for when one of my kids went to a friend or had a school event without much prior notice.
I have slowly collected things over the years as I needed them (or if I found a good sale) and like to keep more than one of the smaller items, in case I don’t want to wash dishes in the middle of baking.
My basic “equipment” includes:
- a hand mixer (you probably don’t need a stand mixer for Passover)
- a small scale
- baking pans
- mixing bowls (or just large bowls)
- cookie sheets
- dry measuring cups
- liquid measuring cups
- whisks
- rubber spatulas (really good for when you don’t want to leave anything in the bowl)
- baking (or parchment) paper
While you can certainly manage without the above (such as a whisk, where you can use a fork in a pinch), if you tend to do a lot of Passover baking, these are good to have around.
In addition to the equipment, there are several basic baking ingredients that are used regularly if you are going to want to bake and may be helpful to have at the beginning of the holiday.
Just make absolutely certain that they have a Kosher for Passover certification or don’t require one. When in doubt, ask an orthodox rabbi (there are also some orthodox organizations that post Passover information online).
Some of the items on this list, however, are not basic, but rather are only used for specific recipes. Regarding these, you might not want to invest in them in advance, but only if you need them.
Unless you have been making Passover at home and know which is which, you might want to plan ahead, at least until you get used to what your yearly baking needs are.
- matzo cake meal
- potato starch
- white sugar
- brown sugar
- powdered sugar
- salt
- baking powder (leavens chemically, so it just needs to be certified Kosher for Passover)
- baking soda (leavens chemically, so it just needs to be certified Kosher for Passover)
- cocoa powder
- ground cinnamon
- ground ginger
- ground cloves
- ground nutmeg
- baking chocolate
- chocolate chips
- vanilla/vanilla sugar
- oil
- margarine or butter
- eggs
- extracts (real or imitation)
- whipping cream (get non-dairy, for dairy free desserts)
Having other kosher for Passover spices in your pantry can also be helpful. Just make certain that everything is certified Kosher for Passover.
In addition, whipping cream, powdered pudding mix, and powdered sugar can allow you to be able to make a variety of fillings, frostings, and toppings.
Lastly, it’s not a bad idea to have toppings, such as chopped walnuts, raisins, and, if you can find them kosher for Passover, especially if you have kids, the oh-so-important container of sprinkles.
While some of these can easily be found in the average grocery store that carries kosher for Passover items for the holiday, stores that carry only kosher foods should have all or most of it.
I always save the leftover closed items for the following years, especially if they are not easy to find, and just pack them away in a suitable place.
Food on Passover
Torah-observant Jews do not eat chametz (the fermented products of five grains: wheat, spelt, barley, oats, and rye).
In addition, Torah-observant Ashkenazi Jews do not eat kitniyot (or kitniyos as pronouced in Ashkenazi Hebrew). These include legumes, corn, rice, and similar foods that were deemed forbidden to eat by rabbis in the medieval period and are still not eaten today. Sephardi and Mizrachi Jews do not follow this tradition.
Many ovservant Ashkenazi Jews will not even eat the derivatives of these kitniyot, while others do (each family holds their own traditions regarding this).
Then, there are Ashkenazim who don’t eat “gebrokts” (or gebrochts).
Gebrokts means “broken” in Yiddish, and in this case refers to matzo that has absorbed liquid. Not eating gebrochts is observed by many in the Hasidic Jewish community and Ashkenazim who have taken on this tradition where they basically don’t mix anything wet with matzo.
So, things like matzo sandwhiches, fried matzo, and even matzo balls are a no-no for them.
There is a joke that sums it all up:
On Passover, we should remember people who have little to eat on this holiday. They are called Ashkenazim.
Over the years, I have learned to adapt “normal” food for passover so that my family won’t complain about boring, tasteless, or repetitive meals.
I find that having good food and variety makes the week of Passover a very pleasant experience and I hope this recipe will help make yours just that!
The Best Chocolate Cake for Passover
Delicious kosher for Passover chocolate cake!
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups white sugar
- ¾ cup potato starch
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder **
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup oil
- ½ cup black coffee or hot water
Instructions
- Combine the sugar, potato starch, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
- Add in eggs, oil, and, coffee or water and mix well so there are no clumps (if you mix after adding each wet ingredient, this might be easier).
- Pour into a 9" x 13" lined or greased baking pan.
- Place in an oven that has been preheated to 350°F and bake for approximately 45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from being poked in the middle and the top is just firm to the touch all over.
Notes
MAKE SURE ALL INGREDIENTS THAT REQUIRE IT ARE CERTIFIED KOSHER FOR PASSOVER.
** ** While baking powder is a leavener, it does not leaven through fermentation but rather though chemical reaction, so it is kosher for passover and you can find it labelled as such.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 414Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 301mgCarbohydrates: 62gFiber: 2gSugar: 44gProtein: 5g