NQN challenge: The Ultimate Chocolate Cake recipe @ Not Quite Nigella

The Ultimate Chocolate Cake Challenge!

October 15, 2008 by Not Quite Nigella

I had so much fun earlier this year doing the Banana Bread Bakeoff that I have been thinking of an event for the latter part of this year. Seasonal wouldn’t do, after all a good part of you are reading from the Northern Hemisphere whereas I am situated in the Southern Hemisphere. It also had to be one of those things that pretty much everyone has had a go at at some stage in their life. Then it dawned on me, Chocolate Cake is just that very thing. So from now until the end of November, that’s right you have over a month, bake your very best, richest gooeyest chocolate cake. You know the one that everyone swoons over and asks you to make over and over again. Decorate it however you wish, keep it plainly gorgeous or go crazy with the curls or fondant. All I ask is that it is a full sized chocolate cake with at least one picture.

And because I believe in prizes, the lovely people at Colefax Chocolates have given me 3 ballotine boxes of their best truffles worth $25 each to give away. That’s right, sent to anywhere in the world (well as long as your customs will permit!).

The rules are simple and you don’t even need a food blog, just the will to bake!

1. Bake your Best Ever Chocolate Cake recipe and write it up on your blog with a picture.

2. email me at: info[at]notquitenigella[dot] com and include your name, blog name, blog URL and URL for the Chocolate Cake post by midnight (AEST) November 30th 2008. **Please do not forget to email me, otherwise your entry may not be included as I won’t know about it!**

3. Link back here to this story (and feel free to use the images below on your blog)

4. I will reply to all entries so if you don’t hear back from me within 48 hours, please email me again as it may have gone into my SPAM folder.

5. All entries need to be from stories published between October 15 and November 30th 2008.

If you don’t have a blog that’s fine, just send me your name, location, a picture and recipe. You can enter as many times as you’d like too!

Happy Baking and Eating!

Love,

Not Quite Nigella

xxx

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52 Comments | Add your own

1. Angela | October 15, 2008 at 8:06 am | #

Oooh, I was just thinking about chocolate cake earlier on! It’s currently National Chocolate Week in Britain, and I was contemplating baking something suitably delicious for it.

Such delicious synchronicity!
2. Reemski | October 15, 2008 at 9:24 am | #

Yay! My birthday next week, so i think I’ll bake myself a cake!
3. Mansi | October 15, 2008 at 10:45 am | #

OMG! that’s the easiest and the most difficult challenge ever!! this is going to be great girl! look forward to all the delicious cakes, and yes, I’ll send one too!:)
4. Kathy | October 15, 2008 at 11:43 am | #

oooh! I’ve been wondering what you’re gonna do for your next NQN challenge. Off to find a recipe and buy a cake pan
5. Sandie | October 15, 2008 at 12:45 pm | #

The gauntlet has been thrown…a chocolate cake challenge…deceptively tricky.

I’m not great with cakes—baking them is fine, decorating them though, is another matter. But since you’ve issued a NQN Challenge, I may have to give this a try!
6. FFichiban | October 15, 2008 at 4:05 pm | #

OOohhh I was planning to back a choc cake this weekend anyway so how convenient
7. FFichiban | October 15, 2008 at 4:07 pm | #

Sorry for double posting but *bake
and does it matter if the recipe isn’t our own… I am still quite the amateur haha
8. sandra | October 15, 2008 at 4:14 pm | #

This is a never ending challenge for me- I still haven’t found my perfect chocolate cake so I will be waiting to pore over all the recipes submitted and look forward to drooling over all the pictures.
9. Lisa | October 15, 2008 at 7:13 pm | #

mmmmm I have so many chocolate cake recipes bookmarked, this is the perfect excuse to try one or two! Yum!
10. Lilia | October 15, 2008 at 8:37 pm | #

Does it that mean it has to be all chocolatey? It can’t be chocokate and vanila?
11. grace | October 15, 2008 at 9:15 pm | #

awesome challenge. i can’t tell you how eager i already am to see the round-up.
12. Not Quite Nigella | October 15, 2008 at 10:55 pm | #

Hi Angela-What fabulous timing! I had no idea (and what a great idea to have a chocolate week ). I know your entry will be great!

Hi Reemski-Happy Birthday to next week! I hope you get lots of good meals out of it and make it a weekend or whole week (I admit that’s what I do). Definitely bake a cake for it!

Hi Mansi-Hehe I can’t wait to see what you make, I know it will be delicious!

Hi Kathy-I can’t wait for yours too, especially with all of that nice chocolate you have access to!

Hi Sandie-I’m sure you’ll be more than fine! Don’t worry about the decorating, the taste is ultimately the most important thing!

Hi FFichiban-Oooh great timing! I can’t wait to see your creation And the recipe doesn’t have to be your own, if it’s from a cookbook or website that’s fine too, just mention where it is from.

Hi sandra-I’m sure this will solve the dilemna, I have a couple of favourite chocolate cakes so I have the opposite problem

Hi Lisa-Oooh definitely! I can’t wait to see what you make

Hi Lilia-As long as chocolate is by far the predominant flavour then that is fine.

Hi grace-Will you join us? I’m thinking for you, chocolate and cinnamon…?
13. Patricia Scarpin | October 15, 2008 at 11:16 pm | #

That’s amazing, darling!! I’m in!
14. Gretchen Noelle | October 16, 2008 at 1:28 am | #

This sounds fun, I am glad I saw the announcement! I am sure this gives me enough time to submit chocolate cake - yum!
15. Not Quite Nigella | October 17, 2008 at 12:07 am | #

Hi Patricia-Fantastic! I can’t wait to see what you make darling!

Hi Gretchen-That’s wonderful, I look forward to seeing your delicious chocolate cake
16. Raulillo_ok | October 17, 2008 at 4:39 am | #

Hi: My english is not good because I think in spanish, sorry. I will participate with a mexican chocolate cake. I put the picture in my blog and I generate the web code for to link the picture with this page.
The code is:

Regreso rapidito
Raulillo desde Tijuana
17. jay | October 17, 2008 at 9:39 am | #

mmmmmm-sorry just savouring the triple choc brownies hubby made last night…and a delectable choclate marquise-they deserve a mention here for sure! stay tuned…BTW does the marquise count as a cake??? no flour but its dense enough to cut. weeeell
will post it anyway for your perusal!
18. Y | October 17, 2008 at 10:07 pm | #

I think my main problem is going to be deciding which recipe to use!
19. Not Quite Nigella | October 17, 2008 at 10:16 pm | #

Hi Raulillo_ok-Wonderful! I look forward to seeing your Mexican Chocolate Cake

Hi jay-You sound like you’re having a great morning! Hmmm I guess a Marquise is like a flourless cake, so sure why not?

Hi Y-I look forward to seeing which one you choose!
20. Carolyn | October 20, 2008 at 9:36 pm | #

Oh I haven’t been able to indulge in reading your blog for a couple of weeks and boy have I missed a lot! Too bad our kitchen is not up to my standards (we just moved house)… and I am craving to bake!!! So unless I manage to bake something somewhere else I’m sad to not enter this comp!Can’t wait to see the entries though… i lurrrrve chocolate!
21. Not Quite Nigella | October 20, 2008 at 10:12 pm | #

Hi Carolyn-A lot happens here in 2 weeks I guess! Oh no, you’re without oven? That’s no good! I hope you get to bake something for it!
22. Maria | October 23, 2008 at 11:08 pm | #

May I ask how the winner will be determined? Will you personally judge each recipe/photo? Or will it be the most amount of votes again?
23. Not Quite Nigella | October 24, 2008 at 10:19 pm | #

Hi Maria-It will be a vote like last time. I don’t have the time to make each and every recipe!
24. Prizetastic | October 31, 2008 at 9:35 am | #

I can’t bake well enough to enter this, but I can’t wait to see all the yummy entries!! Have posted details over at Prizetastic for you too
25. Not Quite Nigella | November 1, 2008 at 1:03 pm | #

Hi Prizetastic-Thanks so much for that! And everyone is welcome to enter, if you get the urge to bake a chocolate cake, feel free to send it in
26. Miss Honey | November 5, 2008 at 10:50 am | #

Oooo any excuse to eat chocolate cake!
27. Mel | November 5, 2008 at 1:16 pm | #

I’ve just come across your great blog and will definately be participating in the chocolate cake challenge if it’s not too late to get on board?
28. Not Quite Nigella | November 5, 2008 at 8:53 pm | #

Hi Miss Honey-hehe that’s right, not that I needed one

Hi Mel-You’re not too late at all, it goes until the end of November! I look forward to seeing your creation
29. sharon | November 7, 2008 at 1:10 am | #

Your banana bread bake-off was so fabulous! I’m looking forward to the cakes!
30. Not Quite Nigella | November 7, 2008 at 10:51 pm | #

Hi sharon-Thankyou so much!
31. Medhaa | November 8, 2008 at 11:52 am | #

This is great, I will surely participate. Thankyou for the invite
32. Suzana | November 10, 2008 at 10:16 am | #

Chocolate… Mmmmm. Sounds like great fun!
33. Mara | November 14, 2008 at 4:32 am | #

I made mine a few days ago.. I will post it soon. I *love* chocolate cake…isn’t EVERY choco cake the ultimate?! hehee.
34. Aparna | November 23, 2008 at 9:59 pm | #

I just came across this event, and have been planning to bake something chocolate.
You have asked for “a full sized chocolate cake”. Does this mean smaller individual sized cakes wouldn’t qualify?
35. Not Quite Nigella | November 23, 2008 at 10:06 pm | #

Hi Aparna-Great! Well I’ve had one cupcake version entered and I hate to say no so any size will be accepted
36. Ivy | November 26, 2008 at 6:56 pm | #

I thought I would never make it to send me entry but at last I managed to write my post and you will be receiving it today. I can’t wait to see the roundup!!
37. Not Quite Nigella | November 26, 2008 at 9:48 pm | #

Hi Ivy-Thanks so much for your entry, it looks amazing!

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