Lori's chocolate midnight cake from Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking (page 410) by Samin Nosrat

Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Accompaniments: Make compote; Coffee cream; Chocolate cream; Caramel cream; Coconut cream; Salted caramel sauce

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

  • katherine_94j60m on May 29, 2026

    Hands down our favorite chocolate cake recipe. Love it with the simple whipped cream; I’ve topped that with sprinkles, grated chocolate, strawberries and raspberries, and even edible flowers.

  • Chefjames1 on March 12, 2026

    Good! Halved the sugar.

  • Luckyme on November 09, 2025

    Made this exactly per recipe, opting for a cream cheese frosting which was one of the suggested toppings. It was fantastic. Perfect crumb and density.

  • sharifah on August 17, 2025

    Think this is THE best chocolate cake I’ve made and tasted so far! The cake is dense, which I love as I don’t like cakes which are too light. And the Vanilla Cream is very light; great contrast to the cake itself. This will definitely be on repeat!

  • allie_p on June 13, 2024

    I’ve always wanted a go-to cake that my family requests for celebrations—I never expected to find it in a general cookbook like SFAH, but this is the best cake I have ever made. It’s incredibly moist and flavorful, and a lot easier than most cake recipes I’ve tried. Especially love it with the vanilla cream! I’ve made it as written, but have also tried several modifications, including substituting whole wheat pastry flour, and using coconut sugar instead of white. The cake turns out perfectly every time.

  • Churchim808 on May 14, 2024

    I made this for my son's 18th birthday. He doesn't like icing and prefers just a plain chocolate cake. It was late when I made this and I was exhausted. As I was eating it the next day, it occurred to me that I'd left out the eggs. Everyone thought it tasted great anyway. Although my son is not a fan of coffee I did use strong coffee as the liquid and it only enhanced the flavor of the chocolate. I can't wait to try it with eggs next time!

  • Melissa_427 on November 25, 2021

    So incredibly delicious and moist. Chocolate cake perfection.

  • bwhip on July 03, 2017

    Excellent cake. Great chocolate flavor, and a nice, light crumb from the oil. The vanilla whipped cream was the perfect light counterbalance. Recipe calls for hot water or coffee, we used coffee as I've always found it's great for chocolate cake flavor.

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