Every home cook should have a chocolate cake recipe in their back pocket: something impressive enough for a celebration, but simple enough to make without requiring to much beyond pantry staples. Today, our friends at ChefSteps offer the perfect how-to; never ones to leave good enough alone, their recipe reaches next-level status by employing a few insider tricks, and adding one secret, easy to find ingredient.
Glycerol monostearate, or GMS, is available in the baking aisles of most major grocery stores. A white, odorless, flaky powder, GMS is often found as an added ingredient in pre-packaged baking mixes, where it acts as an emulsifier, providing body and lift to a baked good's finished crumb. Having a container on hand means adding extra spongey squishiness to cakes of all sorts. For this chocolate version in particular, it creates a perfectly light contrast to rich buttercream frosting.
For the full recipe, and to read more about GMS as a baking ingredient, click here.
