Recreating My Favorite Childhood Birthday Cake (From Chuck E. Cheese!) | Recipe Quest | NYT Cooking

[@ashleys637]

I love Eric! He could do the absolute best ASMR videos. His voice is so soothing. I also love the blend of recipes you get from NYT "shows" like Vaughn's Cook the Comments and this. Keep it coming!

[@stephiewee]

youtube.com/@gourmetasmr

[@emilywynstra]

Any video that starts with an R and D mission to Chuck E. Cheese and ends with a scrumptious birthday cake is content I want to watch 😍🐭

[@MaureenDrees]

Seeing the 11 different styles of chocolate cake was fascinating, thanks!

[@blueberryblues3365]

Great video Eric. I am a big fan of yours and a retired chef / baker and now retired after 30+ years. For a long time I obsessed about trying to copy a chocolate cake from my childhood. Sorry to say I have never been to Chuck E Cheese. My aunt would make it for parties. It was a 3 layer like you did and she made it with either white or chocolate frosting. She's long gone and of course no one had the recipe. One day I was at a food show in NY and a bakery had samples of their cakes and after one bite-that was THE cake. It was like a chiffon cake made with plain oil and cocoa powder. I used coffee as you did for the water part and it was it. I made it many times over the years and eventually ended up scaling it up for cakes as big as wedding cakes . And everyone loved it. I baked it on a sheet pan then cut the rounds out of it. Instead of dealing with 3 pans and weighing the batter etc. I cut two rounds then made two halves out of the rest and assembled them into the last round. I am going to try your cake as soon as I have an event or party to make it for. Or I will eat the whole thing. Thanks so much for all you do. Xo

[@megpayne9210]

why is eric the CUTEST HUMAN EVER!!! oh my god. precious cake king.

[@RachelTension392]

My mom used to make a version for me and my siblings when we were little. Dark chocolate cake with frosting made by combining marshmallow fluff, Cool Whip, and a little bit of coffee. So good.

[@themustar601]

Sounds good 👍

[@ActualChef]

That cake from Claire has been in my feed for so long and I always think I want to try it. I love this hybrid situation. Coffee and something acidic is an absolute must for a good chocolate cake.

[@jeanetteswalberg6166]

This was such a helpful video. I enjoyed seeing the development process as you tested out different recipes. It's so satisfying when you get a recipe Just. Right. I'm definitely going to try out your frosting too. Thanks for the tip on how much frosting to use for each layer. That part has confused me in the past. Great work!!!

[@audiomxr]

YUM!!! When he said at the end that the cake has an Oreo vibe, that sealed it for me. I love the scientific approach he takes.

[@callioscope]

You have explained something to me that I never knew: that a butter cake hardens in the fridge (although, duh, I did know that when I ice a cake, I first refrigerate or freeze it for about 15 minutes). Also, I know that SMBC hardens in the fridge as well. And that oil-based cakes are more moist. Somehow I never put it all together. THANK YOU. As soon as it cools off here, I plan to bake this cake … and to give ermine frosting another shot. A brown butter iteration split for some reason when I tried to make it a few years ago. Again, thank you for another solid video and recipe.

[@geoffreyblackmer]

A very warm and charming host! 💖 Loooove the Claire and Nigella shoutouts here.

[@ellenmcgee4407]

Eric, every recipe of yours that I tried has turned out terrific. I made this cake and icing for Christmas dinner. It was a big hot, and several people had seconds. Will try it again.

[@adielen]

Glad I’m not the only one who was OBSESSED w/ this cake 😂 thank you for this

[@zulasmith3146]

This was so much fun to watch and the humor and music is totally rad! 🤙It is so fun to try different recipe variations! Nostalgia is such a strong motivator 😋Thank you, Eric for this awesome video and recipe! Chuck E. Cheese Birthday Cake, here I come! 🤩

[@Calamath]

This is amazing. Loved all the varieties of chocolate cakes featured too

[@Sakja]

My favorite cake when I was a kid was vanilla cake with chocolate frosting. My great aunt baked wonderful cakes and pies.

[@NancyH-we8zq]

Eric is a National Treasure

[@elisamai7191]

Fun to see a comparison of so many well-known cake recipes! The one I'd have recommended you include is Ina Garten's Chocolate Beatty cake -- it has a very nostalgic springiness, I find, and reminds me of the kind of chocolate birthday cakes we got from restaurants when I was growing up (Bill Knapps, in particular).

[@allistar34]

love a black and white cake, always found the chocolate on chocolate too much. can't wait to try this!

[@jessmess7981]

i made this recipe & it was soo good, like an oreo cake

[@silverlve70]

Growing up in NY and I will never forget the Valencia bakery yellow cake with pineapple filling was something we looked forward to!

[@michaelcaprio5269]

The ongoing power and influence of Stella Parks cannot be denied

[@crystalcutler1797]

Me watching this the night before i make my partner's requested choc with white frosting bday cake knowing full well i will just make devil's food from.a box with vanilla frosting from a can.

[@samanthaconnelly4046]

Protect this man at all cost

[@andrewsoffday]

Clicked immediately for Eric

[@liviniloap6229]

I usually love how calm and quiet nyt videos are without music! No hate, just saying the music is slightly overwhelming Eric's wonderful voice and personality!

[@lindseyjohnson1495]

Wake up babe new recipe quest just dropped

[@duo315]

9:07 i have a salad dressing jar from the 40s that has a chocolate cake recipe on the lid

[@jeannemarie6747]

love the recipe testing. also, Eric ~ is that an east fork bowl you are using when measuring the flour? I love east fork and gifted a beautiful blue coffee mug to my partner for his birthday.

[@platystrophia]

Happy birthday Eric!!!! 🎉🎉🎉 I hope you're as hungry for fun as we all are!

[@leilaniaki344]

Love Eric.

[@drhelenloney1426]

Also my birthday cake of choice!

[@himemiya]

i'm in my 3/4 tsp era 😭😭😭

[@caracalled2505]

Easily the most American video I've ever watched

[@allistar34]

11:07 - was dorie's cake cooked properly? it looks like it collapsed/sunk in the middle :/

[@SineadybabyBL]

He has the best job in the world 😂

[@daniellejelley6025]

Can you recreate the chuck e cheese cheesy crust pizza next?

[@sarahwatts7152]

I'm curious about the side by side comparison between the original and the adaptation

[@erzsebetkovacs2527]

Why the olive oil, specifically, for shortening in your recipe? Is it meant to compliment the chocolate flavour with its own characteristic flavour, perhaps?

[@fernandosouza7746]

Stella Parks favorite chocolate Devil’s food cake ❤. Eric ❤

[@yoonibaby]

Why am I not your colleague😩

[@MrJackKnightSays]

Is there anything Eric can't do?

[@miriam796]

Okay, "FREE" is not reality.

[@lc96wa]

I didn’t have to watch it all, which one was it?

[@AltoidX700]

Really enjoyed the taste testing with the exception of the teeth dragging on the fork. So annoying!

[@jml4774]

The Buddha statue in the mantle...sigh...

[@shllybkwrm]

What about it?

[@F-Los]

I'm getting garbagetrashshitcake vibes

[@bettyandthebeakers]

Why in the ... does a NYT cooking show have cooks who are this pitiful at their craft trying to duplicate a pile of yuck from chuck e cheese?? Come ON!