Ditch Frosting: 5 Underrated Toppings For A Decadent Chocolate Cake

Diving into a slice of chocolate cake is both comforting and exciting. When done right, this decadent treat is perfectly moist and deeply flavored, with the perfect balance of cake to frosting. But, as it turns out, you don't necessarily need a thick layer of frosting to make an unforgettable chocolate cake. You can make a stunning-looking (and tasting) cake with a multitude of other toppings.

We selected five non-frosting toppings that will perfectly complement your favorite chocolate cake recipe. Many of our choices work best on top of a single-layer chocolate cake, as opposed to a two- or three-layer dessert, but not all of them. For example, you can use our ganache and caramel picks for both the top of a cake and the inside layers, which will act as a glue of sorts, and keep the cake together. Read on for the rest of our picks, any and all of which will create an elegant and, most importantly, delicious chocolate cake that's perfect for any occasion.

You might already be aware that chocolate ganache makes a great icing for chocolate cake. Made from just two ingredients (chocolate and heavy cream), it is exceptionally smooth. Ganache differs from frosting in that the latter is often light and airy, while ganache is much more dense. It doesn't hold intricate shapes the way frosting does, so it's often just spread or poured on top of a cake and left to cool to a fudgy consistency.

Ganache is a great choice if you want to make a multilayer cake, as opposed to a single layer. In fact, you've probably already seen it used as a cake filling, even if the top and sides have frosting. If you use ganache as both a filling and icing, you'll get one exceptionally chocolaty cake. Cut the richness by serving slices with some fresh berries, or a coulis made with your favorite frozen fruit.

Chocolate and caramel are a classic combination. With this in mind, a rich, buttery caramel sauce is the perfect company for your chocolate cake. You can drizzle this delicious topping over a whole cake, but you'll want to serve it immediately, as the caramel can eventually get absorbed into the dessert. Another idea is to pour the sauce over individual slices of cake as you serve them, or drizzle the plate first and place the cake on top.

The fun part about making your own perfect caramel sauce is that you can flavor it to your liking. Add some sea salt for a delicious salted caramel, or some instant espresso powder to craft a delicious coffee-flavored caramel. You can also add a tablespoon or so of your favorite bourbon or dark rum for a boozy caramel sauce, or sprinkle in some cinnamon for a warm, comforting option that tastes excellent with chocolate.

For something simple but quite elegant, a dusting of powdered sugar over a rich chocolate cake looks enticing and lovely — especially if you scatter some fresh, ripe berries on top. You'll want to use the best, richest chocolate cake recipe you can find, and be extra careful not to dry it out because, with the lack of frosting, the cake itself will be on full display here. Yes, the powdered sugar will add some sweetness, but only to complement the cake. If you don't have powdered sugar, use a clean coffee grinder to easily pulverize granulated sugar into what you need.

After the cake is baked, make sure it is cooled completely before you add your powdered sugar to the top. If it is still warm, the sugar can melt into the cake and you won't get that gorgeous, snowy effect. To get an even coating, use a flour sifter or a fine mesh strainer to dust the sugar onto your cake.

Using cocoa powder to dust the top of your chocolate cake is similar to using powdered sugar, but it's for serious chocoholics. Because cocoa powder isn't sweetened, you'll get the deep, bitter (but not unpleasant) notes of pure chocolate. One other step you can take for extra indulgence is to dust your baking pan with cocoa powder instead of flour to keep the cake from sticking.

Major chocolate fans may want their cocoa-dusted cake just like this, but you can add a little sweetness to complement the dessert by spooning a dollop of freshly whipped cream on top. You can make this dreamy topping right at home by whipping heavy cream and powdered sugar until it's thick and creamy. A scoop of vanilla ice cream would also taste great with a cake like this. For crème anglaise, just melt the ice cream slowly and pour it over your cake or on your serving plate.

Chocolate shavings or curls are fun to make, and definitely fun to eat. When they're used to decorate, you get a fun, snappy texture, which is nice against the softness of the cake. While some bakers might temper chocolate, cool it on a hard surface, and scrape it into perfect curls, the easiest method is to shave long shards of chocolate from chocolate bars or baking bars with a vegetable peeler. You can use milk, dark, white, blonde, or ruby chocolate, or all of them.

Chocolate shavings are very fragile, so it's best to shave them right on the cake rather than on a board first. As you can imagine, if shavings are placed directly on an unfrosted cake, they can quickly fall off. To give them something to stick to, you can apply a thin layer of ganache to the top and add your shavings before it cools.