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Cake. Cake. Cake. Cake. Cake.
Cake. Cake. Cake. Cake. Cake.
Erin Perkins

10 Decadent Chocolate Cakes Worth Every Bite

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Cake. Cake. Cake. Cake. Cake.
| Erin Perkins

"A party without chocolate cake is really just a meeting," Julia Child famously said. A superior slice can party up pretty much any eating outing, particularly if the version on offer is unapologetically, indulgently, shamelessly chocolate. Sure, inventive twists on the main ingredient are welcome, be it a spirited liquor soak or a fruity companion coulis.

Decadent, peerless chocolate should remain the unobstructed star. Thankfully, there are more than a few serious choc-full contenders around town for those moments when nothing but the full-on expression of the incomparable cocoa bean will do.

Note: Map points are listed in geographical order and are not ranked. Did we miss your favorite spot? Show it some love in the comments, send us an email, or start a forum thread in its honor.

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Once Upon A Treat

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Jim’s Favorite Cake: Vegans can get their chocolate with the bakery/eatery’s gluten-free rendition with rich dark chocolate that foregoes the frosting.

Sugar Bake Shop

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Chocolate Cake: Sugar Bakeshop’s made-to-order offering is a four-layer, fudgy phenom distinguished by the bakers Bill Bowick and David Bouffard’s own simple syrup icing and featuring Colombian chocolate.
Leslie McKellar

Chocolate Cake

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Chocolate Cake: Baker Christen Reese won’t divulge just what makes her made-to- order chocolate cakes so good-old-fashioned spectacular, but high-quality chocolate and the perfect amount of sweetness is inarguably in play.

Hall's Chophouse

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Double Chocolate Cake: The ultra-luxe steakhouse amps their cake up to sixteen — by way of a sumptuous sixteen layers of perfect, assertive chocolate. Like a superior steak, it’s all about the quality of the slab, which can stand up to the heartiest Hall's entree.

Jestine's Kitchen

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Coca-Cola Cake: When it comes to a Southern staple, Coke is unquestionably it, so doctoring a standard with the go-to soda is a natural. A cult hit with visitors in search of a hometown meal with a Charleston accent, Jestine’s Kitchen doles out a Coca-Cola chocolate cake topped with a nutty glaze for a syrupy send-off after Southern-fried fare.

Le Farfalle

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Grappa Chocolate Cake: Michael Toscano’s formidable new addition to the Charleston eating scene puts an Italian accent on the treat, spiking it with grappa layering it with a German chocolate-inspired filling of coconut, pistachio and cherries. It’s finished off with a ganache sprinkled with pistachios and served with a pistachio sauce.

Charleston Grill

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German Chocolate Cake: The famed fine dining spot offers a powerfully petite personal round encasing rich, moist chocolate in a sleek ganache, and concealing a gorgeous German chocolate filling of coconut and caramel. It’s served with a coconut sorbet.

Kaminsky's

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Mountain of Chocolate: The long-standing sweet spot churns out dozens of desserts every day in every conceivable flavor, and their time-tested Mountain of Chocolate stacks up three fluffy, satisfying layers that are separated by buttercream.

Carmella Dessert Bar

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Chocolate Fudge Cake: At this newish cafe and dessert bar, an outsize mini-cake is pretty much a party on a plate, dusting its seriously sweet icing with chocolate sprinkles, and oozing with dark, glistening fudge.

Oak Steakhouse

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Chocolate Buttermilk Layer Cake: The local steakhouse serves up a tasteful sensation that brings on the buttermilk, not to mention chocolate sour cream icing, berry coulis, chocolate crumble and malted milk ice cream.

Once Upon A Treat

Jim’s Favorite Cake: Vegans can get their chocolate with the bakery/eatery’s gluten-free rendition with rich dark chocolate that foregoes the frosting.

Sugar Bake Shop

Chocolate Cake: Sugar Bakeshop’s made-to-order offering is a four-layer, fudgy phenom distinguished by the bakers Bill Bowick and David Bouffard’s own simple syrup icing and featuring Colombian chocolate.
Leslie McKellar

Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake: Baker Christen Reese won’t divulge just what makes her made-to- order chocolate cakes so good-old-fashioned spectacular, but high-quality chocolate and the perfect amount of sweetness is inarguably in play.

Hall's Chophouse

Double Chocolate Cake: The ultra-luxe steakhouse amps their cake up to sixteen — by way of a sumptuous sixteen layers of perfect, assertive chocolate. Like a superior steak, it’s all about the quality of the slab, which can stand up to the heartiest Hall's entree.

Jestine's Kitchen

Coca-Cola Cake: When it comes to a Southern staple, Coke is unquestionably it, so doctoring a standard with the go-to soda is a natural. A cult hit with visitors in search of a hometown meal with a Charleston accent, Jestine’s Kitchen doles out a Coca-Cola chocolate cake topped with a nutty glaze for a syrupy send-off after Southern-fried fare.

Le Farfalle

Grappa Chocolate Cake: Michael Toscano’s formidable new addition to the Charleston eating scene puts an Italian accent on the treat, spiking it with grappa layering it with a German chocolate-inspired filling of coconut, pistachio and cherries. It’s finished off with a ganache sprinkled with pistachios and served with a pistachio sauce.

Charleston Grill

German Chocolate Cake: The famed fine dining spot offers a powerfully petite personal round encasing rich, moist chocolate in a sleek ganache, and concealing a gorgeous German chocolate filling of coconut and caramel. It’s served with a coconut sorbet.

Kaminsky's

Mountain of Chocolate: The long-standing sweet spot churns out dozens of desserts every day in every conceivable flavor, and their time-tested Mountain of Chocolate stacks up three fluffy, satisfying layers that are separated by buttercream.

Carmella Dessert Bar

Chocolate Fudge Cake: At this newish cafe and dessert bar, an outsize mini-cake is pretty much a party on a plate, dusting its seriously sweet icing with chocolate sprinkles, and oozing with dark, glistening fudge.

Oak Steakhouse

Chocolate Buttermilk Layer Cake: The local steakhouse serves up a tasteful sensation that brings on the buttermilk, not to mention chocolate sour cream icing, berry coulis, chocolate crumble and malted milk ice cream.

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