For best results, use an electric mixer. If the recipe calls for all-purpose flour, use a Southern soft wheat such as Martha White or White Lily, if available in your region. These are higher in starch and lower in protein than bread flours or other brands of all-purpose and will yield lighter cakes. If the recipe calls for cake flour, which is the highest in starch and lower in protein, use it. Sift flour before measuring it.
Sifted flour allows more uniform absorption of liquid in the batter.
For intensely flavored chocolate cake, use cocoa. It imparts a fuller flavor than bar chocolate. For the best chocolate flavor, use water instead of milk. To suspend chocolate chips in cake batter, either coat them with flour beforehand or fold them into an acidic batter, such as one with sour cream. Acid coagulates the eggs in the batter and sets the cake's structure before the chips can fall to the bottom.