Best Chocolate Cake in the World?

I'm not big into hyperbole, but apparently this international chain of bakeries started in Brazil likes to toot its own horn. They call their establishment The Best Chocolate Cake in the World. Really?! The jaded New Yorker in me was a little intrigued by this, and personally I couldn't walk past this shop and not stop in.

Well, the shop is pretty, but what about the cake?

The Traditional Chocolate Cake slice

The pic above is not really a fair representation of the slice I got to go. I was in a rush and kept it in my bag for about an hour, so I don't think it looks as pretty in the pic as it could.

So how did it taste? Well, maybe they make chocolate cake a little differently in Brazil. The cake tasted more like a cross between a tart and a cake: very thick with little to no give. There was no lightness and not much spongy feel that I think cake should have on occasion. I like flourless cakes, but I was hoping for something more traditional, I guess? The glaze that graced the top was more about decoration than function. I'm not sure if it really helped the taste of the cake all that much. It wasn't as sweet as you'd imagine chocolate being. This chocolate cake was more about highlighting the richness of chocolate as opposed to satisfying your sweet tooth.

A good change of pace from what's being offered as chocolate cake? Yes. The Best Chocolate Cake in the World? Probably not.

The Best Chocolate Cake in the World

55A Spring Street

New York, NY