At first glance, you might think the Chocolate Cake Quilt Block is a 5x5 design, and technically it is. But a simpler construction is to draft the block as a 9-patch (3x3 grid).

This block pairs well with any 9-patch block, but especially those with SNS (diamond square) units, such as the Kansas Star Quilt Block. Other good pairings are:

• Rolling Stone
• Sawtooth
• Brickwork