Chocolate Cake Recipe

Here’s my go-to chocolate cake recipe. It’s a rich, slightly fudgy cake with a really good chocolate fudge frosting. If you’re looking for another delicious dessert, try our easy moist chocolate cake recipe. I’ve tweaked the original recipe a bit to make the cake layers a little sturdier, but it still tastes just as good.

Ingredients

For the Cake

• ○ 210 grams (1 ¾ cups) all-purpose flour
• ○ 50 grams (½ cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
• ○ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ○ 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ○ ½ teaspoon salt
• ○ 170 grams (¾ cup) unsalted butter
• ○ 200 grams (1 ¼ cups) dark chocolate (50% or semi-sweet)
• ○ 80 grams (⅓ cup) cold milk
• ○ 300 grams (1 ½ cups) white granulated sugar
• ○ 1 ½ tablespoons instant coffee powder
• ○ 70 grams (⅓ cup) unflavored vegetable oil (like canola)
• ○ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or essence
• ○ 3 large room temperature eggs
• ○ 110 grams (½ cup) very hot water

For the Fudge Frosting

• ○ 226 grams (1 cup) whipping or heavy cream
• ○ 400 grams (2 ½ cups) dark chocolate (50% or semi-sweet)
• ○ 226 grams (1 cup) unsalted butter
• ○ 170 grams (1 ⅓ cups) powdered sugar
• ○ ½ teaspoon instant coffee powder
• ○ ½ teaspoon salt
• ○ 4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• ○ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or essence

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) for conventional ovens. If using a convection oven, lower the temperature.
2. Grease two 8-inch cake tins. Make sure to line the bottoms of the pans too, as this rich cake can stick. Set them aside.
3. In a bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk or use a fork to mix it well, then set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the unsalted butter and dark chocolate. Melt this in the microwave in 30-second bursts, mixing between each, until it’s smooth. You can also do this on the stovetop over low heat. Be careful not to overheat the chocolate. This technique is similar to making an easy chocolate ganache recipe for smooth desserts.
5. Once melted, add the cold milk to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. This helps cool it down.
6. Next, add the granulated sugar, instant coffee powder, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and eggs to the chocolate mixture. Whisk everything until it’s well combined. This process is crucial for a rich dessert like a cake, or even a decadent homemade chocolate cheesecake recipe.

7. Add the reserved dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix until it’s smooth, but try not to overmix.
8. To finish the batter, pour in the very hot water and mix gently until smooth. Again, don’t overmix.
9. Divide the batter evenly between your two prepared cake tins. You can weigh them to be sure.
10. Gently drop the cake tins on the counter a couple of times to release any large air bubbles.
11. Bake for 38 to 40 minutes. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Don’t open the oven door too early; wait at least three-quarters of the baking time before checking.
12. Let the cakes cool in their tins for about 20 minutes.
13. Run a thin knife around the edges of the cakes to release them, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Making the Fudge Frosting

1. Put a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the whipping cream and heat it until you see small bubbles forming around the edges. Don’t let it boil.
2. Reduce the heat to low. Add the dark chocolate, unsalted butter, powdered sugar, instant coffee powder, salt, unsweetened cocoa powder, and vanilla extract.
3. Gently stir everything until it’s completely melted and smooth. Be patient and keep the heat low to avoid burning the chocolate. As soon as it’s melted, take it off the heat. For other frosting ideas, explore our easy tips for perfect buttercream frosting.
4. Strain the frosting mixture to make sure there are no lumps.
5. Cover the top of the frosting with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming as it cools.
6. Chill the frosting in the fridge for about 2 hours, or until it’s set and silky smooth when you stir it.

Assembling the Cake

1. Once your cake layers are completely cool, you can trim the tops if you want them extra flat.
2. Place the first cake layer on your cake stand. Spread a generous amount of the fudge frosting over the top.
3. Carefully place the second cake layer on top.
4. Spread more frosting over the top and sides of the entire cake.
5. Use a cake scraper to smooth out the sides, and an offset spatula to pull the top edge of the frosting towards the center for a neat finish.
6. If you have any frosting left, you can put it in a piping bag with a star tip and pipe some swirls on top for decoration.

This chocolate cake is really good. It’s got a rich chocolate flavor, and that fudge frosting just makes it even better. If you like chocolate cake, you should definitely give this one a try, or perhaps try our moist chocolate loaf cake with rich fudge frosting next.