Description
This Easy Chocolate Fudge Cake is a rich, moist, and indulgent dessert perfect for chocolate lovers. Made with dark chocolate, cocoa powder, and a luscious ganache frosting, it delivers deep chocolate flavor with a fudgy texture. The recipe includes a combination of melted chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs, and a splash of hot water to create a thin batter that bakes into a dense, fudgy cake. Finished with a thick, creamy ganache, it’s an impressive yet approachable bake suitable for special occasions or anytime you crave chocolate decadence.
Ingredients
Cake
- 125g / 4 oz dark chocolate chips
- 100g / 7 tbsp butter (salted or unsalted + 1/4 tsp salt)
- 1 1/4 cups white sugar (caster or superfine)
- 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs (at room temperature)
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup plain / all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp coffee granules (optional)
- 1 cup boiling hot water
Ganache Frosting
- 1 cup heavy / thickened cream (30%+ fat)
- 250g / 8 oz dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Set your oven to 150°C (300°F) for a standard oven or 130°C (265°F) if using a fan-forced oven. Grease a 22 cm (9 inch) springform cake pan and line it with parchment or baking paper to prevent sticking.
- Melt Butter and Chocolate: Place the butter and 125g dark chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. Microwave in 3 intervals of 30 seconds, stirring between each, until fully melted and smooth. Mix well to combine.
- Add Oil, Vanilla, and Sugar: Pour in the oil, vanilla extract, and sugar into your melted chocolate mixture. Stir together thoroughly to combine and help lower the batter temperature.
- Incorporate Eggs: Add the two eggs to the bowl and mix until fully incorporated into the batter.
- Sift Dry Ingredients: Sift together the cocoa powder, baking powder, flour, and coffee granules if using, adding them directly into the wet batter. Mix until smooth, though a few small lumps are acceptable. The batter will be thin.
- Add Hot Water: Carefully pour in the boiling hot water and blend it into the batter until evenly combined.
- Bake the Cake: Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour, checking at 50 minutes. A skewer inserted into the center should come out moist but with no raw batter. The cake surface may crack during baking but will settle once cooled.
- Cool the Cake: Remove the cake from the oven and carefully remove the sides of the springform pan. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack to cool completely. Once fully cooled, gently remove the cake base.
- Prepare Ganache: Place the 250g dark chocolate chips and heavy cream into a heatproof bowl. Microwave in 3 intervals of 30 seconds, stirring between each until the chocolate melts smoothly. Avoid boiling the cream.
- Thicken Ganache: Stir the ganache until smooth, then refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours or until it thickens to a spreadable consistency similar to peanut butter.
- Frost the Cake: Spread the thickened ganache evenly over the top and sides of the cooled cake. Use a teaspoon to create swirling textured patterns for an attractive finish.
Notes
- Use good quality dark chocolate chips for best flavor.
- Caster or superfine sugar dissolves better, giving a smoother batter.
- Cocoa powder should be unsweetened and of good quality.
- Plain (all-purpose) flour works best; do not use self-raising flour as baking powder is separately added.
- Adding coffee granules enhances the chocolate flavor but is optional.
- Heavy cream with 30% or higher fat content ensures a rich, smooth ganache.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before removing from the pan to prevent breaking.
- Ganache can be made ahead and refrigerated until ready to use.