A very chocolatey, moist Chocolate Fudge Cake that is similar to chocolate mud cake, but not as dense. Made with both melted chocolate and cocoa, AND topped with chocolate ganache, this one is sure to satisfying your chocolate cravings!
Super easy to make, very forgiving, no stand mixer or beater. Just one bowl and a wooden spoon!
Chocolate Fudge Cake
I may be disowned as an Australian for saying this, but I’m not the hugest fan of classic Chocolate Mud Cake. I find it too dense and doughy, and it gets stuck to the roof of my mouth. It’s very……erm…..mud-like.
Duh.
Creative writing isn’t my forte, is it?? Hey – I’m a food blogger. Not a writer! 😂
So this isn’t a classic Chocolate Mud Cake because it has a bit of lift in it, but it is still way fudgier and mud-cake like than 99% of other chocolate cakes, including my own everyday Chocolate Cake. Call it a Chocolate Fudge MUD CAKE if you want!! (Bit too much of a mouthful for me…. 🙂 )
Why I love this fudge cake so much
I know there are a LOT of chocolate cake recipes “out there”. But here’s why I love this Easy Chocolate Fudge Cake so much:
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It’s intensely chocolatey – thanks to the use of both melted chocolate AND cocoa powder.
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Beautifully moist and fudgy – hence the name!
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Terrific flavour. It truly tastes of chocolate which, as odd as it sounds, is actually rarer than you might think.
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You just need a wooden spoon. No stand mixer, no electric beater.
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It’s virtually foolproof. I’ve cooked it on high for shorter periods of time, and low for longer. I’ve had to dash out of the house before it was fully cooked and left it in the oven (turned off) to finish cooking. And it always works out. Why? Because it’s so fudgey, it is actually hard to overcook so it becomes dry and it is not meant to rise very much so you don’t have to worry about that part either!
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The Chocolate Ganache Frosting is crazy easy too. Cream + chocolate, melt, mix, cool. No beating!
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Everyone goes mad over this. Chocolate on chocolate. Enough said!
How to make this fudgy moist cake
You would be forgiven for thinking you’re making a brownie when you start making this Chocolate Fudge Cake. Because that is in fact where the roots of this cake recipe is drawn from.
Did you know… The reason you see hot water in chocolate cake recipes is because it makes the cocoa “bloom”, making the cake taste more like chocolate!
↑↑↑ Crackage is normal! It’s kind of like that crinkly top of brownies – because this cake has lift in it from baking powder, it “bursts” through the crinkly top. But don’t worry, the cracks are less prominent once it cools (because it sinks a bit) and it’s completely hidden under Chocolate Ganache!
Difference between chocolate fudge cake and mud cake
I had someone on Instagram asking me what the difference is between Fudge Cake and Mud Cake so I thought I’d explain!! Chocolate mud cake is so dense that it cuts cleanly with perfect edges and virtually no crumbs.
In contrast, fudge cakes have more of a cake-like texture, like what you see in the close up of the slice at the top of this post.
Chocolate Ganache Frosting
I’m of the opinion that if we’re going to make a Fudgy Chocolate Cake, let’s really drive home the decadence and chocolate flavour by frosting it with chocolate ganache.
If you’re new to Chocolate Ganche, you’re going to really love this. Rather than beating icing sugar and butter for ages and ages like we do with Chocolate Buttercream, Chocolate Ganache is made simply with cream and chocolate that’s heated until the chocolate melts.
When hot, it’s a chocolate sauce you want to pour over everything.
When it cools, it has the consistency of peanut butter. Easy to spread and swirl on your cakes or cupcakes, and everything in between.
My everyday Chocolate Cake is beautifully moist and it’s the one I make most often.
But I figure we all need a blow out Chocolate Cake in our repertoire too. And this Easy Chocolate Fudge Cake is my blow-out Chocolate Cake recipe. It is rich. It is chocolatey. It is moist and fudgy. And I absolutely love it.
I hope you consider trying it! – Nagi x
Get your chocolate fix!
-
Everyday Chocolate Cake – try it decorated with Mirror Glaze!
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Chocolate Cream Pie (outrageous!!!)
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Easy Chocolate Fudge Cake
Ingredients
- 125g / 4 oz dark chocolate chips (Note 1)
- 100g / 7 tbsp butter , salted (or unsalted butter + 1/4 tsp salt)
- 1 1/4 cups white sugar , caster / superfine best (Note 2)
- 1/4 cup oil (vegetable, canola)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs , at room temperature
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder (Note 3)
- 1 cup flour , plain / all purpose (Note 4)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup boiling hot water
- 1 tbsp coffee granules , optional (Note 5)
Ganache
- 1 cup heavy / thickened cream , 30%+ fat (Note 6)
- 250g / 8 oz dark chocolate chips (Note 1)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 150C/300F (standard) or 130C/265F (fan). Grease a 22 cm / 9" springform cake pan and line with parchment / baking paper.
- Melt butter and chocolate: Place butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Microwave 3 x 30 seconds on high, mix in between, until melted. Mix.
- Oil, vanilla & Sugar: Add oil, vanilla and sugar, mix to combine (this brings down batter temp).
- Eggs: Add eggs and mix until combined.
- Dry Ingredients: Sift cocoa, baking powder and flour (and coffee, if using) directly into the bowl. Mix until smooth, batter will be thin. Some small lumps is ok.
- Hot water: Add hot water. Mix until incorporated.
- Bake: Pour into the cake tin and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out moist but clean. Check at 50 minutes. The surface will crack (sometimes badly!) but sill subside when it cools and gets covered with frosting so don't stress!
- Cool: Remove sides from the cake pan and transfer to a cooling rack to cool. Cool completely before carefully handling to remove base (Note 7).
Ganache (Note 8)
- Place chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl. Microwave 3 x 30 seconds, mixing in between, until chocolate melts. DO NOT let cream come to boil.
- Stir chocolate until smooth. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours or until thickened to a spreadable consistency like peanut butter.
- Spread over the cake - tops and sides. Use a teaspoon in a swirling motion to achieve the textured surface you see in the photos.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Chocolate Fudge Cake recipe published May 2016. Recipe slightly updated November 2018 with improved cake texture and a more streamlined process. New photos, new video, new words!
LIFE OF DOZER
I shooed him outside thinking that brown smear on his head was 💩
Turns out it was ganache 😂 It was driving him crazy trying to figure out a way to get to it! {PS No I never give him chocolate! I have no idea how it got there}
Amazing recipe to try this.
Me too. I wondered if I could put fondant icing on top of the panache. Maybe the oil content would stain through. Also using Red velvet for a layer.
Not sure what went wrong! It was v dense:(
Hi Katherine, did it resemble the pictures here? It is a fudge cake, so not as light as a basic chocolate cake, but shouldn’t be super dense. N x
hi Nagi, this recipe looks awesome and easy. Could whole wheat flour be used instead of plain flour? Tx, Diana
Hi Diana, I can’t say without testing sorry – it will change the texture and flavour. N x
Which of your chocolate cake recipe’s would you recommend for a three tiered wedding cake? Can I freeze the cake and the ganache a week earlier and do the buttercream on the day?
I have made your chocolate cake with glaze with outstanding results-Thanks so much Nagi.
Hey Nagi, I would absolutely love to try this recipe but was wondering how long it stores well for as im looking to make it 2days in advanced for a birthday? Thanks heaps! I absolutely love all your recipes I try!
Hi Queenie, it will be fine 2 days in advance, or you can even make it sooner and freeze, then thaw and frost the day when you need it 🙂 N x
If made a day or two in advance, should it be kept in the fridge or not? Thanks.
Very good recipe. The cake was as easy to make as Nagi said and turned out satisfyingly dense, moist and very flavoursome without being overly rich. I made it for my father’s 86th birthday – it was a winner 🏆
Thats fantastic Miriam, I hope he had a great birthday!! N x
Great cake! We made it with a couple minor alterations (used hot chocolate milk instead of hot water, skipped the coffee) for my husband’s birthday, and we all enjoyed it very much. Thank you for your interesting, reliable recipes, Nagi!
Hi I tried the cake mine did not turn out light and cake texture like yours where did I go wrong? Otherwise the taste is good
If I wanted an orange chocolate cake do you think 1 Tbsp orange zest would be enough?
Sounds perfect Valerie!! I would maybe try 2 tbls in this one! N x
Would it be possible to double this recipe in order to make a 2 layer cake? It sounds delicate so am afraid it could fall apart. Thoughts?
I would probably make it in 2 tins and then layer, rather than trying to make it in 1 and split it. Often a heavier cake will collapse in on itself as it can’t support well.
As this is a dense cake would it be suitable for gluten free flour ? Have friends coming to stay and would love to able to do a cake, have everything else organised.
Hi Jo – give this one a go! https://www.recipetineats.com/flourless-chocolate-cake/ N x
Hi,
Can you please tell me how to manage the portions/ quantity of ingredients if i make it in 7 inch pan. Very urgent. Want to make this tomorrow for my son’s bday.
Hi Madhulina, if using a round pan, I would scale to 9 servings. I would also check the bake at around 40 minutes. N x
It turned out so tasty. Thanks much Negi. Can you please suggest the appropriate proportion for a 5 inch cake? Please. I mean how much should the quantities be in cups or grams.
Hi Nagi, I’ve researched a few recipes and your’s sounds perfect but I wondered if it would work as a 2 layered birthday cake?
This is a superb cake. It turned out just as you had said, easy and supremely chocolatey!
I have a request: could you provide the temperature at which the ganache is peanut butter like? I was anxious about missing the right moment for proper firmness and spread it on while slightly softer. It did not run off but it did not hold the swirls beautifully like yours. My daughter made it, waited too long and had some harder chocolate bits in hers.
Also might it be better to stir the ganache every 15 min or so to avoid the tendency toward edge hardening?
Lastly, I used Guittard semi-sweet chocolate chips and the result was amazing and stayed glossy!
I remain your humble servant Queen Nagi!
Oh my god! This is the best chocolate cake ever! Love love love it! You are my go to for all baking recipes…love all the cakes from your recipes
Hi Nagi, I just posted the following question on Facebook, but you requested I put it via the recipe page so here goes: I have just come across your Chocolate Fudge Cake recipe, which I am very much looking forward to making. I have one query though: you equate 1 1\4 cups white sugar to 275 grams. Surely one of these measurements has a typo? Should it be 2 1\4 cups= 275 grams or 1 1\4 cups= 175 grams? I realise loads of people have already made this cake, so I may well be way out with my conversion! Either that or people baking in metric and cups get very different results! Thank you very much! Marjolein
I used to make mud cakes for birthdays etc but after trying this it is FUDGE CAKE ALL THE WAY!!! Thank you Nagi…you are a food genius!!!😍🤗
It was sooo delicious. I spooned in to my mouth savouring each bite. It filled me up but I couldn’t stop😂. I loved it, and I’m making it again today. Trying to couple it up with the brigadiero. Thank you sooo sooo much