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:
It’s intensely chocolatey – thanks to the use of both melted chocolate AND cocoa powder.
Beautifully moist and fudgy – hence the name!
Terrific flavour. It truly tastes of chocolate which, as odd as it sounds, is actually rarer than you might think.
You just need a wooden spoon. No stand mixer, no electric beater.
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!
The Chocolate Ganache Frosting is crazy easy too. Cream + chocolate, melt, mix, cool. No beating!
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!
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!
Let them eat cake! 10 classic cake recipes
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}
Nagi you’ve saved the day again! I had to make an emergency Birthday cake with just the ingredients I have, which thankfully matches your recipe :)))) Thank you
This is now a firm new family favourite!! Have made it dairy free and regular, both came out excellent. Only thing I did differently was let the ganache cool in the fridge then whisked it up until it was light and fluffy! Oh and the left over makes great mousse!!
This was a really beautiful cake..everyone raved over it. All said it was the best ever..my ganache was a bit warm..so it was a delicious sauce.
Omg thank you so much Nagi for this awesome recipe! I bake all my childrens’ birthday cakes every year and my son wanted a chocolate fudge cake this time…your recipe honestly delivered that and so much more! It was so easy, fuss free and delish! I highly recommend for any busy mom as its minimal effort for great results! It truly is a foolproof recipe. I doubled the recipe and baked it in 2 separate 22cm tins. I didnt have any veg or canola oil so used peanut oil instead as I had that in my pantry and it turned out fine. I read many comments about it leaking out of the tin so decided to line the bottom of my tins with foil and it worked a treat, saved a messy oven clean up. Thanks again!
Gorgeous, moist, chocolatey cake! I used plant based cream (30% min fat) and vegan chocolate ganache – when cooled I whipped it until it was thick and moussy – SIL loved it as his birthday cake!
I have family that is non-dairy. Will. Plant butter be ok?
Great Fudge cake Nagi and music, Where can I find a copy.
Many thankx.
I don’t really like mud cakes, and I find other chocolate cakes a bit dry, so despite liking chocolate, a chocolate cake is never my go to… Until now. Wowsers! This cake reminds me of the famous Woolies chocolate mud cake (that isn’t so mud cakey) in all the right ways and more. Will be my go to from now on!
I love this recipe but so so much of the cake drips out onto the oven. Is there a way to stop this?
Also, have you considered having the amazing amazing click to stop the recipe going dark seen on cookieandkate website?
Same! When adding 250ml water at the end the battery was so thin it dripped out of the tin
This is the best chocolate cake ever! So easy soooo delicious.
My husband made this, it was delicious and he doesn’t bake ever! And it turned out perfect. Lots of compliments on it
I had a good time with this one….the cake was soooo moist….yum….But I’ve gotta work on the frosting….Don’t have a mixer… 🙂
Planning to make this soon. Wondering if it needs to be stored in the fridge or if it’s okay at room temp. Planning to make a day before a birthday. Thank you
My go chocolate cake recipe.
Leaving this comment to hopefully help others looking at this recipe.
Firstly, you must use the correct tin size. I only had a 20cm round tin on hand and this took a long time to cook. 130c fan forced, coming near two hours and the middle STILL wasn’t coming out clean… I believe this is why Nagi doesn’t offer any alternate tin size cooking times on this recipe, as it should only be done in a larger tin for a flatter cake. The middle just doesn’t cook.
Secondly, I used a springform pan and there was a small amount of spillage to the bottom of my oven. Would suggest using a normal pan if you have the time to wait for the extra cool down time.
Thirdly, the recipe doesn’t specify storage, but I read back through all the comments. To save you time Nagi has answered other questions and states she stores this at room temperature for up to four days, but I think the recommendation would be to refrigerate if you live in a hot area. Be careful as the ganache contains cream of course.
Hope this helps someone else! I don’t think I would make the recipe again, or if I did I would need to get the right tin size. A big note should go on the recipe to say it doesn’t work with smaller tin sizes, as I wouldn’t have bothered otherwise.
Thanks for this, I was about to do 2 six inch pans!
OMG, best choc cake recipe that I’ve ever made! So rich but not stodgy like a mud cake. I also have a temperamental oven but because it cooks at such a low temp, it cooked perfectly without any burnt sides.
Hi Nagi, Please HELP! I would like to make your recipe for EASY CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE for Will’s 21 Birthday cake will be held in Geelong next week-end. I wish to make a large square three layered cake in a 27..5cm square tin which I have. Please let me know how much batter/how many times the quantity for each tin – (which I will make 3 separate times) to assemble with Choc frosting & ganache & would like to finish with Mirror Glaze. Look forward to your reply Dear Nagi!
Thank you, Nagi. This is my new favourite chocolate cake recipe. This cake has made me a fan of chocolate cake again!
Hey Nagi, I am so glad I came across your Chocolate Fudge cake recipe, but I do have a question. I am making a cake for my friends birthday and she loves fudgy brownie textures and tastes. In fact, I make a chocolate crinkle cookie for xmas each year and she thinks it’s the best cookie. Anyhow, looking at all the chocolate cake recipes online, they appear to produce a lighter crumb which I know she wouldn’t like, so I then came across yours, which looks perfect. The question is that when I bake, I always use weights for dry measures as I know scooping has too much variability. For the sugar, you have 1.25 cups or 275g. However, my sugar nutrition label would equate to 250 gram for 1.25 cup. Likewise, for the flour you list 1 cup or 150g, yet my flour bag shows 1 cup equaling 120g. So, why the variation and which gram measurement should I use? Thanks.
Nagi,
You are right. What an easy and delicious cake! I made it for my friend’s 85th birthday and we celebrated at church. It was a huge hit and I will be bringing the recipe for friends next week.