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}
I just wanted to thank you for this recipe, I spent a long time looking for the right chocolate fudge cake recipe & this was perfect 🙂
I’m so pleased to hear that Lucy! I’m glad you enjoyed it, thank you for letting me know! N xx
Buen día. ¿que recipiente hermético me aconseja?
Un saludo,
Carmen
Hi Carmen – I’m sorry, my translator can’t translate this properly!!! Would you mind rewriting in English? ?
Hi Nagi,
I have just made this cake!!! it looks amazing!! I must tell you that I have only ever made a chocolate cake once before!! I only tend to make fruit cakes!! I am currently waiting for my family to come home so we can try it 🙂 I made it as a dummy run for my son’s 21st birthday as my family are all addicted to chocolate cake! I found it extremely easy to make 🙂
I hope it tastes as good as it looks..
Thank you for the recipe 🙂
I hope everyone loves it Jo! I LOVE it! 🙂
Hi Nagi,
I am wanting to put raspberries into the cake mix. Do you think I should mix the berries into the cake batter or just dot the berries on top before cooking?
Thanks
HI Melanie! Because the batter for this cake is quite thin, I would suggest tossing the raspberries in flour (so they are lightly dusted) then putting them on the cake just before cooking. The flour will help stop them from sinking. 🙂
Awesome. Thanks so much for your reply
Hello Nagi, I’ve made this delicious cake several times now and everyone asks for the recipe. I’m just wondering whether it freezes well (without icing of course)?
Hi Blanche, I’m so glad you enjoy this cake! This freezes very well, thank you for the question, I will update the recipe!
Cake recipe is super easy thank you so much. The Gnache I think is way too bitter and I don’t have a sweet tooth! I ended up adding a lot of icing sugar and extra cream but next time I will use milk chocolate. It’s all down to taste I guess. But the cake is brilliant x
Hi Nagi,
Can you please tell me whether this cake is suitable to be used as a fondant-decorated cake (due to the weight of the fondant)? Would I need to stack 2 cakes on top of each other since it doesn’t rise much? Thanks for sharing!
Hi Elaine! Definitely yes will hold up to fondant 🙂 I would not stack two on top of each other though because it is a rather dense cake so the top one would squash the bottom up especially with fondant! I think it’s tall enough for a cake 🙂 Oh, you could use a smaller pan too! It will be taller then! 🙂
Would this recipe work in a bundt pan? Do you think it would rise enough?
Hi Shannon! It will definitely work in a large bundt pan, but I think there’s too much batter for a standard or small one 🙂 You could fill the bundt pan (about 2/3 of the way up) then use the rest of the batter in another pan?
Hi Ngai! Thanks for your recipe. I am going to try your recipe the coming weekend for my husband. But I have several questions on the recipe. Can I use cake flour instead of plain flour? Also, how many g/ml is the milk and the oil as I am not sure the measurement of using a cup. And what kind of oil should I use? Sorry for asking so many.
Hi Ruby! Yes you can use cake flour, but I didn’t feel it made as much of a difference for this as it does for other cakes like Red Velvet 🙂 I use vegetable or canola oil and I’ve updated the recipe for ml measures. Hope that helps!
I made this recipe last dec. for my husband’s birthday as he just loves chocolate, it turned out as was shown in your picture here, but when I cut it, it was really very hard, like it’s so dense that it is hard to cut, I will never use this recipe again instead I will just use the standard chocolate cake recipe next time, nonetheless thank you Nagi, I’m actually a Chinese-Filipino/Canadian, 3 in 1 haha, Dozer is so adorable
Hi Ruby, I’m sorry to hear that 🙁 This cake certainly isn’t dense, in fact, I made it specifically NOT to be dense because I find mud cake too dense. Did you definitely using baking powder?? Also the video shows the consistency of the batter – was yours the same? N x
Hi, I was wondering how long this cake would keep unrefridgerated? Thanks
Hi Shahanara! 3 days in an airtight container, even 4 days is great 🙂
I was looking for a recipe like this ^^ thx
I’m gonna make it a congrats gift to my friend ^^ hope she likes it haha congrats meaning happy birthday
I hope she loves it too! 🙂
Do u think this recipe will work in a muffin tin? Thinking of making it into muffin slices for kids’ lunchbox.
Definitely! Around 25 minutes 🙂
I mean muffin sizes
Mam what can i use instead of egg….as i am vegeterian..:)
Hi Anjali,
I have used 1tb chia seed in 1/3 cup water. Let it stand for about 15 minutes before using. I have used this before and quite frankly you would not have known the difference.
Also, if you Google ‘egg substitutions’ you will find charts offering other alternatives also.
Have Fun!
Sorry I haven’t tried this eggless 🙂
Te cake was great all but for me it didn’t come out just as moist as the one shown in the video because I forgot to put parchment paper on my cake pan 😉 , Still it was great. Thanks for the recipe
I’m so glad you enjoyed it still Ali! 🙂 N x
Definitely going to try this recipe. I’m an Aussie who’s not a fan of mud cake either, waaay too gluggy in the mouth. Love,love, love your recipes and really appreciate the explanations you put with each one.
Thanks so much Kelly! Hope you love it, this is honestly my go to chocolate cake 🙂 So much easier than chocolate sponge!
Just made this tonight. It was good but I didn’t use as much sugar. I should use more sugar next time!
Lots of sugar is definitely a must in this! So glad you enjoyed it though! N xx
I am in Australia and have just made your chocolate fudge cake.I’m thrilled! It was sooooo easy and it looks like the picture. I made two smaller ones. Do I put the cake in the fridge after I put on the ganache or just a cool place. Five stars and some.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Susy! I do not refrigerate it because I like it at room temperature but it’s getting warm here. I’m in Sydney and it’s still fine, but in summer on stinking hot days I would probably refrigerate it!
Hi Nagi! I plan to make this cake later today. I went to the local supermarket here in the US and I didn’t find 70% baking chocolate. I bought 100% chocolate as well as semi-sweet. Would 100% chocolate be appropriate to use?
Thank you!
Hi Sheryn – do you mean for the cocoa powder?? I have never heard of 100% chocolate for melting!
Hi, I’m in France and the maximum fat content I can find in cream here is 30%. Will this be any good? I do hope so as this looks perfect for my husband’s birthday. He loves chocolate cake
Hi Alison! I am confident that will be just fine 🙂 If you have extra choc chips, add an extra 1/4 cup just to be sure, if you can. But honestly, the slight difference in fat will still make the ganache set, it will just be a bit softer that’s all!