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}
good day. thank you for sharing your lovely recipes. was wondering if one could print out the recipe
Sure can Aisha, click the print button in the recipe card and a printable version will pop up for you 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi! Can I bake this recipe in an 8 inch springform pan instead? Will it overflow or need more time to bake?
That will be fine Isabell, it will be taller and may need slightly longer to cook. N x
Decadent but absolutely delicious. Easy recipe to make.
Hi Nagi. Can I double the recipe and make it a 2-layer cake?
You can JJ, you’ll need to cook it in two separate cake tins though. N x
Hi Nagi! I made this cake last week. It was really like what you said – easy to make with minimal tools, forgiving (which I definitely appreciate with my crazy unpredictable oven) and taste awesome!!!!! It was so good that my hubby, who wants to control diet, can’t stop eating at supper. ;). Thank you so much for this great recipe and tips. Love it!!!
Hi nagi! It looks amazing and i really want to try this Cake. My problem is that my oven is not working right now, is it ok to use this recipe in steamer?
Hey Nagi! Absolute love for the recipe. Is there a way to make it eggless?
My 16 yo daughter made this for my husband because he’d been hinting that he deserved a sweet treat. Turned out great! We ALL loved it!!
I just made this, it’s literally on the rack cooling as we speak. My only comment is this is definitely more brownie like than “cake” like. Otis however absolutely delicious. I didn’t make the ganache because I’ve a tin of failed chocolate fudge I tried making yesterday, that’s not set but is perfect consistency for cake topping. So I literally had chocolate fudge icing lol
I loved how easy this was; one saucepan a couple measuring spoons and cups, a spoon, and cake tin. Sometimes after baking my kitchen looks like a tornado swept through a bakery, not with this though. Got to be one of the easiest yet most tasty chocolate cakes I’ve baked so far. And I’m 44, so that’s a lot of cakes it’s beaten!
It’s hard to even find cakes to buy if this quality here in the uk 🇬🇧
Hi Janie – yes that’s why I call it a “fudge cake”, but if you’re after something lighter and more chocolate cake like, try this one: https://promotown.info/chocolate-cake/%3C/a%3E N x
I made this cake last night. Didn’t line pan with parchment, but did oil it. Today, I can’t get cake out of pans. Cake is very heavy, is that normal? Help!
Can this cake be made the day before? Looking to make it for my son’s birthday!
Hi Nagi can I use olive oil or coconut oil as a substitute for vegetable oil?
I would use a neutral flavoured oil like coconut here – N x
I made this recipe and it turn out ok. Lots of scary cracks on top almost crispy.
I used a fan oven at 130c and it took 1hr 30m to fully cook. Is it the right temperature?
Hi Poovan, yes 130C for fan as noted in the recipe. It shouldn’t take that long though – that’s probably why it went somewhat crispy. Sounds like you’ve overcooked it unfortunately. The top can sometimes crack as pictured too. N x
At 50mins mark I checked the cake with a clean knife the centre was still wet.
Only the top was crispy like but the cake itself was dense, soft and delicious.
I don’t think i overcooked it but it definitely needed more time.
I made this cake. I live in Canada, so I couldn’t find thick cream, so I used whipped cream 35%. It took a while for the genache to set. The cake was delicious. The ganache, oh my! Finished it within three days. Your recipes generally are on point. Thank you.
Best chocolate cake ever and so easy to make. My 5 year old Granddaughter tells me this is her favourite cake and is waiting for lockdown to end so I can make it again for her.
Hi i would like to ask how long i can keep the cake for if stored in fridge? Thanks! It was abdolutely delish!!!!
Thanks for the recipe, so easy…I’m no baker, this cake is perfect. I am making a birthday cake and wondering if there is another cake possibly vanilla or one I can stack on top of the chocolate cake and what do I use in between the layers?
Thank you again. I can’t wait to try your other recipes. X
This is the best chocolate cake ever! Followed the recipe and it came out perfect. Will definitely be making it again. Thankyou 💞
Hi Nagi, the cake’s divine (the texture is amazing!!) except everytime I bake it at 150 it always collapses during baking – oven stays shut. Do you think increasing the temp to 180 would fix it?
Hi Julia, what type of oven do you have? 180 is too high for this recipe – but if you have trouble when baking, it could be your oven thermostat! The easiest way to test it to obtain an oven thermometer to test your oven is getting to the right temp. N x
It’s a convection oven. I do use an oven thermometer so i try to keep it at 150 but if i bake it at that temp it always sinks. Still delicious but just want to be perfect
The cake was absolutely delicious. Tasted almost like brownie. However i made the mistake of stacking it into a 3 layer cake with choc ganache. It became way too rich and dense. As they say, it’s too much of a good stuff. Lol.. I would sticked to making this a single layer cake next time and probably also reduce some sugar. Thanks for the recipe!