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
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
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}
My cake didn’t rise 🥺I don’t know why. Any suggestions
Hi Sophie, sorry you had issues – did you use baking powder and was it in date? N x
How do I store it if I can’t finish it? Can it handle room temperature of 28 degrees?
Can this cake be frozen
I would keep it in the fridge or divide it up and freeze it. I’ve made this cake a few times and it’s amazing and so easy,
Nagi, could this recipe be used for a tall layer cake with ganache frosting?
How tall is this cake approx? Thinking to use it as a layer cake too 😊
Hi Nagi, as always I love your recipes and by the way, also your writing! You’re funny and cheeky- so different from other food bloggers. Anyhow, in always wanted to ask you why you take chocolate chips for baking and not some other chocolate. Looking forward to hearing from you!
Hi nagi
I made this cake & turned out just chocolaticious enough for chocolate lovers.. i just wNted to know if i need to bake similar cAke without eggs.. what shd i substitute it with as my frnd is allergic to eggs.
I made this yesterday, it was amazing. Thanks for the amazing fudge cake recipe.
Hi nagi, can i substitute evaporated milk for the milk in this recipe? Thank you
Hi Richaela, it’s thickens will affect the texture here sorry! Would love to know if you give it a try though! N x
I made this yesterday and it’s seriously amazing! Rich but not too dense – a definite winner, thank you for sharing Nagi!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Samantha, that’s great to hear!! N x
Thank you for sharing a wonderful recipe, so easy to bake, tastes decadent and delicious! This cake is a new family favourite.
Made this today – it was fabulous. Rich and exactly what you promised. Plus, it was super easy (my kind of baking right there). Love you, love your recipes! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Nagi, I’m not sure what went wrong with my attempt at this. It turned out more like fudge than cake. And it didn’t look like it rose at all. Could I have mixed it for too long when I was trying to get a smooth batter after adding the hot water? Thanks.
Oh no Steph!!! So the crumb of the cake didn’t look like the pictures? Did you make any changes to the recipe? Sounds like your raising agent didn’t work or is out of date – N x
No it didn’t. Unfortunately I can attach a picture here. The only changes I did make was reducing the sugar. I only used 30g it as I didn’t want it too sweet. The baking powder is fine as I tested it and it bubbles when added to hot water.
*can’t attach
Hi Nagi, how can I adjust your recipe for a 9 X13 inch tin. Do I need to double your recipe portion?
Made this cake. Wanted to make small cakes, so I put batter into 2-4 inch springform pans and a small bundt pan. Wanted to be able to share small cakes.
Found out that no matter how much I sprayed bundt pan it still stuck to bottom. Tastes great. Will just use springform pans next time.
Place a slightly dampened tea towel over the open end of the Bundt tin while it cools. Approx 20 minutes. Works every time for me. It steams the cake out!
Due to being without a kitchen for over 15 years, I haven’t made a cake in ages. New kitchen, with an oven, and this will be my first cake. Has anyone tried incorporating berries into the mix???
This looks SO good!! I was wondering, can you substitute the flour for gluten free flour?
thanks!
Omg this cake was so good. I didn’t use the coffee. I used Hershey chocolate chips and made it in a bunt pan. It only took 30 min to bake using mu covenant oven because that’s all I have to bake with. It turned out so moist, melts right I’m your mouth. Ty for the recipe
How did you keep from sticking to bottom? Sprayed a lot but still stuck. Used 2 – 4 inch springform pans and a small bundt. Wanted small cakes to share. Maybe needed to flour.
Hi, I recently made your vanilla cake that stays moist for four days. I really like the texture and wonder if that method where you whip the eggs for 7m/melt the can be applied to this? If so, I did see the recipe for your fudge cake and it still utilizes the hot water method .. thank you
Hi Angie, this is a different recipe all together, a chocolate cake using the other method would be different – something to add to my list!! N x
Amazing, so simple and fool proof. Fudgey and so moist!
THANK YOU NAGI!!
Amazing recipe to try this.