Chocolate Fudge Cake with the BEST Chocolate Frosting ever!
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A moist chocolate fudge cake sponge, topped & filled with THE BEST chocolate frosting you will ever make!
So let me introduce to you the only chocolate fudge cake recipe that you are ever going to need. I realise saying that this contains the BEST chocolate frosting ever is quite a statement, but I honestly think it is – its so delicious! I also realised after my Facebook requests post that I hadn’t actually posted my go-to chocolate cake recipe!
This recipe is what I’d make a bruce cake out of to make a Matilda cake, it’s the cake I would use when I am craving chocolate, it’s the recipe I would use if you want something epic and indulgent – it is epic.
A classic bake
When I posted my recipe for my Victoria sponge – celebration cake I knew you all loved the classics, so I hope this suits well too! However, this cake is so much more indulgent. You can easily make a chocolate version of my Victoria sponge, but this is definitely more dense, and more chocolatey. It’s basically heaven in a bite.
This is the sort of cake that you want to have a slice, and then shove it all in your face. Yes its gooey, and has many more ingredients then you think it probably should have, but it is WORTH IT. Honestly, worth it. It also does seem a little faffy, but again.. its worth it!
Layering it up with the best frosting on the planet, and you will want to devour every single crumb. Because of how it bakes however, it can often take a long time in the oven, and even sometimes less. It’s all down to the mixing!
The cake mix
This recipe will sound like a lot of ingredients, but it’s worth it. Melt the chocolate and butter, and then mix everything into one big bowl… you don’t need a mixer for this bit.
- Chocolate – when making this, you want to use dark chocolate in the mixture for best results. I always use 70%+
- Butter – unsalted butter, or baking spread, will work for the sponges
- Coffee – this is mentioned below, but trust me…
- Flour – I use plain flour, as your raising agents come elsewhere so you don’t need self raising flour. It’ll make the sponge too delicate
- Cocoa – I like my cake super chocolatey, so I add this in as well as the chocolate
- Raising agents – baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda for this beauty of a cake
- Sugar – a mixture of brown sugar and caster sugar is wonderful – all of one, or all of the other works perfectly though
- Eggs – I use medium eggs in my baking, but 3 large would work instead of 4 medium
- Buttermilk – this is an important ingredient – you can make your own though with 1tsp of lemon juice mixed into 75ml milk
Coffee
Chocolate cake is one of those classics that you don’t want to mess with, but sometimes they can be terrible, or not chocolatey enough, or just not moist enough. I have seen over the past few months that people use coffee or instant coffee in a chocolate cake of forms to make the cake more moist and chocolatey – so I tried this!
I personally cannot taste the coffee, and neither could my family – however, If you don’t like coffee, or never buy it then no worries – you can use just water, but the depth of flavour might not be the same!! Please please PLEASE trust in using the coffee though – I really am sure that you will love it! It just makes it basically the best sponge ever!!!
The BEST EVER frosting
The magical ingredient in the chocolate frosting is the evaporated milk – I discovered this after trawling through the internet for hours on end and found a couple of mentions that it might be better – and holy smokes it was.
- Butter – for this frosting, you MUST use a block butter. You do not want to use any form of spread
- Sugar – icing sugar, as always
- Cocoa – a nice rich cocoa powder is best, I use a 100% cocoa powder
- Vanilla – a little bit of vanilla, as always again
- Evaporated milk – this is so important. Condensed milk is not a substitute, if you can’t get evaporated milk, add double cream whipped in really well, but it’s still not quite the same
Tips & tricks
I do NOT use an electric mixer for this cake recipe, because it will most likely over do it. I just do each bit by hand, and then fold it all together to get a thick fudge cake that bakes to perfection. However, a mixer is good for the frosting side of things!
It is very soft, so it can be difficult if you want to spread the cake in buttercream, so I find its easier just to make layers. If you do want to cover it, you’ll need to refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes to firm it slightly first, and it’ll be easier
- This cake will last for 3-4+ days at room temp
- You can freeze this cake for 3+ months
- I use this cocoa powder
- I use this dark chocolate
- I use these cake tins for this bake
Chocolate Fudge Cake with the BEST Chocolate Frosting Ever!
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 225 g dark chocolate
- 225 g unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp instant coffee granules
- 125 ml boiling water
- 175 g plain flour
- 25 g cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 200 g white/golden caster sugar
- 200 g light brown sugar
- 4 medium eggs
- 75 ml buttermilk
Chocolate Frosting
- 250 g unsalted butter (not stork)
- 500 g icing sugar
- 50 g cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 100-125 ml evaporated milk
Decorations
- Sprinkles
- Anything!
Instructions
For the Cake!
- Preheat the oven to 160ºc/140ºc fan and grease & line two 8″/20cm cake tins – leave to the side.
- In a heatproof bowl, microwave the dark chocolate & butter until melted
- Pour the coffee granules into the boiling water and mix – add the coffee to the chocolate/butter mix and stir well until smooth!
- In a separate large bowl add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarb, sugars and mix well so the ingredients are all mixed with each other well
- Mix the eggs with the buttermilk – and then add all the ingredients together and stir
- Pour the mixture into the two tins and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes (can take a little longer in some ovens)
- Once baked leave to cool in the tin and remove afterwards
For the Frosting!
- With an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until its very smooth and supple (couple of minutes)
- Gradually add the icing sugar & cocoa powder alternatively with the evaporated milk until all is incorporated and add the vanilla essence – beat for a couple of minutes so its extra smooth & creamy.
- The more evaporated milk you add the more runny it’ll be, and I have found about 100ml-125ml is perfect for me! If it's a little hotter weather however, you may find you need less!
For the Decoration!
- Decorate your cake how you like and ENJOY! I spread half my buttercream on the first cake, add the second sponge and repeat!
- And then I sprinkle on all sorts of sprinkles!
Notes
- This cake will last for 3-4+ days at room temp
- You can freeze this cake for 3+ months
- I use this cocoa powder
- I use this dark chocolate
- I use these cake tins for this bake
ENJOY!
Find my other Cake Recipes on my Recipes Page!
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J x
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Hi Jane, would this work as a chocolate orange fudge cake? I have used this recipe loads and it’s my favourite chocolate cake, and I’d love to make a chocolate orange version, but I wasn’t sure if orange would affect the coffee, and if it doesn’t, how much orange extract would you add?
The orange would be fine! I would use 1.5tsps x
Hi Jane
Can you check the cake is done by the clean toothpick method? Just asking as I wasnt sure if the stick is supposed to come out clean as it’s a fudge cake!
Thanks
The skewer should still come out clean when baked!
I love this cake, also like making as the tin loaf,
I am going to be making this cake for my little boys birthday but want to fondant ice over the top to decorate, do you have any suggestions as this is my first time doing this?
Oooh.. I will say this cake isn’t the easiest base as it’s very soft, and so if the frosting! You’d have to bake and fill the cake, and cover with a thinner layer of frosting as a crumb coat, and then probably freeze the cake for a while to firm it up enough to add fondant on top!
Love this recipe, I have left over frosting, is there anything I can make/do with it? I hate wasting things
It can freeze! x
HI jane
I’m making this for my husbands 25th Birthday, I have some Icing props to put on the cake and wondered if they will stick on fine with just adding butter cream at the sides. Would adding more butter cream down the sides make this a little sickly?
Thanks! Mariam x
The frosting on this cake is quite soft so may not stand on the sides too well is my only reservation – unless you add less evaporated milk to make it slightly firmer!
Hi, I’ve tried your chocolate fudge cupcakes which are amazing by the way! I wanted to try this one next in two 4” tins, do I need to change the recipe slightly to go with this or will it be alright how it is?
You would DEFINITELY have to reduce the recipe by at least half! (In reality, volume wise you would need about 1/3 of the mix as 4″ tins really are small!) X
Hi there. I am dying to try this cake recipe. It looks delicious but I only have two 6×4 inch cake tins. Would this work in these. Thank you
I usually say to use about 2/3 of a recipe for 6″ tins – the risk with not changing it is that the sponges may not bake so well in the middle (although they will eventually, just takes a long time!) x
Should I double the recipe and bake in 4 tins if I want a good size drip cake?
Yes!
Hi Jane. I’ve made this cake before and so delicious so yah ja for the recipe. I need to make it as an 8 inch drip cake. Do you recommend doubling mixture and bake in 4 tins to get 4 good size layers please ? Thanks x
I’ve made this cake and it’s amazing! I know the sponge is soft and crumbly but do you think a normal butter cream would work as a crumb coat and then to ice it so it can be like a drip cake ?
As long as you really chill the sponges first, so they are easier to crumb coat, it would work!! x
Hello! Would the frosting pipe well onto the cake like a buttercream would?
Many thanks! 😊
It is slacker than most, so it depends what piping you want to do. Best bet is to reduce the evaporated milk slightly so it’s firmer x
For homemade buttermilk, Would I just use the same amount of regular milk with lemon juice added please? So 75ml of whole milk with some lemon juice? Can’t wait to try xx
Yes that is correct – I would use 1 tsp lemon juice for that amount of whole milk x
Hi Jane! I love love love this cake in the traybake version, it’s always a major hit at work. I brought loads of Oreos and was wondering if the Oreo buttercream recipe you have on your blog will be suitable for this cake? I note you have a separate recipe for the Oreo cake but I just love the buttermilk in this cake as it is so so moist so wanted to use this a base. Love love love your recipes thank you so much for sharing!
You can use whatever buttercream you want with whatever cake really! This sponge is soft though so its worth chilling before decorating with the Oreo buttercream as its thicker and harder to spread than this one.
Hi, could i use stork for the cake sponge? Or would it have to be block butter?
Yes you can use stork
I love chocolate. But I have to say this was a little too much for me and my palette. My mother however couldn’t get enough of it! The chocolate frosting! LOVED IT!