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
© Jane’s Patisserie. All images & content are copyright protected. Do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words and credit me, or link back to this post for the recipe.
Hi Jane
Can I use stork instead of butter for the cake mixture? Or will this dry the sponge out a bit? Thanks 🙂
Hiya! This will be fine – just be sure to use unsalted butter for the frosting! Enjoy! x
I want to make a chocolate pomegranate cake for a birthday. Can I swap out some of the liquids for pomegranate juice and how would you recommend doing this? Or is there a better way to do it? I’ve made this recipe before and it was great, this time I’m going to try increasing the recipe to make it 3 layers and using a firmer buttercream.
Thank you 😊
Hi Jane! This is my go-to chocolate cake recipe! I am planning on making it for my Mum’s birthday in November – but have a couple of questions! Do you know how this freezes? Have you tried it and found that it effects the texture? Secondly, I was planning on using it as the base tier of a two tier cake (your pistachio and white choc cake for the top). Providing I dowel it correctly etc, do you think this cake would be ok as the base tier, as I know how delicate the crumb can be.
Thank you! 🙂
Hiya! It freezes perfectly – for up to 3 months! And this should be absolutely fine, hope this helps! x
Hey Jane, if I want to cover this completely with the frosting and then load chocolate on top after doing a drip, will I need to increase the quantities for the frosting to do a crumb coat and cover? By how much?
Hiya! I would increase it by double just to be safe – however this frosting is very soft so may not withstand a drip very well! Hope this helps! x
Hey! Did you try this in the end? How did it turn out? I was hoping to do the same for my son’s birthday cake!
Hi Jane. I’ve just made this cake and the cake is stunning but not sure on the icing. This is the first time I’ve ever used evaporated milk. I followed your instructions to the letter but found the icing to somehow separate from the cocoa? Every time I’d put a spatula through it the milk would be apparent at the top and the icing was darker at at the bottom. Is this normal? Does this mean it’s separated? I’ve tasted it and it’s not grainy …
Hiya! How have you mixed it? I sounds like it isn’t quite beaten together properly yet! Hope this helps! x
Hi Jane,
I’ve made this a couple of times and it’s delicious. Is it possible to cover the whole cake in a white chocolate buttercream? If so, how would I adapt the buttercream or is there another recipe you’d recommend? Sorry if it’s already been answered, I tried reading through the comments but there are a lot 🙂 Thank you!
Hiya! Yes absolutely worth a go – take a look at my White Chocolate Drip Cake recipe. Hope this helps! x
Hi Jane, this is a fantastic recipe, quick question how would i scale this this down for a 6inch tin please?
Many Thanks
Hello Jane,
I read most of the comments but there are so many that I couldn’t find exactly my query. So I made your cake and it is sooooo crumbly I understand why etc from your previous answers, so I was wondering as I always do. I will freeze them and when I want to decorate with frosting will do so still frozen so the cakes don’t crumble even more. Is that a good plan? But as the frosting for this recipe won’t keep it all together as you said before – shame as it sounds amazing – should I crumb coat it first, refrigerate and then use the frosting for this recipe inside and on top only? Or do you recommend I use a completely different frosting recipe of yours? Thanks for advising, I hope you see my post before Saturday, for my sons birthday. Best wishes and I love all you recipes btw Mayna
Hiya! Freezing the sponges to then decorate is a great idea – and once thawed it should hold fine! Hope this helps! x
Hi,
How would I scale this up to make a 10” cake please?
Hi!
I’m wanting to make this as a 3 layer 10” cake. How can I scale this recipe up for that amount?
Thanks!
Hi
Hoping I can make this and turn it into an Easter cake with chocolate fingers around the edge and mini eggs on top. Will the frosting be OK for this?
Thanks xx
Yes absolutely you can! Enjoy! x
Hey Jane….lovely recipe and i’d like to make it but I have 2 questions before I start. #1, being in the US, can you please tell me what Golden Caster Sugar is. I see you have 200 g Light Brown Sugar in the recipe as well. I know regular caster sugar is fine white but I haven’t heard of golden caster. #2. In the frosting you have 250 g Unsalted Butter (not stork) listed. What is meant by not stork? I am not familiar with what that means. Thank you for the recipe, it looks fantastic and I can’t wait to try it out.
Stork is like margarine, not suitable for butter cream. You could use white caster sugar or super fine sugar 😊
Hi Jane,
Is the buttermilk a must in the recipe or can I opt out? thanks
Hiya! Buttermilk is an important ingredient in this recipe so you cannot leave it out – however you can make your own with lemon juice and whole milk if you prefer. Hope this helps! x
Can you pipe this icing or is it too soft? I’m making 18 number cakes and want to pipe between layers and on top before adding chocolates to the top.
Hiya! It can be piped, but it is not firm. So it may be worth using maybe 2/3 of the evaporated milk (and you MUST use block unsalted butter to make it!) and that should help! Also chill the cake in the fridge for a bit to firm it up after you have piped the frosting on!
I would like to ice the outside of the cake aswell – would I need to double the frosting quantity?
Hiya, yes this would work! However the frosting is quite soft – it may be best to refrigerate the cake before decorating to help! Hope this helps! x
Thank you, also, I wanted to use white chocolate for this recipe – should I leave out the cocoa powder and use a bit more plain flour?
Thanks
X
Hiya – that won’t work so well for this unfortunately, the cocoa content of the chocolate is very important!