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The most amazing, ONE BOWL, Fudgy Chocolate Cake is so rich and decadent, with the perfect balance of fluffy and fudgy!
Finished with an amazing ganache, this Best Fudgy Chocolate Cake is coming at you in true chocolate form!
Chocolate Cake
A good chocolate cake recipe is so hard to come by, just like a good brownie recipe. There are always high hopes and promises of what you’re looking for, but the delivery can be opposite and sometimes less than what you’re craving.
While I’ve tried so many chocolate cakes over the years, and failed following so many different recipes, it was time to take matters into my own hands and come up with the best chocolate cake we’ve ever had. That’s a HUGE call to make, I know. As a result…this one takes the cake.
Chocolate Cake RECIPE
Just the same as these Best Fudgy Cocoa Brownies, I wanted FUDGY, but being a cake, I wanted FLUFFY — and MOST OF ALL I wanted uncomplicated steps. No melted butter combined with an abundance of chocolate; melted on the stove in a pot, then a dry mix combined in one bowl and a wet mix combined in another bowl, and a headache plus 2 pain killers and a bottle of vino later…..a cake is born.
This one is different. One bowl. No beaters or kitchen aids and zero sifters or pans. Just a humble bowl and a wooden spoon. No pain killers or wine needed.
This fudgy chocolate cake took many MANY batches to perfect the right balance of flour, oil, cocoa powder and baking powder.
Finally I did it. Look at THAT! ⬇ SUPER fudgy and MOIST! We almost loved this fudgy chocolate cake as much as (or the same as) those brownies. I said, almost.
The most perfect ganache using ONLY a small saucepan to make it. No separate bowls or metal bowls, or whatever. So uncomplicated, you won’t believe it until you try it. It’s a matter of heating cream > adding in the chocolate chips > waiting for it to melt > stir > done. Even the laziest person could pull this cake off.
Me, being the laziest person.
I know this is an all out decadent recipe, BUT this cake uses only half the amount of oil usually found in chocolate cakes, less flour, no butter, while keeping a maximum rich chocolate flavour. Also, a sugar substitute can be used such as a natural granulated sweetener that measures 1:1 with sugar to reduce calorie count.
HOW TO MAKE A CHOCOLATE CAKE
The easiest, MOST amazing, and BEST chocolate cake, using simple ingredients and little time and effort to pull together. The batter is watery when you first mix it together, but it’s meant to be that way. That’s where the fudge-like texture comes in!
Some Tips:
I use a dark, unsweetened cocoa powder for maximum chocolate richness. You can use Hershey’s Unsweetened Cocoa powder if you wish. Remember: the darker the cocoa powder, the richer and darker the cake.
Do not substitute the oil for melted butter.
You can use full fat milk, reduced fat milk, 2% or skim.
The coffee in this recipe CAN NOT be tasted, but allows a rich chocolate taste to shine right through.
Please try not to over bake it as that will dry out this cake. Check it after 30 minutes with a toothpick inserted into the centre. If too much batter sticks to the toothpick, continue baking for another 10 minutes and check again. Our cake baked at exactly 45 minutes, and the toothpick was a little dirty when it came out. THIS is the result you will be looking for if you’re wanting a moist texture.
Make the chocolate ganache as soon as the cake comes out of the oven. It will be ready and firm enough to spread by the time the cake has cooled down completely.
The most amazing, ONE BOWL, Best Fudgy Chocolate Cake is rich and decadent, with the perfect balance of fluffy and fudgy! An ORIGINAL Cafe Delites RECIPE!
Ingredients
CHOCOLATE CAKE:
1 1/2cupsall-purposeor plain flour
1 1/2cupswhite granulated sugaror a natural granulated baking sweetener measuring 1:1 with sugar
1/2cupunsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2teaspoonsbaking powder
1/2teaspoonsalt
1/3cupvegetable oil
1largeegg
1tablespoonpure vanilla extract(20 ml)
3/4cupmilk(190 ml)
2teaspoonsinstant coffeemixed with 3/4 cup (190 ml) Boiling water
CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
1cupheavy cream or thickened cream
8ozsemi sweet chocolate chipsor dark chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease an 8-inch round cake pan (or 9-inch) with non stick cooking oil spraying. Line base with parchment paper. *SEE NOTES*
CHOCOLATE CAKE:
Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Whisk thoroughly to combine well.
Add oil, egg, vanilla and milk to the flour mixture and beat well to combine, about 30 seconds. Pour in the boiling water (with the coffee), and mix until glossy. (Cake batter is thin in consistency.)
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the chocolate cake comes out semi-clean with small amount of cake (not runny batter) on it due to the fudgy texture.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Transfer cake from the pan to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.
CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
Pour the cream into a small saucepan and heat over low heat for a few minutes. Watch that it doesn’t boil or simmer it. Once the cream is hot, turn stove off and take the saucepan off the heat.
Add in the chocolate chips; cover saucepan with a lid and let sit for a good 5 minutes to soften and melt the chocolate.
Uncover, and stir slowly first, with a spatula or wooden spoon, gradually mixing faster until ganache is smooth, creamy and glossy. Refrigerate for one hour or hour and a half until thick enough to spread (similar consistency to Nutella).
Spread evenly over the cake.
Notes
BAKING POWDER: This cake is meant to be super moist and fudgy. If you like a fluffier cake, use 2 teaspoons baking powder. Any more than that and your cake will rise too much and crack through the middle. Baking soda is not needed in this recipe.SPRINGFORM PAN (PLEASE NOTE)Springform pans are NOT 100% leakproof. Very thin cake batters such as this one will leak through the base. To combat this issue, line the base with parchment paper coming up where the sides meets the base to create a ‘cover’. Place a baking sheet on the shelf below the cake pan (or the bottom of the oven) to catch any stray drips (don’t put cake pans directly on the pan).
Hey Good Food Lovers! It’s nice to see you! My name is Karina. Welcome to Cafe Delites, my beloved space for the last 10 years where my passion for food has flourished and connected millions!
Hi, this recipe is absolutely delicious! Made it for my boys & they loved it. So moist & fudgy with a rich texture. My only problem is that it rose in the middle more than the sides:( So when I transferred it from the pan it separated in the middle. What could I have done wrong?
Start by knocking 20C off the stated cooking temperature, i.e. if it says to cook a cake at 180C, cook it at 160C. It may need a couple of minutes longer but should rise much more evenly.
With bigger cakes i.e. 10″ diameter and above I find it useful to start the cake around 140C for 15mins to start an even rising process, then turn up to 160C for the rest of the cooking time.Cakes cook from the outside in, as the outside edges are closer to the heat source meaning the middle of the cake is the last part to cook through as the heat take longer to reach that part of the cake.
HERES THE REASON
The hotter the oven, the quicker the sides of the cake cook and as they cook they form a crust meaning the cake can no longer rise at the edges. The problem is you are then left with a load of raising agent merrily doing it’s thing and reacting with heat and the wet cake ingredients to create bubbles of air and rise – and the only place it can go it the middle of the cake – hence cakes rising in the middle.
A slight rise is to be expected with any sponge type cake but this should really be no more than a gentle curve of the edges rather than a dome effect in the middle. GOOD LUCK !!!
I never rate a recipe online but had to for this one. This recipe is pure decadence! Came out exactly as described and is soooo moist. Thank you! Will definitely be returning for more recipes. All the way from London x
This recipe is amazeballs!!! Baked for the first time for my husband’s birthday. He s the Baker in the house usually but I followed the recipe to a T and it came out exactly as the author states. Never written a review for a recipe before but this one definitely deserved it!!!!
The best chocolate cake recipe and the only one you’d ever need!
I tried the exact recipe for a friend’s birthday and it was incredible. Nobody could believe that I had made it instead of a professional Baker haha!
The second time, I tried to keto it with almond flour and monkfruit/eth sweetner – I was pleasantly surprised to find that the results were excellent too!
A recipe for keeps. Thank you so much, Karina!! Love from Switzerland
This cake is incredible. I have never bothered to review a recipe online before, but this one is epic. I have to eat low fat cos of gallbladder issues, and I do 1/6 cup oil and 1/6 applesauce to lower the fat even more. Cake is still brilliantly moist and decadent. I’ll never make another choc cake again
I made this recipe last week and it came out perfect. I could have sworn I saw baking soda in the ingredients but now I don’t see it. I made the cake again and it came out lighter and not as dark fudgey looking. Did I do something wrong?
Wow is all I can say. I made this cake for my 3 year old daughters bday yesterday and it came out delicious. I really appreciate this recipe and will save it for the future. All that tasted it said it was a cake they’d gladly pay to eat. And plus it was the easiest cake to put together. Thank you for making my life sweeter.
I too saw baking soda was a part of the ingredients and added in same quantity as baking powder. seems like the authors removed the soda from it later and I liked it better with the soda.
Without the soda, cake is less fluffy! Please add it back to the recipe!
Hi Karina, we made your cake because my sis wanted a rich chocolate cake, and it was a success. Thank you, we will do it again. Though, our cake did not rise as much as the one in the photo. But it’s okay.
The first time i made it it was amazing. I really screwed it up this time it seems to have shrunk and came out thin. The last one i made was thick and fluffy. Perhaps i used self raising last time and plain flour this time??
Could you bring back the gram measurements please? It came out so well just a few weeks ago. But I don’t think I could do it again based off cups. Thank you!
Hi Jack! Not sure what happened to the recipe, it went haywire? I’ve just re-measured and re-edited everything back to the original recipe. Happy baking!
Hi, this recipe is absolutely delicious! Made it for my boys & they loved it. So moist & fudgy with a rich texture. My only problem is that it rose in the middle more than the sides:( So when I transferred it from the pan it separated in the middle. What could I have done wrong?
Start by knocking 20C off the stated cooking temperature, i.e. if it says to cook a cake at 180C, cook it at 160C. It may need a couple of minutes longer but should rise much more evenly.
With bigger cakes i.e. 10″ diameter and above I find it useful to start the cake around 140C for 15mins to start an even rising process, then turn up to 160C for the rest of the cooking time.Cakes cook from the outside in, as the outside edges are closer to the heat source meaning the middle of the cake is the last part to cook through as the heat take longer to reach that part of the cake.
HERES THE REASON
The hotter the oven, the quicker the sides of the cake cook and as they cook they form a crust meaning the cake can no longer rise at the edges. The problem is you are then left with a load of raising agent merrily doing it’s thing and reacting with heat and the wet cake ingredients to create bubbles of air and rise – and the only place it can go it the middle of the cake – hence cakes rising in the middle.
A slight rise is to be expected with any sponge type cake but this should really be no more than a gentle curve of the edges rather than a dome effect in the middle. GOOD LUCK !!!
I made this cake about 8 times now 🙂 Really nice and easy!
I made this for my twin daughters birthday, they love chocolate, brownies and ganache… a success , thank you everyone enjoyed it. So easy to make.
Thank you for the recipe. It has become our favorite cake of the house.
I never rate a recipe online but had to for this one. This recipe is pure decadence! Came out exactly as described and is soooo moist. Thank you! Will definitely be returning for more recipes. All the way from London x
This recipe is amazeballs!!! Baked for the first time for my husband’s birthday. He s the Baker in the house usually but I followed the recipe to a T and it came out exactly as the author states. Never written a review for a recipe before but this one definitely deserved it!!!!
The best chocolate cake recipe and the only one you’d ever need!
I tried the exact recipe for a friend’s birthday and it was incredible. Nobody could believe that I had made it instead of a professional Baker haha!
The second time, I tried to keto it with almond flour and monkfruit/eth sweetner – I was pleasantly surprised to find that the results were excellent too!
A recipe for keeps. Thank you so much, Karina!! Love from Switzerland
This cake is incredible. I have never bothered to review a recipe online before, but this one is epic. I have to eat low fat cos of gallbladder issues, and I do 1/6 cup oil and 1/6 applesauce to lower the fat even more. Cake is still brilliantly moist and decadent. I’ll never make another choc cake again
I made this recipe last week and it came out perfect. I could have sworn I saw baking soda in the ingredients but now I don’t see it. I made the cake again and it came out lighter and not as dark fudgey looking. Did I do something wrong?
Wow is all I can say. I made this cake for my 3 year old daughters bday yesterday and it came out delicious. I really appreciate this recipe and will save it for the future. All that tasted it said it was a cake they’d gladly pay to eat. And plus it was the easiest cake to put together. Thank you for making my life sweeter.
I too saw baking soda was a part of the ingredients and added in same quantity as baking powder. seems like the authors removed the soda from it later and I liked it better with the soda.
Without the soda, cake is less fluffy! Please add it back to the recipe!
Hi Karina, we made your cake because my sis wanted a rich chocolate cake, and it was a success. Thank you, we will do it again. Though, our cake did not rise as much as the one in the photo. But it’s okay.
The first time i made it it was amazing. I really screwed it up this time it seems to have shrunk and came out thin. The last one i made was thick and fluffy. Perhaps i used self raising last time and plain flour this time??
Hi,
I’d like to try this recipe soon. I was wondering if I could make this recipe in a bundt pan. How long would I bake it for?
Thank you:)
Hi Zuzana, my apologies for the confusion. It seems the recipe box blended two separate recipes together. I’ve just fixed it all up!
Beautiful chocolate cake! I have cut down half the sugar and it’s perfect! Thankyou so much for the recipe, will definitely make it again!
Could you bring back the gram measurements please? It came out so well just a few weeks ago. But I don’t think I could do it again based off cups. Thank you!
Hi Jack! Not sure what happened to the recipe, it went haywire? I’ve just re-measured and re-edited everything back to the original recipe. Happy baking!