Fudgy and moist chocolate cake with chocolate ganache

Fudgy and moist chocolate cake will have to be on everyone’s to do list! Especially with the festive season coming up this one is a goodie, makes a few servings to share and most people love chocolate. Can be made ahead of time and it actually tastes better the day after. I tested this fudgy and moist chocolate cake a fair few times and each time I was trying to get the balance of ingredients right, the texture as well as the least amount of cracking. It is a decadent cake no doubt about it.

Baking tips

In order to make the cake it is important to note a few things:
– For the recipe I used the dark Cadbury baking chocolate (45% cocoa) and Bournville cocoa powder that wasn’t as bitter as others. So it’s important to note that, in order to get the balance of the sweetness with the amount of sugar I added.
– Follow the instructions to ensure the wet ingredients are mixed first on their own and then add the dry ingredients without over mixing it to ensure the least aeration occurs.
– I’ve also made this recipe as a bundt cake but I had to make certain changes to the recipe. These included adding 1 tsp of baking powder instead of 1 ½ tsp and cooking the cake for 85min instead of 75-80min.
– The coffee and the salt both bring out the extra richness of the chocolate.
– If you are using a smaller baking dish you would expect there to me slightly more cracking due to the smaller space the batter will have to rise as well as perhaps a bit more time due to the surface area to volume ratio changing.
– The opposite applies if you use a bigger baking dish, as the batter will be more spread out and so may require slightly less time to cook.

Results of numerous recipe tests

From the results above you can see how simply changing two conditions can alter the final texture of the chocolate cake. The recipe below will give you the second result, where the cake is very moist but not as fudgy and wet as the first piece of cake above. I personally liked both results as neither of them were dry! I simply had the resulting product of the recipe below in mind when i was testing.

If you want the result of the top piece of cake – more fudgy and wet then these are the changes i made:
– I dissolved the sugar in the wet ingredients first completely rather than adding the sugar in the dry ingredients and then adding the mixture in the wet ingredients as written in the recipe.
– I baked the cake for 5-7min less at 150°C conventional (130°C fan forced). Two small changes, which gave quite a difference in texture.

How to make the ganache spread

The whipped ganache for this fudgy and moist chocolate cake is really easy to do. You just simply combine the chocolate with the cream to melt and then allow it to cool down in the fridge. It’s important though to make sure that you cover the surface of the chocolate mixture with cling wrap so that a dry crust does not form while it cools. For this recipe I whipped the ganache after it was cooled in the fridge to give it a fluffier texture and then spread.

Another alternative to making your own ganache, is getting a tub of ready-made frosting and whipping it. It is slightly cheaper overall and quicker since the chocolate mixture is already set.

The ganache may be whipped to be spread as described in the recipe or you may pour it over the cake after it is mixed from the microwave. It will thicken as it cools further on the cake.

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Fudgy chocolate cake with chocolate ganache

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

1 hr 15 mins

Cooling time

4 hrs

 

Course: Dessert

Author: Eleni Georges

Ingredients

Cake batter

• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• ¾ cup full fat milk, at room temperature
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 270 g dark Cadbury baking chocolate, 45% cocoa, 1 ½ blocks
• 100 g unsalted butter
• 1 ½ cup hot water, 375mL
• ½ tbs dry coffee granules
• 2 ½ cup plain flour, 375g
• 1 ¾ cup caster sugar, 330g
• ½ cup cocoa powder, Bournville Cadbury brand, 50g
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder, 6g
• ¼ tsp cooking salt

Ganache

• 360 g dark Cadbury baking chocolate, 45% cocoa, 2 blocks
• 200 mL thickened cream

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven at 150°C conventional (130°C fan forced). Whisk the eggs, vegetable oil, milk and vanilla extract until the mixture is consistent (for 1-2min). Set aside.

2. Break the dark baking chocolate block and butter in a heatproof bowl. Use the microwave (total of up to 2min in 30second increments, mixing in between) or the double boiler method to melt them. While the chocolate is melting, weigh the plain flour, caster sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Whisk the dry ingredients together to ensure they are evenly spread.

3. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to combine the melted chocolate/butter in the wet ingredients.

4. Dissolve the coffee in the hot water, pour it slowly in the wet ingredients while you stir. Sift the dry ingredients in the bowl with the wet ingredients slowly and beat them until well combined. Don’t over beat them though so you don’t add too much air. The batter will be a bit thin, which is the reason i avoid using any springform pans in case they leak.

5. Grease a rectangular baking dish (22x27cm) with some butter (about 15g) and then dust with about 1 tbs of flour, shaking the excess off. Pour the batter in the pan.

6. Add the cake on the middle rack of the oven, allowing it to cook for 75-80min. Leave the cake to rest in the baking dish for 10min. After that remove the cake from the baking dish by inverting it on a cooling rack. Let the cake to completely cool down on the cooling rack before adding the ganache. Probably 3-4 hours.

7. Ganache

8. Break the dark baking chocolate block in a heatproof bowl and pour in the thickened cream. Use the microwave (total of up to 2min in 30 second increments, mixing in between) or the double boiler method to melt them. Mix the chocolate slowly to combine with the cream with a spoon. Then add cling wrap over the bowl but make sure you press it down on the surface of the chocolate mixture so that it doesn’t form a dry crust.

9. Place the covered bowl in the fridge and take it out after 1 hour. The chocolate should be cool but still soft to whisk. Finally use a hand beater to whip the ganache, which will make it fluffier and higher in volume. Spread it on the cake as soon as you whip it but ensure the cake is completely cool first.

10. The cake may last up to 5 days covered with the ganache in the fridge. Just simply place it in an airtight container.