Easy Chocolate Fudge Cake (Print Version)

Rich, squidgy chocolate cake with smooth chocolate icing—perfect for celebrations or indulgent teatime treats.

# Components:

→ For the Cake

01 - 7 oz unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
02 - 7 oz dark chocolate (minimum 50% cocoa solids), chopped
03 - 8.8 oz light brown sugar
04 - 3 large eggs
05 - 7 oz all-purpose flour
06 - 1.5 tsp baking powder
07 - 0.25 tsp fine sea salt
08 - 1.8 oz cocoa powder
09 - 5 fl oz whole milk
10 - 1 tsp vanilla extract

→ For the Chocolate Icing

11 - 5.3 oz dark chocolate, chopped
12 - 3.5 oz unsalted butter
13 - 7 oz powdered sugar, sifted
14 - 3 tbsp whole milk

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F (160°C fan). Grease and line two 8-inch round cake tins with baking paper.
02 - In a heatproof bowl, melt the butter and chocolate together over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs together until pale and thick.
04 - Stir in the melted chocolate mixture, followed by the vanilla extract.
05 - In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder.
06 - Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, alternating with the milk, until just combined and smooth.
07 - Divide the batter evenly between the prepared tins.
08 - Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
09 - Cool the cakes in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
10 - Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Remove from heat.
11 - Gradually beat in the powdered sugar and milk until the icing is smooth and glossy.
12 - Place one cake layer on a serving plate, spread with a third of the icing. Top with the second cake and cover the top and sides with the remaining icing. Smooth with a palette knife.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's genuinely hard to mess up—the moisture from the melted chocolate does most of the work for you.
  • That moment when you crack into the cake and it's still just tender enough to hold together but soft enough to practically melt is pure comfort.
02 -
  • Don't bake the cakes until they're completely dry inside—that slight moistness means they'll be tender and fudgy, not dense and disappointing.
  • Let the chocolate mixture cool for a minute before stirring it into the eggs, or the heat will start cooking the eggs and you'll end up with scrambled-egg-flavored chocolate, which is as bad as it sounds.
03 -
  • If your icing seems grainy after beating in the icing sugar, it means the chocolate was too cold or the butter wasn't soft enough—just warm it gently over a pan of hot water while stirring and it'll come right.
  • A palette knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry makes smoothing the icing infinitely easier and gives a more polished finish with less effort.
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