The Best Homemade Chocolate Ganache Cake — This truly is the best homemade chocolate cake EVER. It’s topped with a smooth chocolate ganache frosting, and it requires just 10 minutes of hands on prep!
The Best Ever Chocolate Cake with Ganache
This is the easiest, one-bowl, five-minute chocolate cake from scratch you’ll ever make. I originally posted this recipe August 27, 2012 and in that time, there have been thousands of very satisfied readers out there who swear by this cake.
If you’re addicted to cake mix, you can break free. I’ve been there. I made this chocolate ganache cake without a mixer and it was ready to go from bowl to oven in less than five minutes with just a couple turns of the whisk.
I’m the first to admit that cake mixes can be great because they’re convenient, the results are nearly guaranteed, and they produce moist and light cakes.
But this chocolate cake with chocolate ganache frosting does the same. Except it’s darker, richer, and more intensely chocolaty than a cake mix chocolate cake, which is a good thing if you like a nice dark, deeply chocolaty, chocolate cake.
One way in which I kept this homemade chocolate cake moist was by adding yogurt, which can be replaced with sour cream if that’s what you have on hand. Just don’t use light or fat-free yogurt or sour cream.
Use thicker or Greek-style full-fat yogurt. You’re making a moist chocolate cake recipe, not diet food, so forego the watery diet yogurt.
I also kept the use of baking powder to a bare minimum because I find it dries out cupcakes, muffins, and cakes. This moist chocolate ganache cake recipe uses just enough to give the cake lightness and lift so that it isn’t confused with the denser and flatter chocolate slab that we all know as a brownie.
Finally, I do love butter and will almost always choose butter over oil in baking; except when baking a cake. Oil produces a moister cake in my experience.
And since all that lovely buttery flavor is going to be masked anyway from the cocoa powder, you’re not giving up anything in the flavor department and gaining worlds in the moisture category by using oil rather than butter. A win-win for oil.
What is Ganache?
Not sold on this easy chocolate cake recipe yet? Allow me to sell you on the chocolate ganache frosting.
Ganache is made by heating cream and pouring it over chocolate and I kept this ganache super simple by heating the cream in the microwave. You could heat it over the stove, but why bother?
The beauty of the ganache frosting is that even after it sets up, it still has a juicy quality to it in comparison to, say, buttercream frosting, which can become a bit hardened around the edges after it’s been exposed to air for a few hours. Crunchy frosting is never a good thing.
What’s in Chocolate Ganache Cake?
For this easy homemade chocolate cake with ganache, you’ll need:
- Egg
- Granulated sugar
- Yogurt
- Canola oil
- Vanilla extract
- Brewed coffee
- Cocoa powder
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda and baking powder
- Salt
And for the chocolate ganache frosting, you’ll need:
- Semi-sweet chocolate
- Heavy cream
- Vanilla extract
How to Make Chocolate Ganache Cake
If making chocolate cake with chocolate ganache sounds like a hassle, it’s not! Here’s an overview of how the ganache cake is made:
- Make the cake: Whisk together the egg, sugar, yogurt, oil, and vanilla.
- Add in the cocoa powder and coffee and stir to combine.
- Then add in the rest of the ingredients and whisk until just combined.
- Pour the homemade chocolate cake batter into a greased 9×9-inch baking pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Make the ganache: Once the chocolate cake is out of the oven, make the chocolate ganache frosting. Heat the heavy cream in the microwave until just starting to boil, then pour over the chocolate chips.
- Let it stand for about a minute before whisking to combine.
- Stir in the vanilla extract, then let the chocolate ganache cool for around 10 minutes to thicken up.
- Once the homemade chocolate cake is completely cool, pour over the ganache frosting. The frosting will need about 30 minutes to set up before you can dig in.
Can I Use Another Type of Chocolate for the Ganache?
There’s no sugar added to the ganache, so it’s only as sweet as the chocolate you select, which in my case was semi-sweet chocolate chips. Go as milky or dark as you enjoy.
If you don’t have chocolate chips, you can chop a bar of chocolate instead.
Do I Have to Use Brewed Coffee in the Batter?
The coffee does not make the cake taste like a coffee-flavored cake. Rather, it brings out and enhances the flavor of the cocoa powder and adds depth of flavor.
I highly recommend using coffee in the chocolate cake batter, but use water if you must.
Can I Make This Recipe as a Layer Cake?
Many readers have asked me if they can make this easy chocolate cake recipe as a double layer cake, as a bundt cake, and so on, and the answer to all of those questions is that I’ve only made the cake exactly as the recipe is written below.
However, I have had readers write in the comments that they’ve doubled the cake recipe, baked in a 9×13-inch pan, cut the cake in half, doubled the ganache recipe, added ganache on top of the bottom layer, topped with the other half of the cake, and added more ganache on top.
Definitely give the comments section a read if you have a very specific question about turning this chocolate ganache cake recipe into anything other than a 9×9-inch square cake. And if you do switch up this recipe and are successful, please leave a comment so you can help future readers!
Can I Make This Recipe Into Cupcakes?
Yes, that will likely be fine. Cupcakes generally take about 20 minutes to bake, but some are done in 18 minutes, but baking times vary depending on how full you fill your cupcake liners, your oven and climate, and so forth.
Can I Make This Recipe in a 9-Inch Round Cake Pan?
A 9-inch round cake pan is probably okay, but just make sure when you’re filling it that it’s not getting too full.
Can I Use an 8×8-Inch Baking Pan?
No, an 8×8-inch pan will be a little small and the cake could overflow unless you discard a bit of batter. You need to use a 9×9-inch pan for this recipe, if possible.
Can I Double This Recipe?
Yes, this homemade chocolate cake recipe doubles quite easily. Just note that if you double the ingredients you’ll need to bake this homemade chocolate cake in a 9×13-inch pan.
Can I Substitute the Eggs in This Recipe?
I’ve only made the chocolate ganache cake as written, so I can’t speak to whether an egg substitute (like a flax or chia egg) would work. If you use an egg substitute, please leave me a comment so I know what does / doesn’t work!
Should I Refrigerate Homemade Chocolate Cake?
Once the chocolate ganache frosting is on the cake and it’s had 30 minutes at room temperature to set up, yes, I refrigerate the leftover cake I have.
Tips for the Best Chocolate Cake
Coffee temp: When adding the brewed coffee to the cake batter, note that it can be any temperature other than piping hot. If you add the coffee while it’s still hot, you’ll scramble the egg!
Ganache add-ins: I typically use vanilla extract in the ganache frosting, but feel free to spike your ganache with a couple tablespoons of bourbon, rum, Kahlua, or a complementary liqueur.
Freezer tip: Note that the unfrosted homemade chocolate cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or it can be frozen and thawed for later. If freezing the chocolate cake, I recommend making a fresh batch of chocolate ganache frosting just before you plan on serving it.
What Readers Are Saying
To say this chocolate cake with ganache is a reader favorite is an understatement. If you keep scrolling to the bottom of this post, you’ll find almost 700 comments from readers who have made this recipe!
Here are just a handful of 5-star reviews readers have left on this ganache cake recipe:
“I made this chocolate cake for my granddaughters 18th birthday. It was absolutely delicious!” — Jackie
“Love this cake! My go to chocolate cake recipe when it’s just my husband and myself and we NEED cake!! Also besides the size, I love it is no mixer needed.” — Sharon R.
“Best chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten. Perfectly balanced as all things should be. The ganache quality depends on the quality of the chocolate you use so pick a chocolate you love the taste of!” — GR
“This is one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve ever had. Rich, decadent, moist, chocolatey just as described. I have found my new go to recipe and I am never looking back.” — Lidia
“This recipe is AMAZING!! And so simple to make! My mom was the first to try this out and she loved it so much, she froze a piece for me for a couple of months, and when I had it, it was so moist and decadent, it felt like it had been made that very same day! Definitely a keeper, thank you so much :)” — Roshni
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Chocolate Ganache Cake
This truly is the best homemade chocolate cake EVER. It's topped with a silky smooth chocolate ganache frosting, and it takes just 10 minutes of hands on prep.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 ounces plain, vanilla, or chocolate yogurt (thicker Greek-style preferred, do not use diet, fat-free or light yogurt; sour cream may be substituted)
- 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup brewed coffee, room temperature or warm*
- 1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, optional
Chocolate Ganache
- 9 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (about 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips)
- 3/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract**
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a 9-by-9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine egg, sugar, yogurt, oil, vanilla, and whisk until smooth and combined.
- Add coffee, cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s), and whisk vigorously until batter is smooth and free from lumps.
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and whisk vigorously until batter has just combined, about 1 minute.
- Pour batter, which is a loose and fairly runny batter, into prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes, or until top has set and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool in pan completely, at least 30 minutes, before adding ganache or frosting the cake, or before slicing and serving.
Chocolate Ganache
- Place chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl and heat on high power for 1 minute to soften chocolate; set aside.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup, heat the cream (I used half-and-half) on high power just until it begins to bubble and show signs of boiling, about 60 to 75 seconds.
- Pour hot cream over chocolate and let it stand about 1 minute. Whisk vigorously until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth and velvety.
- Add vanilla or optional flavorings and stir to combine. Set bowl aside for about 10 minutes, allowing ganache to cool and thicken a bit.
- Whisk mixture briefly before pouring all of it over the cake. Lightly smooth and spread the ganache with a spatula or offset knife.
- Allow ganache to set up for at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving the cake; or speed this process up by placing pan in the refrigerator or freezer briefly.
Notes
- Unfrosted cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or store frosted cake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- *Note about the coffee: The coffee does not make the cake taste like a coffee-flavored cake. Rather, it brings out and enhances the flavor of the cocoa powder and adds depth of flavor; I highly recommend coffee but use water if you must. The coffee can be any temperature other than piping hot; you don’t want to scramble the egg.
- **Or optionally use 1 to 2 tablespoons rum, bourbon, coffee-, orange-, raspberry-, chocolate-flavored liqueur.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 372Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 238mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 2gSugar: 33gProtein: 4g
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Hello Averie- Love this recipe! Wanted to make cupcakes this time. Are there any changes to convert to cupcakes? Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes.
I know many readers have made this recipe as cupcakes without any recipe alterations. I would just bake them about 22 mins, maybe more, depending on how they look but that’s a standard jumping off time for cupcakes, 22-24 mins.
Hello Averie, Is the 6oz sour cream ingredient a weight or volume ingredient? I see your other ingredients for this cake are volume so I was unsure whether to use the 6oz mark on a liquid measure cup or find out the volume of 6oz of sour cream by weight?
I just buy a little 6 oz container of yogurt and scoop it all in.
Love everything about this recipe. Thank you so much!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad you love everything about this recipe!
Hi, I just made this recipe, delicious! Thank you for the fabulous recipe. I used whipping cream for the ganache, let it cool, then whipped it a bit for more of a “frosting” effect. I loved the cake so much, as you said, soft and moist that I was wondering if this recipe could be adapted to a banana cake with the Ganache frosting (or a “Snickerdoodle” cake, etc.). Have you tried altering flavors with this recipe? I was worried about upsetting the balance of the cake by removing all the dry powder of the cocoa powder and adding banana… As I understand baking is a science. Thanks in advance for your input.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad you loved the cake and your frosting with whipping cream sounds great!
If you love this sort of texture for a banana cake, make this one https://www.averiecooks.com/upside-banana-bread-cake/ or this one https://www.averiecooks.com/banana-bread-bars-with-vanilla-bean-browned-butter-glaze/ They both use the same base recipe but one has the upside-down effect and the other is glazed. They are both cake-like and excellent. Banana cakes are never going to be as light and airy as other cakes because bananas are wet and heavy-ish inherently in baking. But those two cakes are my wonderful!
Hello!
Could I please check with you if the chocolate chips should be 9 ounces as written in the recipe (but which is equivalent to 1.125 cups) or it should be 6 ounces (which is 1.5 cups as written)?
Also, I’ve read on some other websites that they crumb coat the ganache onto the cake but I note that it’s not mentioned here. Is there a particular reason as to why we can omit this step?
Thank you.
Go with 9 ounces, which is about 1.50 cups
Because chocolate chips vary in size, the amount you can pack into a measuring cup will vary from brand to brand. Most bags of chips are 12 ounces these days. Use 3/4 bag, or about 9 ounces. You can always change the consistency later of the ganache but adding more/less cream.
Made this absolutely delicious chocolate ganache cake today for my husband, omg amazing this is our favorite for sure. Thank you so much Averie for all your delicious recipes. Julie T.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad to hear that this is your favorite! It’s my favorite chocolate cake too :)
I’ve made this a few times in the past and I love it! I do always have to bake it a few minutes less so I suggest checking it early, around 22-23 minutes. For those interested in making cupcakes, I can say that doubling this recipe resulted in 30 cupcakes and they took exactly 15 minutes to bake at 350. Sometimes I do the ganache and sometimes I do a chocolate buttercream frosting. It’s delicious either way, you can’t lose.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that you’re made this recipe many times, as a cake and cupcakes, and with different frosting options. All ovens run differently so yes it’s always good to check early, often, and sometimes things need more time in one oven versus another.
Baked this many times and it is my favorite! I was always afraid to make a ganache until this recipe. I bake it, cut it into pieces and freeze on a cookie sheet. Cake and frosting turns out wonderful. Thank you for this recipe.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this is your favorite cake! And that you were able to get over your fear of ganache, too, and that it comes out great for you!
Can I use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour? What difference will it make to the texture of the cake?
I don’t know, I haven’t tested cake flour here. Just use AP flour, it works amazing and this cake is a reader favorite as written!
Could I change this to a Coffee Cake ? If so would I replace the Cocoa Powder with additional Flour?
You’d have to do experimenting on your own for that. This cake is excellent exactly as written and I recommend sticking to the recipe. For a coffee cake, try something like this one https://www.averiecooks.com/cinnamon-sugar-swirl-coffee-cake/
I made this chocolate cake for my granddaughters 18th birthday. It was absolutely delicious!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this was a great cake for you all on a very special birthday for your granddaughter!
I made this recipe as a Bundt cake! I doubled the recipe and let it cooked for about an hour at 350. Turned out great!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad that this worked great doubled and baked as a bundt! Thanks for sharing what you did and that it worked great!
Love this cake! My go to chocolate cake recipe when it’s just my husband and myself and we NEED cake!! Also besides the size, I love it is no mixer needed.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that this is your go to cake recipe when you just NEED cake! I have those moments too 😊
Hi Averie,
I will be making this cake tomorrow for a friends birthday. Do you prefer lining the pan with foil or butter and flouring the pan. Also, how do you slice it so neatly, as pictured?
Thanks!
I do foil because I can cleanly lift out the cake and slice it perfectly. You have to use nonstick heavy duty foil https://amzn.to/3AglBLe any grocery store has this.
This cake was scrumptious and super easy. I thought I had the best chocolate cake recipe from my friend’s grandmother in the 70’s. We made it for every kid’s birthday. It is so similar to your recipe only you throw the ingredients into a mixer bowl and after it’s mixed, add the coffee. It is for a 9 x 13 pan. The only changes are no yogurt or sour cream but a half cup of milk. The cocoa is 2/3 cup. All the rest of the ingredients are double yours. The weird ingredient is one tablespoon of Crisco shortening. I do not know why. I add a tsp. of espresso powder if I have it and usually make vanilla icing. The cake stays moist as the days go on. Thanks so much for your wonderful recipe. It was perfect in my glass Pyrex pan.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this cake trumps your 70s recipe for chocolate cake! In my opinion, sour cream or yogurt are superior to milk because they will add moisture and lift to the cake in a way that milk just can’t.
The cake was amazing! Made 2 layered cake with this recipe! <3 I want to try if it can be a cupcake. Have you tried doing cupcakes with this recipe?
Yes I have and they work great!
Best chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten. Perfectly balanced as all things should be.The ganache quality depends on the quality of the chocolate you use so pick a chocolate you love the taste of!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad it’s the best chocolate cake you’ve ever eaten!
Oh man the first time I made this it came out amazing! However the second and third time for some reason it’s sinking in the middle :(Any idea as to why that can happen?Thank you <3
Possibly you are undermeasuring the flour, your baking powder/soda are a bit older, or you aren’t baking long enough and the internal temp isn’t hot enough to ever “set” the cake.
This is one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve ever had. Rich, decadent, moist, chocolatey just as described. I have found my new go to recipe and I am never looking back. I doubled the recipe and made a two tiered cake with the chocolate ganache both as a filling and poured over the cake. No alterations to the recipe – followed it exactly then topped the cake with sliced strawberries. I am so in love with this cake I might make it again as soon as it’s finished
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this was one of the best chocolate cakes you’ve ever had! And that you’re loving it so much you may make it again soon!
This cake is awesome! I only changed one thing and used light olive oil or avocado oil instead of canola for a healthier fat. Otherwise, it is our new favorite! Already made 4 of them.
Thanks for the 5 star review, glad you lovd this, and good to know you had success with using other oils!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AVERIE!!!
Thanks! 😊
I trusted you on the addition of coffee in this cake recipe! I used my special dark blend…..You are absolutely correct, you don’t taste coffee, but it does enhance the chocolate flavor, and that is a great thing! I just love your website, I plan on baking my way through your wonderful recipe offerings!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad you trusted me on the coffee and that you found my assessment correct in that you don’t taste it. I am glad you love my site and plan on baking your way through it! You have about 1500 more desserts to go :)
This recipe is AMAZING!! And so simple to make! My mom was the first to try this out and she loved it so much, she froze a piece for me for a couple of months, and when I had it, it was so moist and decadent, it felt like it had been made that very same day! Definitely a keeper, thank you so much :)
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it’s a keeper for you!
If I could give a hundred stars, I would. I’ve made this recipe several times and I wake up craving it. And I’m not really a sweets person, so there you go. This is hands down the best and easiest chocolate cake recipe. I’ve made variations that use poppy-seed oil, grape-seed oil and almond oil. The grapeseed was fantastic. Play with it. I’m going to make a black forest chocolate cake with it, totally against traditional recipes because where I live (in Austria), moist, stick-to-your fork cakes are an anomaly.
Thanks for the 100 star review :) if you could! I am glad you love this cake and that it’s the best and easiest! Interesting report on the various oils you’ve tried using in it and that you really enjoyed it with grapeseed. I’m sure the black forest version will be delicious! I love super moist, stick to your fork cakes and any others, well, not so much.
I made this exactly as the recipe that is given. Yes it’s a winner. Its super easy, no need to get out a mixer. Next time I would garnish this with raspberries or use some flavoring in the genache. It has that super dark chocolate taste. Gourmet for sure!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it’s a winner for you and yes I agree, that super dark chocolate gourmet taste!
Hi, I just made this cake, as I was looking for a yoghurt cocoa cake recipe,I had No vanilla extract so used a lil brown sugar lol. I also used the only baking dish I had.. a rectangle Pyrex dish🤦♀️ I topped this with a different sour cream cocoa ganash recipe. . These were my only options. Everyone I treated to my cake ABSOLUTELY RAVED about it. It’s a fantastic recipe, my first foray into baking and even my mum is asking for more! Xxx
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad this got rave reviews and that all your improvisations worked out just fine!
Baked this cake for my birthday and it was an absolute hit! So moist and tasty. Thank you for doing what you do
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad to hear it was a great birthday cake! And happy birthday to you!!
I’ve made this cake a few times as is and with the ingredients altered, like adding espresso powder, either way I always get great compliments and it’s simple to make. Dutch process cocoa works fine.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad to hear that Dutch process cocoa works just fine, very helpful to know! Hopefully other readers or people with questions see your comment!
Made in 8*8 round tinSuper moist and tasty
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it turned out well in an 8-inch round for you.
Hi! Can I use an 8×8 square pan for this?
It will be a little small and the cake could overflow unless you discard a bit of batter.
Hi, do you have an egg replacement for this cake, as I have an allergy to eggs?
This cake looks absolutely delicious and has so many rave reviews! I just wanted to know if it’s possible to use dutch process cocoa powder instead of unsweetened natural coca powder, can’t find any here! Thank you.
I haven’t made it with Dutch process but my hunch is that it will be fine. However, since I haven’t tested it, I cannot say for sure.
Really great cake.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was really great!
Hi! Can i substitute brewed coffee with instant coffee? If so, can i use just coffee powder?
I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.
In this situation, make coffee using what you have, if that’s instant coffee, then make it that way, and add it to the recipe as indicated.
My wife and me love chocolate cake so much that we were considering a trip to Paris to eat the worlds best chocolate cake. Both of us think this is the best we’ve ever had. Can’t imagine it’s any better on the Seine. Never had ganache, either, and it knocked our socks off. Bravo! The only trouble was I checked it at 25 min with a toothpick, then again at 28, and finally took it out at 30 min. The area of the 3 toothpick holes, in the middle, kind of fell as the cake cooled. Next time I won’t check it until 30 min. You’re a great cook, Averie! Can’t wait to make another of your Tres Leches cake. Had never had that before either! Just like this chocolate cake, you find yourself saying OMG after every bite! Thanks!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that this is the best chocolate cake either of you have ever had!
I made this cake into a layer cake and it was incredible! Easily the best recipe I’ve ever used for chocolate cake. I doubled the cake recipe and poured it into two 8in cake pans. I ended up needing to cook them for 35 minute rather than 25. While they cooled I made the ganache (which I also doubled). I realized after I was spreading the ganache in the middle of the cakes and on the sides/top to crumb coat that I should have let the ganache set for longer, but it wasn’t a big deal in the end. I ended up flash freezing it and frosting it twice more after the crumb coat. I also added a raspberry compote in the middle and on top and it went wonderfully with this. 100% recommend!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this turned out incredibly as a layer cake for you in 8-inch rounds with a little extra baking time. Great to hear it was a big hit!
i have made so many chocolate cakes in my life, but this is the best. i made it with sour cream instead of yogurt. the best and i used PW choco sheet cake frosting.Just curious what would you say is the biggest difference between the yogurt or sour creamin this cake?
Thanks for the five star review and glad this is the best!
Really I can’t detect a difference whether I use sour cream or yogurt, they both add moisture without changing the flavor.
Wowza!! This cake IS THE BEST! I had espresso so I used that in place of “brewed coffee.” You can taste the espresso in the cake but once the ganache was on it, it was all chocolate. My ganache was more runny than I expected Even after refrigeration, so I guess less cream, right? Thanks for an amazing recipe!
We LOVE this recipe!! It really is the best and easiest chocolate cake ever! Moist and delicious! Making this in a couple weeks for my 2 yr olds bday. It’s the only chocolate cake I make. Try it, you will love it!! :)
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you love this cake so much and that it’s the only chocolate cake you make!
The best cake we have ever had! Loved making it from scratch. Was skeptical of the coffee as I can taste coffee in anything, but it’s absolutely true you don’t taste it! The flavours were perfect. I added mint to both the cake and ganache to create it to be my hubby’s favourite flavour..mint chocolate!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that you couldn’t taste the coffee! I am sure the mint was a lovely touch.
D efinitely the best choc.cake ever as I this is the only choc cake that have made for years.I was given the recipe from a friend s grandmother in 1976 .The only difference is that my rec ipe calls for milk not yogurt.Which works well .just pour the cold milk into the hot coffee and is cooled down perfectly.My recipe is called Black Magic Cake. I usually top mine with a peanut butter whip cream frosting. and It is to die for😋
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this is definitely the best chocolate cake ever for you!
Hi. I was just wondering If this would work using Dutch processed cocoa since that’s what I have.
I never have so can’t speak from experience although I believe readers have mentioned using it in the comments. You can read though some but I think it was fine, however I haven’t tested it personally.
Made this time and again – great moist chocolate cake! more on the bitter dark choco side ( no complaints ), definitely needs the ganache topping though. have to say, I always end up baking this an extra 3-4 minutes longer. Might just be my oven. Definitely thumbs up, it’s a go-to
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you make it often and love it! All ovens vary, wouldn’t worry too much about the ‘exact’ minutes on the baking clock.
This was the best cake ever!!! I made it for my cousin for her birthday because she wanted a chocolate ganache cake and now my family is telling me to open a bakery lol! Here’s how I did it that you should definitely try!: I followed the recipe (which made one batch) and put it in a round 9 inch pan and baked it. Then, I followed the recipe again and did the same thing. The 2 layers turned out perfect! I iced the first layer really well and then put the next cake layer on top then iced it. And then I iced it all around and put it in the fridge for about an hour and a half (sooo delicious cold!) I decorated it with raspberries and it looked beautiful! Seriously my grandfather thought it was store bought! Here’s the thing though: it does take a while, but it’s with it if you’re making it for someone you love:) Try it this way I promise you’ll love it!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you impressed your family and friends with my recipe! I am sure the raspberries were a wonderful touch with all the chocolate!
Made only the cake and not the ganache, as I was going with ingredients I already had in my house– was lacking milk but had yogurt, which is how I found this in the first place. Never made a cake with yogurt before, but it was amazingly moist. Turned out very well, would certainly make again (and try the ganache once I’m not trying to limit my grocery store trips).
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this turned out amazing for you!
These are so ridiculously decadent and delicious. My husband and I made it for my own birthday because self isolation at home means a rich chocolate cake was the one thing I was looking forward to. It’s surprising how little effort goes into this but how perfect it is. Thanks for saving the day!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this turned out awesome with little effort! Glad it saved your birthday :)
The cake was so moist and delicious but the ganache came out really thin (didn’t look like your pic). Any way to thicken the ganache? More chocolate and less cream?
Exactly, more chocolate, less cream. It’s all about ratios when making ganache and since ingredients vary from brand to brand, start slowly with the cream next time, wait and see, and add more to thin it out as necessary.
Wow!!! This cake is worthy of being called the best!! I used water for the coffee but otherwise made it as listed in the recipe. This will be my new go to cake recipe. It’s perfect!!!! My guess is that it will be gone tonight:)
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you agree it’s worthy of being called The Best and that it’ll be your new go to cake recipe!
This is *the best* chocolate cake I’ve ever had. I first made it 2 weeks ago to try to salvage a flan recipe (I added it as another layer below the flan and it was amazing) and have since made it three times. I made it with oat flour all times, and it came out super moist and delicious. I also substituted full fat coconut milk for the yogurt, and again substituted coconut milk instead of the heavy cream in the ganache.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this cake lives up to it’s name: The BEST Chocolate Cake!
And wow, 3 times in 2 weeks and even with oat flour, coconut milk, and coconut cream – I am impressed you tried all of these substitution and glad to hear they worked! I am sure this will help others who read this in the future, thanks for sharing.
I did modify it a little because unfortunately, I did not have a square baking pan. I did, though have a 9-inch springform pan that I used instead. I added half a tsp more baking powder and had to put it in for a little longer, but it still came out SUPREMELY delicious. I also reduced the amount of sugar (to my taste) and used cake flour instead. I like to use cake flour for cakes because it always makes it even moister and softer than it’s supposed to be. I topped it with some raspberries and coconut shavings. I’ve been thinking of making this cake for my little brother’s birthday but instead doubling the cake and making two layers, filling the middle with some whipped cream and the outside with chocolate ganache, making the perfect balance of soft, fluffy, whipped cream and rich, creamy ganache. All in all, thank you so much for this wonderful recipe and stay safe during these times.Love, JillLove,
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it worked great with your modifications and that it was wonderful! Stay safe as well!
OMG, this cake was AMAZING. It was soft and moist and EVERYTHING a cake should be! I ate most of the chocolate ganache though XD!
I’m glad this was amazing and everything a cake should be!
Get rid of the annoying video, too big can’t see recipe
Hope you stay healthy and safe during these times. The video will remain as is, on MY website.
😄 I appreciate your response.
You can hit the little x in the upper right corner of the video after about 5 seconds to make it go away.
EXCELLENT Chocolate cake and the Preperation Recipe.
I doubled this recipe and took it to work for Valentine’s Day. It’s a great tasting cake and I got lots of compliments from the guys all day!! Even got a text later that night from a “special” guy at work(wink,wink)!! Its chocolatey and moist. Give it a try!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that this cake got you a text later on from Mr. Special! How awesome! :)
Hi. Your recipe is very similar to mine and I always make a two layers filling ganache, I made it two days ago and it was fantastic. You should try. 😁
I doubled the recipe and baked in a 9”x23” pan. It took at least 45 minutes to bake and didn’t rise well in the middle. I’m hoping it’s not doughy in the middle. Suggestion?
I made 3 and need 3 more.
Occasionally there are baking recipes that just don’t double well for whatever reason, and even though other people have doubled this recipe and they seem to have had success, I never have personally so I can’t give you any personal guidance. But I’m thinking that doubling is the culprit in this situation.
If possible I would just make them one at a time in the suggested pan size.
What is the purpose of lining the pan with aluminum foil ?
To save on cleanup time but it’s optional.
my husband LOVES pies…. all i see are cake recipes. Can you help me out with some PIE recipes and a great, easy, foolproof crust? Thank you
https://www.averiecooks.com/tag/pie-2/
Quick, easy, DELISH!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this was quick, easy, and delish for you!
This is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten. I just took one out of the oven but do not have heavy cream. What I do have is sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, coconut milk and cream of coconut. Will any of these work to make the ganache?
Can I use cream of coconut instead of half and half or heavy cream to make the ganache?
I would say of all the choices that you listed, coconut milk and I would use the top bit of it where it’s thick, I feel like coconut cream might actually be too thick, play it by ear to get a pourable consistency but that’s also on the thick side. I’m glad that you love the cake and it’s one of the best chocolate cakes you’ve ever had! Thanks for the five star review!
I made the chocolate cake with Ganache and it was awesome! My daughter loved it as well. Just found your blog recently and looking forward to trying more recipes. Thank you ! 😊
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you loved the cake!
Keep me posted how the other recipes you make go for you. Glad you found my site!
The ganache worked out wonderfully. The cake? It was dry. Not sure what I did wrong. Drowned it in whipped cream which helped, but I was expecting something not so dry.
The cake is not dry at all if you measure everything correctly and don’t overbake it. Overbaking could be the likely culprit here, or measuring the flour with too heavy of a hand.
The recipe sounds amazing. Can we replace eggs with flaxseeds and would it give the same result?
Probably not the same result no, but I haven’t tested it so can’t say for sure.
Hi there!
the cake look amazing! would love to try the recipe this week.
Just one question, can we omit the yogurt and coffee for this recipe?
Thanks in advance!
I recommend keeping them in. They are part of what makes this cake so incredible.
Looks amazing! Pls tell me what is the size of your cup? Iam obviously not from US and get so confused with the different cup sizes all over the world.. Thanks in advance! :)
https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/ingredient-weight-chart
How long can this cake be left at room temp before it needs to be refrigerated?
Many hours, or if it’s a warm room, when the ganache starts getting overly soft.
Hi, just made this on the weekend. For those who want to make a layer cake, the recipe perfectly fits a 9” round pan. I made a recipe for each pan and it came out perfect, and completely level as well! With the ganache poured on top, (used my own recipe for the ganache), and some blueberries and white chocolate chips on the base as a trim it looked like a professional cake!
Great to hear about your beautiful layer cake you made using this recipe!
Can the cake be frozen befire adding Ganache?
Thanks
Kaye
yes
Why granulated sugar? I always use caster sugar in cakes cakes.
I always use granulated sugar in cakes. Caster sugar I don’t find to be a common choice in the United States.
Could this be made as a bundt cake? I need to bring a birthday cake for a friend and she has requested a chocolate ganache bundt cake. Your cake has the best reviews and I have tried several of your recipes in the past and you never ever disappoint!
Please let me know thanks.
Marianne
I have never made it as a bundt cake but you could. I am not sure, depending on the size of your bundt pan, if you would want to double the recipe or maybe do 1.5x the recipe so that it is a normal height bundt cake.
I do not eat egg but I feel that this recipe can do wonders. Can you suggest me what should be used instead of egg?
I really don’t know for sure but I would say powdered egg replacer; check Amazon. There are many brands.
What happens if I use fat free yoghurt? I’m only asking as that’s what I have in the fridge at the moment and need to use it up asap! Thanks!
It looks so delicious so I’m very keen to try out!
I would not use fat free yogurt because it’s much runnier with a higher water content and in baking, you want fat, not water, for best results.
We made this recipe exactly as written for my son’s 10th birthday and it was so good! It was easy enough for him to help me make it. I’m not even a huge fan of chocolate cake but it’s his favorite kind and he said it was better than the Publix one (which he loves). I agree, the cake was moist and the ganache was delicious!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad that this was better than a grocery store bakery cake – and I agree, some of those can be realllly good! So I take this as very high praise!
I just made the chocolate cake today. It was so moist. It was delicious. So easy to make too. I love how you explain all of your ingredients and what they do to make the cake taste so good. I made it in a 9 inch loaf pan. It took about 45 minutes to fully bake. This is definitely my new chocolate cake recipe. Thank you
I am glad you loved the cake and that it worked great in a 9-inch loaf pan for you! Glad it’s your new chocolate cake recipe!
Hi, Can I make the same recipe in a 9″ round pan? I have made this cake several times before and I find myself coming back to this recipe every time we crave chocolate cake. I plan on making 3 layers of this cake for my son’s birthday and I was wondering if I can just triple the ingredients?Thank you!!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you love this cake!
I would say that probably you can, Google what is the volume of a 9″ round vs 8″ square pan to see exactly what the math says and then if you have excess batter you can discard or whatever you think.
Thank you so much. Sure will see how it works. I can definitely make cupcakes with leftover batter. More the merrier 😊
I made the mistake of making this recipe before and now my husband constantly requests it. A HUGE hit and love the fact I don’t have to get the stand mixer out to make it. I live in Colorado above 7000 ft and added a couple of extra tablespoons of flour and bake at 340 and it turned out great every time. Thank you very much for sharing the very best chocolate cake recipe….because it is!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that this is a HUGE hit with your husband! Sorry you are the one having to do the baking all the time but as you said it’s so easy and you don’t even have to get your stand mixer!
I am glad you think it’s the best chocolate cake recipe!!
This looks amazing! I need this in my life asap!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
One of, if not my favorite, chocolate cake of all time!
Hi just made this today(used lactose free Greek vanilla yogurt)..doubled recipe and baked it in a 9x 13 pan… which worked well. Baked for 35 minutes total. I lowered the temp to 325 for the last 5 minutes of baking. Ive prepped a simple ganache to top it with. I will come back with a review when my kids (6,4 and 2) dig into the finished cake!
K. Thanks. I made the yellow but opened oven to turn 1/2 way through and it f=
ell a little. I=E2=80=99m at 5280 ft altitude (Colorado) so May have to twea=
k a little. But the flavor was good. Gonna serve with fresh peaches and whip=
ped cream – no frosting – but will definitely try the chocolate
Hi there, I’ve used this recipe before and it was delicious! It was a huge hitI’ve been asked to make it again but a slightly healthier option. Can the sugar be substituted for stevia? Also, would I be able to use double thick Greek yoghurt to make the cake a bit more moist? Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe :)
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was delicious! That being said, I wouldn’t mess with ‘delicious’ too much to try to make it healthier since it’s cake after all. I would just make it less often personally :)
I have never tried experimenting with trying to healthify this cake so can’t give advice on that one. Good luck though.
Ever since I found your recipe, I cannot count the number of times I have made it especially since my husband insists on having this cake for his birthday and on all other special occasions or holidays. Never before have I made a ganache frosting, but my chocolate loving family and friends absolutely love it and it is the easiest and best frosting I have ever made in my life! The only thing I do different in the cake recipe is I use melted butter instead of the vegetable or canola oil. This cake is the perfect size and I make it in a spring form pan and there are generous pieces for at least 9 to 10 people and then there may be a few slices leftover. Thanks so much for this recipe–it is awesome!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad to hear that this is a huge favorite for you and your family and friends!
Great idea about making it in a springform pan. I am sure the visual appearance is a bit fancier than in a square pan, making it great for special occasions!
Glad that you are now a pro at ganache, too :)
Any idea why my ganache is bitter? I used generic Kroger brand semi-sweet chocolate chips. Should I have used name brand? Also, I didn’t have heavy cream so I used a milk/butter mixture that is recommended online as a substitute. Could these two things make a big difference? Really disappointing because the cake is fantastic.
Ahh I just read this comment after the other one – okay the milk/butter could definitely have done it. Yes in baking, heavy cream is heavy cream and nothing else is going to work in its place as well as it will, other than maybe half and half, which is fine here, but in other baking recipes, unless it says you can substitute, don’t sub for heavy cream.
Any idea why my icing is bitter? I used generic Kroger brand semi-sweet chocolate chips. Should I have used name brand? Really disappointing because the cake is fantastic.
Bitter…okay that could be the chips but more I am thinking the milk/cream. Any chance it wasn’t perfectly fresh OR possibly overheated it and it got a bit scorched tasting? It could be the chips, too. Bad/potent tasting vanilla extract that is too alcohol-ey?
Glad you love the cake!
I made your chocolate cake for a party, including some alterations. It was a huge hit st a party!I made 1-1/2 of the recipe in a parchment (buttered) 9×13 Pyrex dish. That baked in a 325 degree oven for 40 min. I also decreased the sugar by about 10-15 % and I didn’t use the ganache recipe from here. I substituted a FABULOUS (I was shocked!) chocolate hummus recipe (the hummus recipe, as is was, was the correct amount to ice the cake. I sliced up a banana on a room temperature cake and topped with hummus/ganache.I felt the hummus needed an extra 1-1/2-Tbs of maple syrup and ended up thinning with water, a little at a time till consistency was right.https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2016/07/chocolate-hummus/
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad the cake was a huge hit at the party!
I don’t remember when I first saved this pin and made this delish chocolate cake; but I can tell you that I’ve made it at least 50 times!!! It’s my go-to chocolate cake, cupcake, and mini cupcake!!! I use instant Mexican espresso powder to make the 1/2 cup of coffee, for years I have added coffee to chocolate; the increase to the flavor is awesome. Sometimes I don’t even bother with the ganache because the cake is so moist and rich on it’s own. Thanks again for another great recipe, Averie!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you have made this cake at least 50 times and that it’s your go-to chocolate cake (and cupcakes and minis, too)!!
This recipe was easy to follow, made two cakes for the weekend. The cakes were gone by the evening and were delicious!! I hope to make this cake soon, it was not too sweet!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad the two cakes were delish and gone by evening!
Thank you for posting this – I’ve used your recipe a couple of times and it never fails. The best chocolate cake I have ever baked period.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad to hear it never fails and it’s the best chocolate cake you’ve ever baked!
Hi can i skip the yogurt in this recipe ?if not is there any substitute ?thanks in advance
I would not omit it or an acceptable substitute because the cake will be dry.
Terrific recipe. I dialed the sugar back to 2/3 cup because that’s what I always do (I like things on the less-sweet side) and to me it tasted great. For my oven it needed 35 minutes, but this could be because my yogurt was not that thick (it was homemade yogurt that I screwed up by scalding the milk and needed to use in baking instead of eating straight). But the consistency, flavor, everything was awesome.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad the cake was awesome even with reduced sugar!
Made this for my hubby’s 50th birthday and he says this is the best cake he’s ever had! :) When we were married, our wedding cake was chocolate with raspberry filing, which he loves, so I made a few revisions to the recipe by infusing it with raspberry jam and topping the chocolate ganache with sugared fresh raspberries. Wow … soooo good!! Thanks for sharing your baking awesomeness and this recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this is the best cake he’s ever had! And happy 50th to him!
Is the coffee flavor super strong? Wanted to make this for a 4 year olds birthday cake but I’ll pick a different recipe if this one is too “grown up.” Thanks!
No it is not and I don’t think it will be very noticeable, if at all.
I love the smell of coffee, but not the taste – neither was perceptible in this recipe.
Glad that you could not detect it in any form.
fantastic recipe – be careful to not pour the bottom of the coffee pot where all the grounds are in into the cake! makes a bitter taste
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was fantastic!
Will this work at cupcakes?
Probably but I haven’t tried personally.
Oh my gosh! Rich, not sickening sweet, and not a huge cake for our small family. I will say when I peeked through the oven window it was raising beautifully. Once out of the oven it sunk. Bummer. I made a chocolate buttercream frosting and slathered it on. Hit with my sons, making another batch tomorrow.
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad it checked off all the boxes for you and was great!
The rising…cakes like this tend to rise a lot in the oven and do settle down upon cooling; to avoid that quite as much I would say bake it just a couple extra minutes OR possibly add an extra tablespoon or two of flour; or do nothing since it turned out so great, if you can live with the appearance then just enjoy the taste of it, as written.
Can I make this recipe without the brew coffee? Would I just add more coco?
Thanks
I would not skip the coffee; if you do the cake will not be as good. I would use water…I guess…but I don’t really recommend that.
Hi Averie! Do you think I can cut down on sugar a little bit? If yes, how much do you suggest? Many thanks
I have no idea….it’s cake so for me I wouldn’t try to cut down on the sugar. I would workout more or just wait until I was ready to indulge and then make this cake as written.
Hey can I make this in an 8 x 8 pan and it will still be the same? And did you use a glass or metal?
Metal and an 8×8 will be a tad to small unless you discard some batter.
This recipe is amazing! Turned out so good! Cake turned out so moist. I couldn’t even wait for the ganache to set. I used sour cream instead of Greek yogurt. Thank you for sharing!!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad it turned out amazing for you!
Can I make this as a cupcake?
yes
Can I make this recipe using a bundt pan? If so how much batter would be needed and how long should it cook? Thank you.
I’m sure you could make it in a Bundt pan I just never have so I couldn’t give you any details. You have to experiment.
I looked it up and it’s possibly double the batter and longer cooking time. I’ll be trying to make this in a bundt pan today, we shall see how it turns out!
The cake was amazing! Made 2 layered cake with this recipe! <3 I want to try if it can be a cupcake. Have you tried doing cupcakes with this recipe?
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad to hear it worked well as a two layer cake! I personally never have done cupcakes but many others have written to say they have successfully.
I’d like to turn this cake into a layer cake. Can I use this ganache in between layers as well?
I never have done that personally but I believe others have if you read through the comments.
Greetings, Averie:
I love your recipes, thanks for sharing them. Can this recipe be doubled and baked in a 9×13 pan?
Vicki
yes
I made this cake and it was the tastiest and moistest cake I have made in awhile. I would highly recommend trying this recipe if you like chocolate cake. It was also relatively easy. My husband loved it.
Glad your husband loved it and that it was so tasty and moist for you!
Hi there! I plan on making this today but I’m wondering how much yogurt to use if I have to measure it out without a scale? Thank you!!
Just buy a 6 ounce container of yogurt, then you will know for sure. I would say approx 3/4 cup but google that to double check because I am just guessing.
This is amazing! I couldn’t wait for the ganache to cool down and had a slice. Ganache was runny as expected Cos of my impatience but it tasted good. The cake is spot on! It was ready in exactly 25 mins! Perfect size too as we are a family of 3! I used lactose free dairy (cos of lactose intolerance) and used olive oil as i ran out of canola. It still all worked! Super easy cake but sooooo gooood! Thanks for your recipe :)
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad it turned out amazingly well for you!
I made this this evening, never have I made a cake with yoghurt in but my, this was good. It’s the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made/eaten. Everyone loved it! I used a mix of milk and dark chocolate for the ganache which was really tasty and contrasted really well with the rich cake. I look forward to making more food from your recipes
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad this was the best chocolate cake you’ve ever made!
I want to try this recipe using my new 6” layer cake pans, set of 3. Do you think it will make enough batter?
No is my guess. If you double the recipe though, maybe that would work. You could do the math with calculating the volume of liquid in a 8×8 pan vs a 6-inch round pan. Break out that h.s. geometry :)
Hi
I love your recipes. I am planning to make this for our wedding anniversary. My Q is can I use cake flour in place of all purpose? If so, what changes I need to make to get the same result
Thank you
I have only made the recipe as written and cannot guess what will happen if you change things.
The best chocolate cake recipe i have ever tried 😍So glad i found your recipe, thank you!
Glad it’s the best choc cake recipe you’ve ever tried!
Do you think I would get good results baking in a glass pan? I don’t have a metal square pan, which I need to do something about. If not glass, maybe I could double and bake in two round metal pans? The goal is a birthday cake. Sorry, I hate when reviews ask, “Can I completely change your recipe and get the same results?” I hope my question doesn’t sound like that. LOL.
Honestly your question does sound like that. The very short and honest answer is spend 10 bucks, buy a metal pan, get great results, case closed. Any other variables and permutations I cannot comment on bc I have not tried. Since it’s a bday, I would imagine you are looking for tried and true results – metal pan, yep, tried and true results with hundreds of positive comments.
Hi Kate (or anyone else wondering the same thing, since obviously this is way later!), I made it in a glass pan and it came out great. I probably should have thought to wonder whether this would be a problem, but I plowed ahead and luckily it was fine.
what can I substitute for the coffee?
Nothing really will be the same. Water just isn’t the same nor is anything else.
I love your recipe.. I just made it right now and the taste was perfect,totally amazing. I made chocolate cake before but not the same as this. BTW, I used 30cm by 32cm baking pan as i dont have a spring form pan. I was really scared at baking process coz it rises a lot but then it was deflated.. after i baked it and cooled down, i cut it in half coz it was a bit thin for me and made it as a layer.. I made a bit changes tho as I dont have the other ingredients. I used table margarine (this what i have at the moment ) , and half cup of yogurt, and the for the ganache, I used 1 cup thick cream, 3/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/4 cup sugar amd 1 tsp vanilla… I dont have chocolate chips so I searched what ganache I can do without it.Love to have ur new recipe soon..
Thanks for the five star review and glad this turned out great for you as a layer cake.
A wonderful keeper recipe. I added halved glace cherries and chopped pecans to the mix and only used half quantity of the topping. This will become one of my regular bakes! Thank you.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this is a keeper for you!
Oh my ganache was like gravy. And it never did “set up”. Let it sit for for about 15 minutes. Still like barely gravy consistency. But like I said before I’ll just have to keep making it til I get it right. It’ll be a chore to eat this cake again and again until I get the ganache correct. Might take me years. LOL. VBG. Maybe I’ll never get correct and be doomed to a life of exceptional chocolate cake. Oh the horror of it all.
LOL :) Well I am sure you will get it right. Just melt the chocolate first, and then thin it out little by little with warm milk. That should do the trick I am hoping.
I did make this cake. Thank goodness the author mentions the cake is a thinner batter than regular cake. I used sour cream instead of yogurt. The cake is so moist and I didn’t find it too chocolate. No coffee taste either. But I did have trouble with the ganache. It was very runny. Add more chips and tried to melt them in the ganache. Probably would melt them separately next time or just add more at the beginning. I couldn’t tell how melted the chips should be or really how hot the cream should be. So my ganache is chunky and NOT gooey. Guess I’ll just have to make it again and again and again. I still give it five stars. Just cuz I can’t make ganache doesn’t mean it can’t be done. LOL
Thanks for the 5 star review! The ganache – yes it will be a bit runny at first but it does set up. I think the problem is that you added more chips than called for, hence the chunky situation. Maybe try melting the chips on their own and then adding warm cream to them and see how that goes.
I want this cake without egg.
If I wanted to make this for a layer cake how should I adjust the recipe? I feel like doubling it will be too much. Could I bake it in an 8 inch round and slice that in half for my two layers? I’ve made it as is for my husbands birthday and it was unreal and delicious! It was quick enough to make while my infant napped!
I feel like doubling it will be too much for a 2 layer cake but too skimpy for a 3 layer. Maybe 1.5x the recipe for a 2 layer cake. Glad you and your husband loved it!
How did you end up doing it?
Did you use 1 egg or 2 when you doubled it. Or what do you suggest?
Thinking of making this recipe and was wondering if I only have ground espresso how much would I need? Thank you!
I wouldn’t personally use just straight ground espresso. I would use the instant espresso granules or else just omit.
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. So easy to make and it was rich, moist and delicious. I have more enthusiasm for baking than skill so this is definitely going on the list of crowd pleaser recipes 😊
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this cake delivered for you! I like how you said this: have more enthusiasm for baking than skill. Now you have something you KNOW will turn out and is easy!
Just wondered the reason for lining the cake pan with foil rather than parchment paper? And do you think parchment paper would work as well?
I can never get a tight seal in the corners with parchment and the corners always appear misshapen for me. I like how tight and flush with the pan I can get foil.
Hi, Averie. I made this cake last week. It has to be one of the best desserts that I have EVER made! Delicious! I reduced the regular cocoa powder and replaced it with black cocoa as an experiment. I got several compliments. Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you think it’s one of the best desserts that you have EVER made!
Hands down, best scratch chocolate cake I’ve ever made! The cake is perfectly moist and the ganache topping is so decadent – truly a chocolate lovers dream. I made it twice in a week when my family was in town because it does not last, it’s that good!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you love the cake so much that you made it twice in one week!
My latest fave cake is this one…it rivals this ‘the best’ cake for title of the best. Amazing cake https://www.averiecooks.com/cabernet-chocolate-cake-with-chocolate-ganache-and-sea-salt/
Made this today as cupcakes and halved the ganache which worked out just nice. This is really fantastic! So easy and yummy! My kids love it! Thanks for this great recipe. Second time I’ve used your recipe, the first time being a few years ago, the no knead honey rolls. Will try out more recipes when I have the chance! Thanks!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad the recipe worked out great as cupcakes! Thanks for trying my recipes and keep me posted how things go in the future with the recipes.
Can this be made using a bundt pan?
Yes probably but it will be a very ‘short’ bundt cake unless you use a smaller than average bundt pan.
I love this cake! It came out so moist and tender that I decided to just leave it as is and not add a frosting. It was so easy to make I know I’ll be making it a lot!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you loved it even without frosting!
May I use full cream yogurt in place of Greek yogurt
yes
Thank you Averie for posting this cake; It looks delicious and I want to make it but I have a question
Can I substitute the sugar and yogurt for sweetened condensed milk??
Thank you
This cake is perfect as written and I do not recommend altering it at all.
Made this cake for my husband’s birthday. His favorite is “chocolate through-and-through cake.” Had to be easy–it WAS! We’re leaving for his birthday holiday in Bali tomorrow. We all LOVED this cake. Moist and chocolatey! Will make this again and again! Thank you for sharing, Averie!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you all loved this cake! Have an amazing holiday in Bali! WOW!
This cake is so good! Have made it as written and have also made it as layers. Just wondering, if they were baked as cupcakes, how long you would have them in the oven for?
Glad you love the cake and have even made it as a layer cake!
Cupcake/muffins generally speaking take about 20 minutes to bake. Some are done in 18, some a bit longer like 22, but I would use that as a jumping off place type guideline.
thanks for the recipe! how much instant coffee powde did you use ? and how much water? thanks
Everything is listed in the recipe that you need to know.
I tried this recipe and the cake turned out moist and chocolatey! Thank you for the recipe!! :)
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it turned out great!
Lovely recipe, can we substitute coffee with orange juice ?
also can we add orange zest to the cake, as well ganache?
Thank you
I have never done the orange route with either the juice/zest so not sure how it would turn out – probably fine – but you’d have to experiment with it to make sure.
Canon 5D With 100 mm macro
And it’s included if you click on the button at the bottom of the recipe card.
Hi. What do mean with aluminum foil? The baking pan should lined with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray? Sorry to ask you this I’m just confused of using aluminum foil I never tried it ever since.
You don’t have to use foil but it makes for easier cleanup. Spray either the pan with cooking spray, or the foil if you use it.
Hi
How many cups of yoghurt/sour cream is 6oz? Thanks a lot:)
Do a quick google search.
Can one use Buttermilk instead of the yogurt? And if so, at what qty?
I’ve only made the recipe as written so can’t give specifics about what to do if you change things. My advice is to experiment on your own and see what happens.
Hi! I will probably be making these tonight, so excited! Just two quick questions:
1) For the greek yoghurt, would you recommend just plain natural greek yoghurt or a vanilla flavoured?
2) Can this recipe be used for cupcakes?
Thanks!
1. Either are fine.
2. Yes but I haven’t personally tried so can’t give specifics.
This looks delicious! If I want to make this in a larger pan (9X13) as I’m feeding more people, can I just double the recipe w/ no other changes?
That would probably work out just fine.
MOST DELICIOUS AND THE SIMPLEST TO MAKE RECIPE. I MADE THIS FOR MY SON’S BIRTHDAY AND IT WAS A HIT.
THANKS
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it was simple and a hit!
I just tried this recipe, mine rose to a point where the top is cracked, almost like a soufle but a bit denser, and more stable, should i wait for it to deflate? Will it even deflate? Lol sorry i’m really new to this. Thanks!
I am sure it is fine by now. I hope you enjoy it. Baking takes time and practice and some trial and error when you are new.
Can i use whipping cream instead of half and half cream for the ganache?
You mean heavy cream, i.e. whipping cream, rather than ‘whipped cream’ that’s already been whipped I assume….just making sure. But yes you can use heavy cream.
Hello there,
In your pic the ganache frosting looks really good. I am really curious which kind of chocolate you used for the frosting. Also, did you use heavy cream or half and half? I’m asking because I made this cake the other day and it turned out yummy, but your frosting doesn’t look like mine. Yours is better. :)
Your tips are appreciated!
Actually I made this cake at a vacation home on a Caribbean island. Selection of chips was very bare bones and I used some sort of store-brand generic chips, only think I could find. And half-and-half because I had it on hand for coffee.
Ganache can be a tricky thing sometimes. Sometimes just a smidge too little/too much of one thing can cause the consistency to set up very differently. Keep playing around and experimenting.
Can i use warm water instead of coffee?
The coffee doesn’t make the cake taste like coffee – it brings out the chocolate flavor and I highly recommend using coffee over water unless there’s an allergy or something like that to coffee in which case water is ‘fine’. But water won’t give you the flavor that this cake should have if you use coffee.
Can i use a 9 inch round pan?
That’s probably okay but just make sure when you’re filling it that it’s not getting too full.
Can i use dark chocolate in making a ganache? Sorry for the questions and thanks a lot.
I have only made it with semi sweet and that’s just always what I use but experiment as you see fit.
Thank you for this great recipe! I made it yesterday with amazing results. It was the exact chocolate cake recipe I was looking for–moist, light and chocolately! A huge plus was that it was very easy. Again, thank you for sharing!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad that you loved it! I agree – easy with great results!
I made this today and it’s very dense without much rise. I rebranded the squares I cut as rich brownies with powdered sugar. Not sure what I did wrong but coworkers will gobble up anything that’s homemade.
Cakes that don’t rise much and are dense…a few things come to mind. First thing would be baking powder/soda that aren’t at their freshest. Next would be over-adding the flour, i.e. hard packing it into the cup, and/or over-mixing after it’s added. I have made this cake a ton of times, adapted other cakes based on it, and it’s always a winner. Readers love it too. So I would say the soda/powder issue or the flour are your culprits.
Glad that you at least re-purposed into brownies!
“Oil produces a moister cake in my experience and since all that lovely buttery flavor is going to be masked anyway from the cocoa powder, you’re not giving up anything in the flavor department and gaining worlds in the moisture category by using oil rather than butter. ”
Super advice and so very true.
I have tried most of your recipes and each one of them have turned out fabulously! This one in particular I make almost every second day (family and friends just love it!). I have a quick question though… If I had to turn this into an eggless cake, what do you suggest I use in place of the egg?
Thank you so much for your amazing recipes!
I’m glad you love this cake so much! The fact you make it so frequently is awesome!
I’ve never tried to make it eggless but being there is only one egg, you could possibly try to just add an extra 2-3 tbsp of Greek yogurt. Let me know what happens!
Oh my god. This is the cake recipe I have been looking for. I cannot explain how fantastic this turned out.
I made it for my birthday to take to work, and I am packing it up right away to take home so I can eat the rest of it.
So incredibly moist, without being heavy. Both the cake and the ganache are absolutely spot on. I don’t think I will ever make another chocolate cake recipe again, this one is that good. I would go so far as to say life-changing. Amazing! Thank you so so much!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it turned out great for you! And thank you so much for all your praise and compliments! Glad it’s a life-changer and that you won’t need another chocolate cake again! :)
Baked this today and my wife and I are smiling.. The moist, fluffy texture is exactly what I have been trying to find..
I am 77 and recently started baking.. I bought 6″ cake pans and started reading sites for small batch desserts.. I have made cakes from 4 different recipes.. Each was good but, just too dense and a bit dry.. Your recipe is the 5th I have tried and it is perfect…Perfect… As an aside, this recipes fills two 6″ cake pans perfectly.. Now I hope to find the same moist fluffy results in your white, lemon, etc., recipes..
Thank you…. :O)
Glad you took up baking in your 70s, what a great story!
Glad you love the cake and that the 5th one is a charm :) You will not find a dry cake on my site because I hate dry cake, so I can assure you all my other cakes are just as moist and soft. Keep me posted if you try any others.
Great little tip about this recipe filling two 6″ pans perfectly!
Hi Averie,
Just made this great chocolate cake today, to take to a dance for supper (bring a plate)
It was so easy and light in texture, and the gnache was just beautiful. I always have trouble
when melting chocolate either overcook it or something just doesn’t work!! So thank you for this
great best ever chocolate cake, speaks for itself.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Glad the ganache was perfect too!
Hello id just like to ask gow many cups is 6ounces of yogurt? Im planning to bake this for my dads birthday. It looks very delicious :)
Buy it in a 6 ounce container that way you know for sure it’s 6 oz. Enjoy!
Hi…if I want to make this into a 2 layer round cake,would I double the recipe? Thanks so much.
I haven’t tried it that way but yes you’d likely want to double and bake in 2 cake pans. Again, no personal experience.
I wanted to bake a chocolate cake for a special occasion and was apprehensive about trying a new recipe, but this cake turned out wonderful! Thank you for the great recipe!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
What can I use instead of the yogurt or sour cream?
Not sure since I have only tried it the way I wrote the recipe.
Hi Averie! The recipe sounds delicious, and I’m yet to try it out. Would there be an eggless recipe for the same? Thanks in advance!
I haven’t tried this cake eggless. I do have a vegan chocolate cupcake recipe that’s excellent https://www.averiecooks.com/2015/03/chocolate-cupcakes-with-cookies-and-cream-frosting.html
Made this cake last night and it tastes so good! So moist and fudgy and soft, had a hard time removing it from the cake pan lol
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
Just made this and it was so easy and so delicious!!! Definitely very rich with the chocolate ganache. Thanks for another fantastic recipe!!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
Maybe this is a silly question but when you say Greek-style yogurt, can I just use plain Greek yogurt? I know that’s healthy so I was a bit confused when you said no diet yogurt. Just wanted to confirm. Thanks!
Greek-style and Greek yogurt are one in the same. While Greek yogurt is healthier than some, it’s thick. ‘Diet’ yogurt is typically much runnier, thinner, and not advised for this recipe.
Hi Averie, it is my 9th anniversary today. I made this for my husband and me. He absolutely loved it. :)
I seriously need to hug you somehow! thx
Happy Anniversary and so glad the cake was a hit!
Thank you! This is an absolutely fabulous recipe. I made it for my sister as a welcome cake – and everyone loved it. It was so moist and with a rich chocolate flavour plus so easy to whip up.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
I double this recipe and made this in a 9 X 13 pan in December for my 4-year old son’s dinosaur cake, topped with butter cream icing in various colors. Rave reviews from the crowd of local Austrians….we are ex pats in Vienna! Thank you!!!
If Austrians are raving about this recipe, that is such high praise and thank you for telling me! And glad it worked out great (doubled) as your son’s bday cake!
P. S. I tried to attach a picture but couldn’t figure out how to do that. I turned out super cute as well as super moist and delicious. I made it again today and my kids just love it. I do leave out the coffee because my 9 year old can sense a coffee intrusion a mile away. So sad since the rest of us love it!
Glad you already made it again! And my site doesn’t allow pics because people will try to post things other than food so no pics :) But I bet the cake was super adorable!
Hi, I would really love to make this cake.Could you please give the the chocolate cake recipe in UK measures please. I have looked at conversion charts on the net, but each site gives different measures!
Since I don’t use UK measurements, I don’t know what to say or how to advise you. I’d use the conversions from the most reputable source and go with that. Good luck!
Nigella Lawson’s recipes always have both options and you could probably print a cheat sheet equivalent from one of her cake recipes that would get you close.
Hi,
This is how I converted the measures and the cake turned out great.
Cake tin: 22cm, 180°C, bake 25-30 min; 1 cup measures 250ml;
Cake: 1 large egg, 1 cup of sugar, 170g (177ml) greek joghurt, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1,5 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 cup of coffee, 1/2 cup cocoa, 1 cup flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/5 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt.
Ganache: 255g (1,5 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, 3/4 cup heavy cream, 1 tsp vanilla extract.
Glad it worked out great!
Wow I tried this yummylicious recipe today. EVERYONE loved it.
Thank you so much. And I really appreciate your efforts (time , energy and experiments ;) in your kitchen) for making great recipes for us. Thanks !
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And you’re welcome :)
hello if I want to bake this cake for an event tomorrow do I have to keep the cake (with ganache) in the fridge (I’m baking tonight) or could I just leave it at room temperature? O: if I have to leave it in the fridge how long must I take it out beforehand to ensure that the cake is soft? and is it alright to use canola olive oil instead? sorry for the bombard of questions!!
I would bake the cake, keep it at room temp, and then tomorrow before the event add the ganache. I think it’s best after you add the ganache to refrigerate the cake. The cake is very soft so you really don’t need to budget for that per se, although it will be chilled. If you want it room temp, then I’d say an hour or so.
No, don’t use olive oil. Make as directed. Enjoy!
Dear Averie, Your chocolate cake looks absolutely delicious, can’t wait to try it….however we don’t drink coffee and don’t have any on the shelf…..what can we substitute for it….Wally
Perhaps water but the cake won’t taste as rich and as good. I would go to Starbucks and just buy a cup of coffee or somewhere similar and use that if you don’t want to buy a whole pound of coffee. Enjoy!
I used your recipe for ganache with half and half for guidance tonight because I didn’t want to run out to the store. I used about a third of a bag of semi-dark chips that I had left and a crispy santa from Christmas chopped up. It was approximately 8 ounces total chocolate with the crispies and I used approximately 3 ounces of half and half. This then topped a cake with cherry pie filling on the bottom. I’m calling it chocolate covered cherry cake. The ganache still has the rice crispies intact. We haven’t eaten it yet as it is cooling. Anyway, thank you for posting your recipe. It gave me guidance and the consistency is perfect.
Glad it came out great for you! Your cake sounds wonderful!
Oh, my word!!! Delicious!! And I even substituted gluten free flour. No one knew. The ganache is what makes this whole cake awesome!! Thank you!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Even with GF flour!
Thanks a lot for this recipe! Initially I was a bit sceptical (as none of my chocolate cakes had turned out nearly as well as ready mixes) but it turned out great! Everyone loved the cake, especially the fact that it tastes rich yet light. I’ve baked it twice already and will certainly keep the recipe. Much appreciated!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And that you’ve baked it twice already!
I made this cake today and it was such a hit -everyone adored it. The best chocolate cake ever, for sure!
This is the first time I comment here but I’ve already made around 8 of your recipes. Every single one came out great. So seriously, thank you! Your blog has made me fall in love with baking (even more). Thankyouthankyouthankyou :)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And thanks for trying so many others and glad they’re all hits and that you’re falling in love with baking even more!
I made this cake today and it is perfection! Perfect size for our empty nest and the chocolate flavor is perfect! Friday night treat to make up for how good I was all week :)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Glad you have a nice Friday night treat :)
What is the benefit of the brewed coffee? I would like to make this for my husband but he absolutely hates the taste and smell of coffee. Can I substitute it for something else? Thanks!
Coffee enhances, intensifies, and makes chocolate taste richer when you bake with them together. If however, your husband is THAT sensitive to coffee and you think it would be a deal-kill, then don’t use it. It does add a lot of flavor but if it could ruin the whole thing for him, then I’d skip.
very delicious recipes, How I can sign up for newsletter
See Item #3. on this list https://www.averiecooks.com/faq Enjoy!
heh i tried it out, extending the bake time by another 5mins or so.
the chocolate cake turned out just right and moist! i made coffee buttercream instead of ganache.
im so happy because it all came together and it was my first time to make a 3-layer floral cake!
thank you so much for the recipe!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
hi! this recipe looks delicious and want to try this for my little one first birthday. instead of using 9×13 cake pan can i use cupcake pans?? for how many degree Fahrenheit is needed and for how long should i bake it??
People have baked this cake in so many ways, including as cupcakes, if you read through some of the previous comments. I’ve never done it that way but others have done lots with this cake so you may enjoy reading what people have tried by way of the previous comments. Enjoy!
can your recipe be baked in 3 6-inch round pans? :D
People have baked this cake in so many ways if you read through some of the previous comments. I’ve never done it that way but others have done lots with this cake so you may enjoy reading what people have tried. Enjoy the cake!
Averie the chocolate cake was amazing! My husband had two slices and he says he is trying to loose weight. My question is, could I add walnuts in the batter next time? I was just craving a bit of crunch with it.
Thank you !
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! So much for your husband’s diet, huh! :)
I think you could definitely add walnuts to the batter next time. Enjoy!
Do you have to refrigerate this cake?
I do if it’s warm out when I make it but not in the winter; your call.
Unfortunately the last time I tried local oil in cake, my kiddo got the runs till I put two and two together and started using butter (yes, I did multiple attempts…I am not the smartest of mothers, I admit).
Thanks anyway!
Hi, so I’d like to try this cake out but I live in Asia and as we’ve had quite a few oil scandals here, I’m rather reluctant to use the local vegetable oil here. I only have access to overseas Olive oil and overseas butter. Which should I use for this cake? And if it’s butter, should I be using 1/4 cup?
Thanks so much! Awesome looking cake by the way!
It’s hard to say because I’ve only made this cake with oil. That’s what keeps it softer. I’d be reluctant to use butter. I also know that olive oil will add a distinct flavor that I know some people bake with it, but I don’t. Take a risk and use the local oil is my suggestion!
Hi Averie, I tried your chocolate cake, and it was just awesome! My husband doesn’t like chocolate cake because its always so dry and not moist, but this he ate and told me he can eat it all day!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you and that your husband is a big fan, too!
Would it be possible to almost double the ingredients and make this a little larger in a 9×13 pan? Baking longer, of course…
I think that sounds about right. If you read through the comments, pretty sure others have doubled and it’s come out just fine in a 9×13.
I had been looking for an easy yet delicious chocolate cake recipe all day to use some of the frozen sour cherries in the fridge.
I just made a chocolate sour cherry cake based on your recipe and it turned out fantastic! First, I cut the recipe in half except for the egg and I had to leave out vanilla, coffee and unfortunately the ganache. I am kinda short of ingredients.
I only had homemade full fat yogurt and I used it. I added my frozen sour cherries on top of the batter.
I am very pleased with the result, in fact right now I am heading kitchen for one more slice before bed :) Next time I am gonna make it with the chocolate ganache.
Thanks
Thanks for trying the cake and glad it came out great for you even with all the substitutions and the cherries sounds like a wonderful addition.
Dear Averie,
I found your recipe while searching for yet another moist chocolate cake recipe, having been let down by so many that promise so much but end up being a disappointment. Your recipe was an absolute winnner – this is the best chocolate cake I have ever eaten and I am very proud to say I have made – thank you! If you don’t mind, I will be sharing this far and wide with credit to you. Thank you again!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you and that it’s the best you’ve ever eaten or made!
This has to be the absolute best chocolate cake I have ever tried in my life. This is not an exaggeration. T is so fluffy and moist and full of flavor. I will never make any other chocolate cake again. Thank you so much!!!!!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you and that you’ll never need another chocolate cake recipe ever again!!
Thank you Ms Sunshine for this easy yet delicious chocolate cake , which i made it in 2 different occasions and turned out very good and I felt soooo proud.
Thanks for trying the cake and I’m glad it came out great for you twice!
do you take cake out of pan to ice?
thanks!
For this cake, no. I just pour the ganache over the cake while it’s still in the pan.
This cake was a great hit with my family, especially my step-son, who adores chocolate! It was so simple and fast and I am glad that it is a smaller cake so that the “temptation” is not around long enough to tempt me to endulge! Thanks so much for the recipe and I love your blog!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Glad that the size is great for you too, temptation-wise :)
I made this cake and I hate to say it but it was bland. Going back over my measurements I’m fairly certain I used half a cup of cocoa but the cake, just wasn’t there for me. My fiancé accidentally used all our semi sweet chips so in the heat of the moment I grabbed white chocolate chips. I knew the batter would run thin and the flavor was a tad overly sweet but that made the cake worth it. Any ideas on how I can do a better job next time?
Sounds like you deviated from the recipe quite a bit by adding white chocolate. Make sure you’re using strong brewed coffee and decent cocoa powder and don’t add things that aren’t called for, i.e. white chocolate, and I think you will love this cake. Thanks for trying it and sorry it wasn’t for you…I have honestly in 3-4 years of having this recipe up, NEVER had anyone say the cake was bland. I think maybe re-make it using really good quality ingredients, not anything more, not anything less that’s written in the recipe, and you’ll love it.
I have just discovered your fabulous website and the recipes I’ve tried so far are terrific! Soft sugar cookies with sprinkles is now my favorite cookie! I do have a question. I notice that you almost always line a baking pan with foil. Is that simply for easier clean-up or have you found a baking advantage to using the foil. I’m just curious and don’t want to miss anything! Your recipes are easy to follow and the photography is amazing! Thanks! By the way, I almost always put some form of coffee in chocolate cakes.
I have one question though. So you don’t use butter in any type of cake or just chocolate cake? Will a yellow cake turn iut fine if i replace butter with oil? Do i substitute the same amount? And what about those recipes that require creaming the butter and sugar together? Butter is kinda expensive so if i replace it with oil, it’ll be nice.
Your question is complex because in some recipes you probably could just swap out butter for oil and in others, you probably can’t. It’s impossible to say which ones that will work with until you experiment with them. I write my recipes with oil in mind so I know they work. I have many yellow/white cake recipes that use oil here. https://www.averiecooks.com/category/dessert/cake
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I made it today for my mom’s birthday. I wrote happy birthday mama with buttercream frosting when the ganache set. I did use a 9 inch springform pan though because thats all i have and it turned out fine :)
You are so sweet to bake for your mom on her bday! And so glad the cake was a hit and I love that you wrote in the ganache with buttercream…so creative and I bet she was just thrilled!!
This cake looks moist and delicious. Can I make this using oat, rice, or spelt flour?
That’s odd, because I copy/pasted the instructions to my print-out. It doesn’t matter anyway. Once I saw your reply to the previous comment, I realised that I only needed one tin!
Glad to see someone else was confused by it saying “Line a 9-by-9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking or grease and flour a 10-inch round cake pan; set aside”. “or” makes much more sense here than “and”! I wasn’t sure if I had to make some kind of bain marie with two pans.
I’ve got the oven preheating and coffee cooling in a cup ready to get started. Now I’ve sorted out the confusion over the pans (from reading the print-out), I can get started :-D
The recipe did say OR (I went back and re-read it…but I also just updated it). I get so many questions, can I bake this in a muffin pan, as cupcakes, in a round pan, etc that I try to ‘accommodate’ many in my directions but I just took it all out to say, square pan, done :)
Enjoy the cake!
Can I use the ganache frosting to frost a 3-layer cake? Is it thick enough to hold up on it’s own between the layers of cake and sides of cake? Thank you!
It would be borderline although you could adjust it to make it a thicker ganache by using less cream/half and half.
Please read over the Baking and Recipe FAQs https://www.averiecooks.com/faq for answers to the most common questions.
Hi Averie,
I’ve used this chocolate cake recipe often enough now that I have had to Pin it. At our house it’s called BS cake. Last year my husband asked for an impromptu chocolate cake for his birthday. Okay. I found your recipe. Soon enough, it became not just his birthday, but his “Birthday Season,” which guaranteed a few more of these chocolate cakes before all was said and done (his purpose in declaring it birthday season in the first place).
Today is my nine-year-old’s birthday party, and she has asked for BS cake, too. I guess I’d better make sure I can always find your recipe!
Thanks so much for sharing it—
Melanie
I love the stories you have associated with this cake! How fun and so glad it’s turned into an all-seasons, and all-birthdays, ‘BS Cake’. Thanks for pinning and so glad you and your family love this cake!
Sorry, it wouldn’t let me comment to your reply. I use Fage 2% plain and my flour was not packed. Not sure why, but must have had a bad baking day. The ganache didn’t get very thick and kept running all over lol. I made a round cake in a spring form. Cut part of the top of it to make it more flat and I think it helped too cause some of the ganache went into the cake. My younger son who doesn’t like anything cake was happy to have ganache on his ice cream though. My birthday boy loved it and will most likely eat the rest of the cake himself as I am not a fan of cake, especially chocolate and I think hubby said he thought it was too much chocolate as well. But as long as the birthday boy was happy I am too :) I will most likely try it again when he liked it so much and maybe try it with sour cream to see if it makes a difference. BTW My son says Thank you!
Thanks for LMK what you used. Your Fage sounds similar to what my yogurt is probably like…I have made the cake with Greek yogurt, yogurt, sour cream, lite versions, whatever I have had on hand and it’s never came out anything but great for me – but it sounds like your cake itself was great!
Sounds like the ganache was a little thin. If that happens again to you, just add more chocolate! And/or with this recipe now that you know this, reduce the amount of cream you add and keep the chocolate the same.
As long as your bday boy was happy, that’s all that matters! Thanks for trying the recipe!
I just put this in the oven as my son picked this cake for his birthday today. Fingers crossed cause I just saw that you said the batter will be very runny….mine was more like chocolate pudding and I double checked that I didn’t miss any ingredients so I guess we’ll see.
Could have just been your yogurt was thicker OR you could have hard-packed the flour and over-measured it making the batter thicker. Happy Bday to your son!
Ms. Averie…thank you so much for your timely reply!
understood!
I used the 9 inch square pan and it turned out really super well!
I am just beginning to bake and the first time for anything is an ok thing–
THIS TIME, great success!
Thank you!!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
Ms. Averie…in the recipe above, you have a 9 x9 inch pan, cover with foil,
then grease and flour a 10 inch round pan
am I reading this correctly?
did you mean just the 9 x 9 inch pan which is covered with foil, greased, and floured?
Thank you for your kind attention.
You can use a 9-inch SQUARE or a 10-inch ROUND. A 9-inch round will not likely be large enough to hold all the batter which is why I specified that; but I always make this in a 9×9 square. Enjoy the cake!
I’ve made this cake about 10 times and every time it comes out perfect. Thank you so much for this awesome recipes. I follow the recipe to the T. I use a really good chocolate bar for the ganache which makes a big difference.
Thanks for making it so many times and glad it comes out perfectly every time! And yes the better quality chocolate you can use, you’ll always get even better results!
Hi Averie,
Thanks for your reply. I live in the US and its winter now hence I asked. Also, would adding sour cream make the cake taste little sour?
Hi Averie, the chocolate ganache cake looks absolutely delicious! I was going to make this for a small get together with friends. One concern I had is if I make the cake in the morning and needs to be served the same evening, do I keep the cake with the ganache refrigerated and then leave it our for about 30 mins before serving?
I do not want the ganache to harden while serving. Please advice!
Thanks!
Mine never hardens fully in the fridge but you will have to play things by ear because all ingredients and climates vary.
great receipe…..but I have dark cooking chocolate instead of chocolate chips…..how much do u think I should use it….
Probably about the same as the chocolate chips BUT I haven’t tried with anything other than chips so not sure how exactly it will (or won’t) set up with anything other than chips.
You do a great job of explaining every step of making this cake. Can’t wait to try!
Made this cake thrice already and it is always a hit in the crowd. I even paired it with cupcakes and put some shaved dark chocolate as an added decorations on top. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe of yours, Averie.
Glad this has been a hit to the point you’ve made it three times and I love the shaved dark chocolate idea too!
can u please tell me, u said coffee,is it coffee powder or liquid coffee that we drink.thanks in advance
Liquid, brewed coffee. Like what you’d pour into a coffee mug and drink.
Looks wonderful. Making it today for my son’s birthday.
Your site is a little frustrating to use though. All the ads slow it down tremendously. When I printed the recipe all sorts of ads popped up and bogged it down and made my browser crash the first try. There are so many great food blogs out there that I usually won’t come to a site like this twice just for this reason alone.
Really looking forward to this cake though.
Sorry about the slowness. My site experience record-breaking traffic over the weekend and there were literally hundreds of thousands of people who came to my site over the weekend and with all that traffic, it will run slower. I just upgraded my servers so hopefully that will not happen in the future.
Enjoy the cake! It’s one of my favorites!
I see some chocolate cake recipes call for coffee.. just curious as to why and do I really have to use it in the recipe for it to taste better?
It intensifies and deepens the chocolate flavor. It’s up to you to use it or not, but I recommend doing so.
Hi Averie,
I only have an 8×8 pan. Will I need to add a few minutes or do I need to just buy the 9in pan? thanks in advance. :) Hope you and your family are well
You can probably use an 8×8 although I haven’t tried. Just add some time, yes, as necessary til it’s done. Enjoy!
Hello Avery!
Will this recipe work at high altitude? Or should I adjust it? It looks too delicious to pass up and I’m new at baking at high altitudes.
Thank you!!
I live at sea level (San Diego) and am not an expert on altitude baking. I would make the recipe as written and then if it doesn’t turn out perfectly, you can always tweak it from there.
I’ll report back with my results ;) I absolutely have to try this! Thank you for replying!
My daughter turning 6 this week really wanted a chocolate cake for her birthday but she has a soy allergy. It’s hard to find a cake that is soy free and taste good. This turned out amazing the only difference I had to make was to get Joy Life allergy free chocolate chips. Thanks so much for this and how easy it was. I’m not a baker and it was easy for me.
Happy bday to your daughter and glad this worked out as her bday cake, allergy-free and everything for her! Excellent! :)
I live alone, and usually freeze a cake and then cut it up into serving pieces, wrap them individually, and then put them in the freezer (my freezer is not self-defrosting, so it doesn’t draw the moisture out of anything). Can this cake be frozen with the ganache topping?
Sure – give it a try! Worst that can happen is it’s not ‘perfect’ when you take it out of freezer and you scrape off the frosting. Right!
Thanks for this recipe. I just tried it and it turned up very delicious.
Hi,
I was just wondering if the texture will vary very much if the batter was used to make cupcakes instead of a cake?
Many readers have used this recipe to make cupcakes with good results.
Hi! I would love to try this recipe as I am a huge fan of a moist chocolaty chocolate cake but I do not wish to incorporate coffee in it. What should I do? Is it possible to totally make this recipe without the coffee or can I substitute it with something else? Thanks!
I urge you to use coffee because like I said, it doesn’t make the cake taste like coffee, at all. If there is a medical reason you don’t want to use it or a more serious reason, I totally understand; but if you’re just judging by your personal preferences, even those who don’t like coffee love this cake, as written. It’s called THE BEST for a reason – make as written is my advice. Water can be used but it will effect final taste results.
Awesome recipe – looks really simple, and yes, I’m tired of all the cake mix recipes myself:). I’m not very good at baking and have a (silly) question, if you don’t mind – is there a difference between heavy cream and whipped cream? Can I use whipped cream for the ganache instead of heavy cream? Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Heavy and whipping cream only differ in fat percentage, usually about 40 to 48% fat, depending on brand, type, etc. For this recipe, you can use either.
Hi…love this recipe I’ve tried it so many times. Now I want to make in 9×13 pan…if I double the recipe would it be fine.? I want to cover it with buttercream . Do u have a recipe for that.
Thanks
I think you’re fine to double it for a 9×13 although I haven’t personally tried.
Averie, I am so looking forward to making this for my upcoming birthday! Is it possible to use Dutch-processed cocoa powder instead if natural for this recipe? I’m in Malaysia and I have the Van Houten brand.
I think that will be okay. I don’t use Dutch-processed because in the US it’s much harder to get and more expensive, but I think you will be fine!
I ended using natural cocoa powder. The cake was absolutely marvelous! I’ve made it twice now, and added a pinch of instant coffee to the ganache frosting when I made it the second time for a deeper chocolate taste. Thank you so much!
Thanks for trying the cake, Melody, and I’m so glad you love it! Great idea to add instant coffee to the ganache, too! Thanks for sharing.
Hi, Averie. This cake is fabulous! Apparently it was one of my daughter’s beanie babies’ birthday this past Sunday and my kids all wanted me to bake a chocolate cake for him (lol). I was able to quickly whip up this cake and it was a hit. Definitely a keeper — very moist and nice and light. Thanks!
Glad you made this cake and that everyone enjoyed it and bravo to you for cooking for your daughter’s beanie babies’ bday – wow, you get mom of the YEAR award for that one!! So impressed :) Thanks for the great feedback on the cake!
This looks so good I almost licked the screen. I’ll be making it for a friend’s birthday. One question…does the ganache allow writing on it? (With icing, of course.) Or will the words slide right off the ganache?
Gorgeous blog!
The ganache is pretty drippy and slick. If you want to write on it with icing, I’d use a traditional choc buttercream or similar buttercream. But not a ganache. Honestly though, I’d skip the writing and make the ganache and save the writing for a card :) b/c I think the ganache is a key element to the cake’s flavor!
YAY THANK YOU!
oh wait, you’re probably wondering why you’re being thanked, besides the obvious (easy cake, hello): my boyfriend’s birthday party is saturday and i am swamped with work and running around getting things done and i don’t have a mixer with a paddle attachment and he WANTS CAKE and i WANT TO GIVE HIM CAKE and this is all one sentence. so yes, thank you. this + the ganache + raspberry mascarpone = happy birthday!
small question: would you suggest dutched cocoa with this recipe? we’re both fans of black chocolate cake.
You can use either type of cocoa but b/c Dutched is about 4x the price of non for me, I 99% of the time just use what I can get at my local supermarket. Happy Bday to your bf!
I made this cake for my family and everyone loved, loved, loved it! The cake was so moist and light. However I thought my ganache never really firmed up, I just poured it on the cake, there was no need to spread it. I did use 2 tbls. of bourbon instead of vanilla, could that be the reason? Thank you for this delish recipe :)
Glad you loved the cake! If your ganache never firmed up fully, next time I would cut down on the milk/cream slightly or up the amount of choc chips. It can be a delicate balance to get it just firm enough, but not too firm. Just play with it a little bit. The bourbon vs. vanilla really wouldn’t matter per se; but you could easily solve this I’m sure by just decreasing the milk amount a bit. Glad you loved the cake!
Saludos. Que gran pagina tienen. Pero me gustaría saber si pueden pasar las medidas a gramos. Y Como soy de Venezuela no encuentro casi ningún producto podrías recomendarme una pagina donde comprar el chocolate Hershey y los bombones que son de melosa cubiertos de chocolates, que usas para los cupcakes rellenos. Gracias de ante mano
Made this today…absolutely delicious. This is my first time ever making a cake without butter, the sour cream made it so moist!
Thanks for trying it and glad you’re so happy! And yes, butter-free cakes that are based on oil, greek yogurt or sour cream…always softer & moister than butter-based ones in my opinion!
Thanks for so much for your quick response :)
I am thinking of making a cake for my Husband on our 3rd anniversary this Friday. I want to make a “surprise” cake (with a surprise heart inside). Do you think that I can incorperate your chocolate cake with the secret heart inside, instead of the cake this “surprise ” cake recipe? If so, how much time should I bake your cake in an 8×4 loaf pan??? Thanks in advance :)
incorperate –> I meant cooperate (excuse my english). I forgot to send you the link of the suprise cake I found on pinterest, my description might not be so clear http://www.recipegirl.com/2014/02/03/chocolate-valentine-surprise-loaf-cake/
I don’t have any experience baking a cake within a cake and really cannot comment. That said, this is not a ‘tall’ cake and I think you’d have problems fitting anything inside it, unless you make a 2-3x batch and turned it into a layer cake and then you’d have to work on getting the other cake into it which I don’t have any experience with.
Can I double the recipe and turn it into a layer cake?
Yes I’m sure that would be fine although I haven’t personally tried.
I baked it in a large rectangle pan, cut it into two halves and then sliced each half to end up with four 8 x 8 pieces. I assembled with thin layer of ganache topped with a thicker layer of ganache on top. Then placed lots of fresh strawberries dipped in chocolate. This made for an easy special occasion cake, totally delicious. Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
I love your idea of stacking the 2 halves and filled & topped with ganache and strawberries dipped in chocolate. I bet the presentation was stunning! Glad you enjoyed this cake!
Looks delish! My 3 year old has requested a chocoalte cake for her Bday and for her school cupcakes…any way to replace the coffee with something? Sounds amazing just concerned about 3 years hopped up on caffeine? hehe
There’s really no substitutes. I’m sure there’s more caffeine in the overall chocolate used in the cake between all the cake and ganache than from the coffee added. They probably get more caffeine eating Halloween candy. I personally wouldn’t worry about it but do as you see fit. It’s great cake and it would maybe come out to 2 teaspoons per each cupcake, if that! :)
I made it with decaf coffee when I made it. It tasted fine. Although you’re probably right to be more worried about all the caffeine and sugar in the chocolate.
Followed recipe as written….don’t change a thing. Perfect for a chocolate fix and so simple. Awesome!!
I’m glad you love it, as written, and wouldn’t change a thing! Thanks, Marcell!
I found your recipe via Pinterest and made it for a friend’s birthday who requested chocolate on chocolate! It was such an easy recipe, thank you for all of your notes and tips- it turned out AMAZING! Everyone loved it, especially and most importantly the birthday gal! This recipe instantly made my favorites list and I can’t wait to make it again. Thank you, Thank you!
Im glad you loved it! Thanks for trying it & I hope your friend had a happy bday :)
I’m not much of a baker, but your pictures make me want to make this cake! To use the batter for cupcakes, though, how many cupcakes would it make and what temperature and timing would I use? Thanks very much.
I would bake at 350F until they’re done. Normally cupcakes take 18-20 mins but it really depends on your oven, the batter, how full they’re filled, etc.
I hardly comment on any food blog sites, but this one I will.
Made it the other day…and yeah… this was as good as it looks, and too dangerous because it was to easy to make too. Hubby and I fought over the last piece, of course I won because I had leftover coffee to go with it. I used Hershey’s dark cocoa powder and for the frosting used half-n-half and Ghirardelli’s 60% & some 70% dark chocolate and it was perfect.
You are so right about the butter vs. oil, because this cake kept its original texture even after being in the fridge for 3 days. Love that it only has 1 egg and 1/4 cup of oil – not crazy about chocolate cake recipes that require 2 sticks of butter!
Hubby said I need to make another one tonite. Thanks for the recipe!
not crazy about chocolate cake recipes that require 2 sticks of butter! = neither am I!
Glad you loved it and thanks for commenting and that’s cute that you fought over the last piece :)
hi, i live in the uk and this cake looks ridiculously good, but i’m just wondering- what is half and half? i’m assuming heavy cream is simply double, but i’m a bit stuck when it gets more complex haha.
thanks for the amazing recipes, this site is definitely saved onto my bookmarks bar!
half-and-half is just that, half the fat content of full cream, usually about 17% as compared to heavy cream, which is about 33-37%. Use your favorite cream.
Well I can honestly say you have sold me on cakes made with oil. I used to only look for cakes with butter, but this cake was absolutely delicious. Already made it 3x. Thanks
Thanks for trying this and yes, butter is over-rated in cakes IMO. Think about it. At cool temps, butter turns solid. Oil doesn’t. I want my cakes/muffins/quicbkreads to stay soft and not ‘solid’ so I use oil. It just adds so much moisture and I don’t miss the buttery flavor anyway since it’s masked by all the chocolate :)
Wow! This cake is AMAZING! I don’t drink coffee so I used Pero (coffee substitute) instead, and it turned out great! Thank you so much for a great recipe!
Thanks for trying it & glad you love it. I’m very familiar with Pero & glad to know it worked well for you here.
Made this cake yesterday, oh my, it is the best cake ever. It’s a cake that makes me want to get up at midnight and “sneak a slice”!
I didnt call it ‘the best’ for nothing :) Glad you agree! And yes, it’s totally a slice-sneaker, isn’t it!
This is the dumbest question, I’m sure..
You recommend lining a 9×9 square pan with aluminum foil OR using cooking spray to grease a 10″ round cake pan? I just want to do this right. Using the aluminum foil scares me bc of presentation.
Well are you really going to present the cake in the same pan you bake it in, as opposed to a cake stand, a pretty plate, or just plating it up? I always do one of the above and with a foil-lined pan, you can just pick the whole thing up so easily without mutilating it, and transfer to your serving plate. Do whatever you think will work best for you, foil or not. I prefer it since it’s so much easier, cleaner, and neater.
I agree a chocolate cake is always best topped with chocolate ganache. I have also made a similar one previously but with a twist in the ganache, hope you can check it out :)
http://andresthehomebaker.blogspot.hk/2013/11/chocolate-slice-with-nutella-ganache.html
Thank you so much for this recipe! This is definitely one of the best chocolate cake recipes I’ve ever used. Turned out extremely moist (definitely very chocolate-y) and I used some milk choc chips (ran out of dark!) and some nutella with the ganache, and sprinkled some m&ms on top. So perfect! I’ll definitely be using this for layer cakes or cupcakes :)
Thanks for trying the recipe and love your idea of using Nutella and sprinkled M&Ms, too :) The cake is a keeper, I agree. Always turns out and it’s so easy. Thanks for being a fan of it!
Wow. I’ve been baking for years now and I dont think I’ve ever said “this is THE perfect chocolate cake” until I made this. Seriously, thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe.
Thanks for the glowing praise and compliments! I agree with you that it’s the perfect cake :) Thanks for trying it!
super cool!!!!!!!!! I made a vegan chocolate mud cake the other day because i just saw this post and was inspired to do so!
That’s awesome to hear!
This cake is unbeatable – it is fantastic! I have made it so many times and realised I hadn’t let you know. We love it and so does everyone else who tastes it!!
I am so glad to hear it’s a big hit and you’ve made it so many times and it always turns out and that people love it!
Is it okay if I use plain non-fat yogurt? That’s what I have at home. What’s the worst thing that could happen? Will the consistency of the cake get messed up? Also I tried looking for yogurt that isn’t diet, non-fat, or low fat. I can’t find any that isn’t.
If all you have is plain non-fat and you’ve tried looking for other types, then just use what you have. In general, the thicker the yogurt, i.e. full-fat Greek yogurt, the softer the cake will be. Another substitution would be to use sour cream, maybe just slightly less, but use whatever you have. It will be fine. LMK how the cake turns out for you!
Is there any way you could make the recipe printer friendly like the rest of the recipes on your website?
It used to be but for now, you can just copy/paste the portion you need into an email and email it to yourself.
This cake was a dream to make and tasted heavenly!! It was dense and so so so moist. Such a simple recipe! Thank you Averie, you’re brilliant!
One question! Could I use the same batter for cupcakes? :D
I have had people make cupcakes with the batter with good luck. LMK if you try!
Glad you loved the cake!
This cake was a dream to make and tasted heavenly!! It was dense and so so so moist. Such a simple recipe! Thank you Averie, you’re brilliant!
Would the batter overflow in an 8 inch square pan? I don’t have a 9 inch square pan. Or I guess I could use a 9 inch round pan?
Round pans hold much less than square, so I would not use the 9 inch round. I would use the 8 inch square and if it looks like it’s getting high, don’t put in the last 1/2 cup or so of batter. Use your judgment. And possibly reduce baking time a bit. Bake extra batter in a cupcake pan for 20 mins or so. LMK how it goes!
Cool. Thanks for the tips! :)
WOW!!!Made this for my father-inlaws 87th birthday cake….he was eating the icing with a spoon! I used 0% Greek yogurt and it turned out perfect. Amazing chocolate experience. Thx for sharing! Just had a piece with my am coffee!!!
I am TOUCHED to know an 87 year old man was eating the icing with a spoon. Now that is a great story! And thanks for making the cake and for coming back to LMK you did. LOVE stories like this :) The bday cake for an 87 yr old – makes me feel honored. Thank you!
made this cake last night and it was amazing. so moist, sweet..and PERFECT with a glass of milk (or my pairing of vanilla ice cream) to balance out the sweetness of the rich ganache. thanks for a great recipe. i’m considering this my bday cake as it was mine on saturday! haha then i can eat extra right? ;)
Thrilled to hear you loved it so much and that it did double-duty as your bday cake! And a very happy bday to you and yes, that means you can have extra! :)
So delicious! I had a hard time waiting for the cake to cool and the ganache to set, but it was so worth it. Definitely will be making this recipe again.
Thanks!
Thanks for the report back, Alex! So glad you enjoyed this and plan to make it again! YAY! :)
This looks lovely and I am planning to make it for a friend’s wedding tomorrow (she wanted me to help out with baking some sweets). I am also planning on making a personal, layer cake just for her and I was wondering if this recipe would work fine as a layer cake?
thanks!
I’m sure it will. I have never made it that way, but no reason you can’t double the recipe, bake in two pans, and frost it as a layer cake. LMK if you try it!
Do I have to change anything about this recipe if I were to make this into cupcakes instead of a cake?
I’ve never made it as cupcakes so I don’t know but I think you’ll be fine as-is. If you try it, LMK how it goes!
I tossed this together this evening, almost as an afterthought to a simple dinner, and it was just lovely! I halved the recipe and made minor adjustments to make it a cozy dessert for two (for a few nights). Thank you very much!
So glad to hear you made it, April, and that you were able to halve it and it turned out so well for you…what a sweet thing to make dessert for two with it. Glad you enjoyed and thanks for the feedback! :)
Hi Averie! Thank you for this fabulous recipe! I made this cake, and it was the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had! I stored the leftovers in the fridge and the frosting became rather stiff. I could peel it off. I LOVE chocolate, but when the frosting becomes hard, it’s too much. I know, I can’t believe I just said that! :-) Does the cake need to be refrigerated? Thank you again for this awesome recipe!
I don’t refrigerate the cake but do as you enjoy. If your frosting becomes stiff, you could possibly increase the volume of milk or cut back the amt of chocolate just slightly, that will thin it out a bit and probably keep it from becoming stiff. Or use whole milk or half and half rather than a heavier cream so it stays thinner. But glad to know you love, love the fake and it WAS the best chocolate cake you’ve ever had. Thanks for telling me! :)
Well I made this cake again last week and took it to friends who are diabetic, they loved it, I told them I had made it sugar free with the agave, they couldnt belive how moist and rich it was! I then again made it tonight for dessert again with the agave for my husband so he can enjoy it.. We love this cake! I have to make it as the recipe calls for sugar I just know it is good! The very best chocolate cake ever, and I have been baking for over 40 years!
Wow that is such high praise that you deem this the very best ever chocolate cake, and that you’ve been baking for over 40 years! Thank you, thank you!
And I think it’s pretty cool that you’re making cakes with agave for your diabetic friends and that you were able to pull this baby off totally sugar free!
I don’t know if you’re into pumpkin, and I realize the season is a bit past it’s prime right now, but my pumpkin cake along with this choc cake are my two fave cakes on my blog!
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/10/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-bundt-cake-with-chocolate-ganache.html
I made this last night, sold on the recipe based on all of the good reviews, and I agree – the cake was amazing. I had someone tell me that they hate chocolate and they never eat it, yet they loved the cake so much they wanted the recipe. Thank you!!
I am so glad to hear you made it, you loved it, AND the chocolate hater (<--- baffling!!) loved it and wanted the recipe. Now that's success! Thanks for making it and for coming back to let me know your field report!
I found this by way of Pinterest and just had to make it the next day. I have a husband who is diabetic so I needed to make it sugar free. I used agave nectar, oh my did this cake turn out scrumptious and it was truly sugar free, no sugar in the cake and none in the ganash! Thanks for a wonderful recipe that can be made gluten free. P.s. I used a half cup of agave nectar in place of the one cup of sugar.
Thanks for finding me and for making this and so glad that you love the recipe – AND that you were able to make it totally sugar free, wow! By way of 1/2 cup agave nectar. I love agave and usually use it in all my no-bake/raw cookie dough balls and glad to hear you had success with it in this cake. Thanks for the feedback!
I don’t usually comment on a blog post but here I am munching away and wanna salute you on this amazing recipe! It’s so simple and yet results in awesomeness. Btw I truly appreciate how you continue to reply each and every comment on here, not all bloggers do that. Keep up the reachable-ness, if that’s even a word. Kudos.
I try my best to reply to comments; especially those in which someone told me they made something of mine. That person took the time to try a recipe, spent their time, money, and energy on something I recommended and whether they loved it or not, the fact they tried it and came back to tell me about it – I definitely feel like I want to and should at least reply! But thanks for the encouragement to keep up with it.
And thanks for trying this recipe and glad that you love the simplicity + awesome results! Me too :)
This cake is literally the best cake I have ever made or had. It’s like when you walk into a cafe or bakery and you see all those decadent looking chocolate cakes, and then you taste them, and you’re disappointed because they’re never nearly as good as what you had imagined in your head, but this cake exceeds that; it’s better than you could ever imagine it to be. It’s so indulgent, it’s a luxury to eat. And the best part is, you can follow the recipe exactly and without a doubt, it will turn out perfect. Thank you for you’re beautiful recipe, I will make this time and time again :)
Jacqui, you just made my day. I love this comment and that you had such success with the recipe.
That it’s the best cake you’ve ever had, or made; and that it ranks right up there with decadent-looking bakery cakes (and I totally concur, they are usually mediocre at best, and almost always a disappointment and underwhelming).
I took a ridiculous amount of time in creating this recipe with research, testing, trialing to make sure it was *the best* chocolate cake I have ever had and that’s easily re-creatable by others without 17 different types of specialty ingredients, flours, milks, etc. I am so glad you love it :)
THE best cake I have ever made!! You have me converted; no more cake mix. This was as easy to make as a mix and so, so, so, SO much better tasting.
Maybe the best chocolate cake I have ever eaten, and I made it myself. You are a genius! :)
This comment made my day – thank you! You love the cake, it’s possibly the best cake you’ve ever had, and you happened to make it, and you’re done with boxed mix. WOOT!!! :)
Hello!!
I made this cake today and it was AMAZING!! I made it in an 8×8 pan and made two cupcakes because I didn’t have the right size pan. I gave a piece of just the cake to my husband and he loved it. Usually it takes him forever to eat sweets but he ate it right up. I used half and half for my ganache and it never set. It stayed runny even in the fridge. Do you think I should use heavy whipping cream next time or do you think I did something wrong? Thanks so much! Again AMAZING!!!
So glad you loved it as well as your hubby! Ganache like this stays very soft and ‘goopy’ and never really fully sets. That’s the beauty; it doesn’t turn hard and crunchy like a buttercream or anything with powdered sugar in it. You did it just right!
You could cut back on the ratio of half and half to chocolate ratio a bit, thereby having a thicker and less runny ganache, but it will simply be thicker rather than thicker + setting up solid. It will still stay on the soft side.
If you like a solid-setting frosting, use a favorite buttercream or one you love; but this one stays drippy and oozing which I love with this cake but of course, do what you like best! Thanks for the field report and glad it was a hit!
Thanks!! I think I’ll just cut back on the half and half next time. The ganache was AMAZING even though it was runny! Thanks!
Thanks Averie. Thank you for everything that you do.
This is a question I always have. For the chocolate cake recipe, would it be possible to reduce the sugar to one half cup or don’t do it. Also, is there any substitute in the nut milk world for the heavy creme in the ganache? Thanks for everything. Great blog.
No, don’t halve the sugar. The cake is *perfect* as written, both in sweetness and in texture; playing with sugar ratios will throw other things off. This is NOT a sweet cake. It’s rich, not sweet per se. Coconut milk or cashew milk would be good substitutes, almond milk in an absolute pinch.
Averie, would substituting full fat coconut milk or Silk work in the gnache in place of the creamer/ half and half?
Thanks
Kim
Yes it will – it will impart a coconut taste (not everyone likes that) but it will work – maybe not quite as silky as cow’s milk dairy, but pretty darn close :)
I made this cake this week for my birthday. It is so moist and so delicious. I don’t like frosting, so the ganache was perfect! I sprinkled mini m&ms on top to decorate it. I generally let my husband and kids buy me a cake every year, but this year I insisted I would bake my own. It was the best birthday cake I’ve had for my own birthday in years!
Well Happy Bday to you AND I am so glad that this was a big hit for you and that you had such good success with it! Comments & stories like this just make my day and the fact that it turned out to be the best bday cake you’ve had in years…just awesome! Thanks for making it and the feedback!
Goodness gracious, this looks SO good! PS. I’m catching up on my blog reading and don’t know exactly when this happened, but your new blog design looks awesome – I love it!
Well I’ve had the current design and layout since about February 2012. I have added some images on my sidebars and rotate the recipe cubes but other than that, it’s the same! Welcome back!
Omg I made the chocolate cake that requires coco and coffee. Amazing. Eat. Cake. Ever.
So glad to hear you made it and are as thrilled with it as I am!
love the frosting!
Perfection. That’s the only word to describe this cake… I love the use of yogurt to add moisture to the cake and that there’s no butter involved. And no mixer required. So awesome… I’m featuring this post in today’s Food Fetish Friday (with a link-back and attribution as always). Thank you so much for keeping me inspired with such delicious creations…
If I don’t use the coffee should I use more cocoa in water or milk? Coffee doesn’t agree with me. Thanx for your help.
I would just replace the coffee for water. Possibly add a little extra vanilla extract and if there’s any way to use the coffee, I reallllllllly would. Even decaf, whatever – it’s a flavor thing and water is just not going to be the same but you know that going into it….
I used buttermilk instead of coffee, worked nicely. Also used some sea salt in the ganache made a 3 layer cake each layer topped with ganache and covered it with a cocoa whipped cream “icing” best cake ever!
Great feedback on the buttermilk rather than coffee. You can never go wrong w/ buttermilk in cakes, muffins, quickbreads, pancakes, etc b/c it just tenderizes everything so beautifully. And if you like a saltier vibe (which I’m guessing from the sea salted ganache), buttermilk is just perfect for you then!
The fact that you topped the ganache with cocoa whipped cream – oh I want to lick the bowl :) Thanks for the feedback!
Ha! So true.
I hardly have any chocolate or even vanilla recipes on my blog.
Your cake looks gorgeous, and easy is sometimes the best tasting in my opinion.
As long as the frosting is spot on, then all is fine. LOL
I use brewed coffee in almost ALL of my chocolate recipes. It brings out the flavor of the chocolate in such an incredible way that makes me drool just thinking about it! Haha
Me too! In brownies, cakes, anything to bring out the chocolate flavor!
Goodness, that crumb looks absolutely perfect! Seriously mouthwatering. I want some for breakfast RIGHT NOW.
I had no idea that baking powder can dry such recipes out. Thanks for the tip!
I think it does and I never use it in things like blondies or brownies where density is okay AND I want moisture b/c it will make things lighter, cakier, and drier, IMO
This looks supremely amazing, gorgeous shots and so much chocolatey goodness in this post!
I haven’t used cake mixes in awhile, the last one I had was a freebie from the FB fest that wasn’t vegan friendly, so I gave it to my sister. For some reason I never think to buy them.
Well being vegan, you don’t have alot of options with them and better to just make from scratch I think!
This chocolate cake was a-MAZING! I made it on a whim, at 11:00 P.M. and since I didnt have any chocolate chips, I whipped up a quick Nutella flavored ganache using heavy cream and nutella. If that’s your kind of thing, you should definitely try it! :)
You are officially the first person who’s made it and reported back – and so glad you loved it. AND that you doctored it up with a Nutella + heavy cream ganache. Now THAT sounds amazing!
that looks delicious, averie! I love the use of coffee as a cake ingredient!
It’s pretty common to use coffee when making choc cake or brownies or any recipe in which you want to bring out the flavor of the cocoa – I couldn’t see NOT using it, actually! :)
Hi Averie,
What a wonderful pics of Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache you have here.
Perhaps you’re interested to submit your food photos on our food photography site that has tagline “Food Photography that will make you hungry” :) http://www.foodporn.net
It’s free to submit, free to join, and a lot of members can enjoy your creation!
Oh my goodness…I’m reeealllly wishing they had flavor-capable computer screes. You know, ones I could lick to taste that frosting. *Swoon*
Could I use a non-dairy yogurt in the cake?
And almond milk in place of half and half for the ganache?
This cake looks amazing and moist.
I’m sure you could try it and see what kind of results you will get – I don’t think they will be bad, and in fact probably decent, if you need to keep this cake dairy-free for a certain reason, but because I haven’t made it that way, I can’t speak to the exact results you’ll get.
Most of my favourite cake recipes are from scratch, but I do use cake mixes for cake pops, and a lemon cake that I make occasionally.
Truly beautiful cake, Averie!! And that ganache…so rich looking. My favorite cake recipes (from scratch) would be my mom’s Texas sheet cake or my mother in law’s German chocolate cake. I’ll certainly do a boxed mix because most are actually pretty moist, but I do love baking from scratch because all ingredients can be controlled! That luscious frosting got me wondering about a white chocolate ganache (and even a white chocolate version using full fat coconut milk). Hmmm….oh the possibilities!
I bet a white choc ganache would be spectacular. In fact, I have some plans for that. And with coconut milk, mmmmm, could be (would be!) simply divine I’d imagine!
No need to sell me on this cake, because that beautiful, glossy ganache had me at first sight. This is one beautiful cake.
This cake looks so freaking awesome! Especially that frosting!
What a treat! I love chocolate cakes and you can’t go wrong with a delicious ganache on top!
I`m not even a HUGE fan of chocolate cake, but you have me drooling!
mmmmm, i kind of want to make it right now. great photos too!
2 amazing recipes in a week, what are you doing to me? I saw both of these photos (this and your banana bread) via facebook and had to, I mean literally had to check them out. My kids will love this, (me to) as its dark chocolate. Who doesn’t like dark chocolate? Also, its proven to be good for you, and on a daily basis. That’s all I need to know. Do you have a cookbook in the works? That is what I am really seeing for you girl!
xoxo,
you MN and now Cali buddy
I know you use coffee in your choc cake and I know you’d love this cake – you’ll have to tell me how it compares to the one you make which is that Ina G./Beatty’s cake recipe, I think.
And as always, thank you for your support and high praise :) xo
Pure chocolatey perfection! I love easy cakes from scratch. And the ganache – heaven!!
The cake looks delicious! I love how you made your own frosting, it looked so wonderful!