Easy Chocolate Fudge Cake (Print Version)

Super-squidgy chocolate cake with silky icing—ideal for celebrations or an indulgent teatime treat.

# What You'll Need:

→ For the Cake

01 - 7 oz unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
02 - 7 oz dark chocolate (minimum 50% cocoa solids), chopped
03 - 8.8 oz light brown sugar
04 - 3 large eggs
05 - 7 oz all-purpose flour
06 - 1½ tsp baking powder
07 - ¼ tsp fine sea salt
08 - 1.76 oz cocoa powder
09 - 5 fl oz whole milk
10 - 1 tsp vanilla extract

→ For the Chocolate Icing

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

# How to Make It:

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

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It looks fancy enough for a dinner party but honestly requires no special skills or fancy equipment.
  • The cake stays moist for days, so you can actually relax and enjoy it instead of rushing to eat it while it's fresh.
  • One bowl of melted chocolate does most of the heavy lifting, which means fewer things to wash up.
02 -
  • The skewer test is crucial: pull it out too early and you'll underbake and get a sunken middle, but overbake even slightly and the cake becomes dry instead of squidgy.
  • Room temperature chocolate and melted butter fold in much more smoothly than cold chocolate, so don't rush the cooling step before combining.
  • If your icing breaks or looks grainy while you're beating it in, you've either added the milk too quickly or your bowl was too warm; smooth it out by adding a tiny bit of milk and beating it again.
03 -
  • Invest two minutes in sifting your dry ingredients twice; it aerates them and prevents lumps that would turn your beautiful cake gritty.
  • If your kitchen is warm, chill your mixing bowl and whisk before whisking the eggs and sugar, because they'll incorporate better when cool.
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