Chocolate Fudge Cake

Chocolate Fudge Cake. If you have never made a chocolate cake from scratch then this is the recipe to try. It’s so easy to make and comes together in no time, this cake is so rich and moist with a deep chocolate flavour. 

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

Start by sifting cake flour, add cocoa powder, use dutch process cocoa powder which will react well with the buttermilk.

You will also need baking powder, baking soda and salt and sugar. Mix everything and set aside. For the wet ingredients, you will need buttermilk, the tartness in the buttermilk will balance the sweetness of the cake. You will also add coffee, vegetable oil, vanilla and eggs. Use a whisk to give it a quick stir.

Place the dry ingredients in a stand mixer then add in the wet ingredienst on low speed and once you no longer see any flour cocoa powder, increase the speed to medium and beat for about a minute. This cake makes a great layer cake and you can use an 8-inch pan, greased and dusted with flour. Pour the batter into your pan then bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degrees oven.

When you insert a skewer at the centre of the cake and it comes out clean, your cake is perfect. Let teh cake cool in the tin for about 20 minutes then remove from the pan and set them aside. 

For the chocolate fudge frosting, start by melting unsalted butter with bittersweet chocolate. Pour it in a stand mixer then sift in cocoa powder and icing sugar then beat that on medium speed until they blend.

Add some full-fat sour cream, vanilla and a pinch of salt then beat until it has a nice spreadable consistency. If you have just one cake, dollop the frosting over the cake, if you want a layer cake, after the first layer, place the second layer and spread the frosting on top.

The nice thing about a fudge cake is you want to keep the decor simple and part of the appeal is just swirls and swishes of teh fudge frosting. Transfer the cake to your serving platter then chill in teh fridge for about an hour before serving it.

Ingredients :

Cake :

• 2 ¼ cups (295 g) cake pastry flour
• 1 cup (120 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1 ½ tsp (4.5 g) baking powder
• 1 tsp (5 g) baking soda
• ½ tsp (2.5 g) salt
• 1 cup (200 g) packed light brown sugar
• 1 ½ cups (375 mL) buttermilk
• ½ cup (125 mL) vegetable oil
• ¼ cup (60 mL) strong coffee
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract

Fudge Frosting :

• ¾ cup (175 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 4 oz (120 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• ½ cup (60 g) cocoa powder, sifted
• 3 cups (390 g) icing sugar, sifted
• 1 cup (250 mL) full-fat sour cream
• 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
• ½ tsp (2.5 g) salt

Instructions :

Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Grease four 8-inch (20 cm) cake pans, dust with flour, tapping out any excess and line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, cocoa, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl using electric beaters or into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Stir in the brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, coffee, eggs and vanilla.

Add this all at once to the dry mixture and mix first on low speed until blended, then increase the speed to medium and beat for a minute until smooth.

Pour this into the prepared pans and bake for about 30 minutes, until a tester inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn out to cool completely.

For the frosting :

Melt the butter and chocolate in a metal bowl placed over an inch (25 mm) of barely simmering water, stirring until melted.

Set this aside to a cool a little, but it should still be lukewarm to use.

Using electric beaters or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the melted chocolate & butter with the cocoa powder and half of the icing sugar on medium speed until smooth.

Add the sour cream, vanilla and salt and beat in.

Add the remaining icing sugar and beat on medium speed until smooth and spreadable consistency.

If the frosting seems too soft at this point, just let it sit for a bit, then beat again, but avoid increasing the speed any higher than medium – this will make the frosting fluffy and light, but no longer fudgy.

Place a cake layer on a cake plate.

Dollop frosting onto this and spread to the edges in a level layer.

Top this with a second cake layer and repeat with the frosting and remaining two cake layers.

Use the remaining frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake. Chill the cake until ready to serve.