Chocolate Cake Recipe
This is a beautiful moist and delicious chocolate cake with the crunch of toasted pistachios and almonds on the side topped off with rich ganache and chocolate flowers. Perfect for Christmas or any other special gathering.
Chocolate Cake Ingredients:
Makes two 8inch (20.32 centimetres) round cakes or 24 cupcakes
200g (7.05 ounces) of 70% cocoa dark chocolate
315g (11.11 ounces) or 1 1/3 cups margarine or butter
8 large eggs
2 1/4 cups or 485g (17.11 ounces) caster sugar (super fine sugar)
1 1/4 cups or 200g (7.05 ounces) plain flour (use GF flour if coeliac, this recipe has been tested with gluten free flour and works well)
1/4 cup or 30g (1.06 ounces) cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Chocolate Cake Recipe Directions:
Preheat the oven to 180C (356 degrees Fahrenheit).
Place chocolate and margarine into a bowl.
Melt in the microwave (30seconds, stir, 30sec, stir…).
Whisk in the sugar and then the eggs.
Sift flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together and mix into cake mixture until just combined.
Pour into two lined 20cm (7.87 inches) round cake tins.
Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Test if its done by inserting a skewer into the centre, if it comes out clean it is ready. If the cake is looking done on top but is not yet cooked through put an empty baking tray on the shelf above it in the oven.
For the decoration
600 mL (20.29 fluid ounces) or 2 1/3 cup cream
2 tablesppons icing sugar
dash of vanilla essence
Whip the cream, vanilla and icing sugar until just thickened. Divide your bowl into half and then one half into thirds. Use one of these smaller portions between the layers. Add a generous spoon of ganache to the larger portion and mix in, use this to cover the sides of the cake.
100g (3.53 ounces) or 1 cup flaked almonds
100g (3.53 ounces) or 3/4 cup pistachios, chopped
Roast the almonds and pistachios on a tray in the oven at 180ºC or approx 5 minutes. Leave to cool
Press the nuts onto the side of the cake as shown in the video.
Ganache Recipe
300g (10.58 ounces) milk chocolate
100 mL (3.38 fluid ounces) or 1/3 cup cream
Break the chocolate and put into a bowl. Bring the cream to a boil and then pour over the chocolate. Leave to sit for a couple of minutes and then stir until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and leave on the bench overnight to firm up.
Use the ganache to decorate the top of the cake.
Chocolate Flower Tutorial
How to temper chocolate and what chocolate to use for chocolate decorations
by Ann Reardon How To Cook That
2014
My Cookbook
Stores that sell my book listed by country:
http://bit.ly/ARcookbook
All recipe quantities in the book are in grams, ounces and cups.
Hi ANNA
Can i use this cake for Elsa frozen cake.?
How many recepies do I haver to make?
Thank you
Alice
Hi Alice, yes you can. Ann suggests using 1 and a half quantities as for the rich chocolate cake recipe.
Hi Ann — when you call for baking in an 8 inch (20 cm) round pan, do you normally use a pan with 2 inch high sides (5 cm) or 3 inches (7.5 cm)? I have 9 inch cake pans (2 inches high) and am looking to adjust the recipe and cook time. Thank you!
Hi Pete, Ann’s pans are 5cm deep. Hope your cakes turn out fabulously!
Do you know in what size paper I shld print out the template? I did it in regular letter size and A4 I’m trying to make the cake for about 15 peopke only thank you
Hi belen, I would print on A4 an normal size. To match the recipe, don’t scale it (unless you actually want to make a smaller version). We can’t tell from your comment which cake you are making or what template you are referring to, so I hope this info meets the need.
Does it matter if the chocolate/ butter mixture cools and/or thickens?
Hi hannaH, It shouldn’t matter as long as it is not solid.
Hey Ann. This is the most fabulous chocolate cake I have ever seen. I’ve made this so many times and I love it. I was wondering if I can use the same recipe for a white chocolate cake and replace the 1/4th cup of cocoa powder with flour? Will it work?
Hi Apoorva, I have tried this. You can do it but to my taste the cake seems a little too buttery or oily. You may need to up the flour quantity a little.
Thank you. 🙂
Hi Ann,
Can I use regular butter instead of margarine in this recipe? I’m going to attempt your dalek cake for my twins’ birthday. Thanks!
Hi Myrna, Yes you can use unsalted butter.
Wow, this is amazing!!! i made this for farthers day. With mine I added a small vanilla cake layer at the top and I coverd it with sliced almonds- sooo goood
Hi ann,
i love your youtube channel i was gonna make this for my mums birthday so i had a go and it failed do you have any suggestions for what i could do ?:
Hi Ann
If I can’t get the exact tin size to make the cake should I get a larger one and cut to size or as mallet one that is a few cms smaller than your proposed size? If I get a larger one 28×42 do I need to increase the batch quantity?
Thanks
Apologies I was meant to post this in Thomas cake tutorial section where you mentioned using can 25x38cm cake tins.
Hi Ann, can I substitute the margarine with butter?
I have just made these cakes for new years eve. The cakes are so so delicious. Thanks Ann for another amazing recipe
PLS PLS PLS PLS PLS PLS PLS PLS TELL ME HOW MANY MINI CUPCAKES THIS WILL MAKE. I NEED TO KNOW URGENTLY!!!!!
Hallo guys I’m busy with my cake now hop it works , I did everything right but I see that take more then half hour beking ,I across my fingers hihi
Hi Ann, I love your channel.
I want to try this chocolate cake recipe tomorrow but I don’t have dark chocolate. Can I substitute with cocoa powder? If yes how many cups should I add?
Hi Ann ! I was wondering could you use all purpose flour and regular granulated sugar instead of plain flour and caster sugar? I really want to make this cake but I need to know? Please answer!!!!
Hi Jessica, yes all purpose and plain flour are the same thing. Caster sugar is regular sugar but with a smaller crystal size so it dissolves quicker in baking and gives a better result. But if you can’t get it normal sugar will work too.
Hi,
Great cake recipe I made this in the lightening mcqueen cake earlier in the year. Quick question can I make this cake ahead of time and freeze it to assemble at a later date?
Many thanks
I made this chocolate cake for my daughters birthday. However, because I’m lactose intolerant I made it with lactose free margarine and dark chocolate with no lactose included. It was soooo good. I made a lactose free margarine buttercream (which wasn’t as good) but the cake was demolished at the party. Only one single thin slice was left. It’s so decadent and fudgy. Love, love, love it 🙂
Hi, I was wondering how stable the whipping cream was. Is it okay to make the cake a day or two ahead….and it will not separate?
Hi there,
If I were to make the sponge, could I freeze it?
Hi Ann what is the temperature for a fan oven and how long should the cake cook
Hi Alex, slow oven is 160 degrees C. If you are baking in trays allow 15-20 minutes. If baking as a round cake it can take up to an hour.