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 Ann, I noticed if using butter instead of margarine, the recipe calls for almost half the amount in weight for the butter, is that correct? Thanks.
Hello Ann Reardon, I was baking this cake and when I was ready to put the frosting on it was mushy on the inside. Also you forgot to type unsalted margarine and my cake was salty.
Sincerely,
Tiny Tiger
Hi Tiny, If your cake was soft on the inside it was probably not cooked through properly. Ann recommends testing your cake before removing it from the oven to ensure it is cooked as every oven is different. Something else must have gone wrong with you recipe to make the cake salty. Using normal margarine will not result in a salty cake. Maybe check your sugar and sugar quantity. Hope it works out better next time.
Hello
i have just made a chocolate cake with your recipe
but it did not work
the centre of cake still goey when i baked 160c about 20minute
please help me
surabaya
hey, i faced the same problem when i tried baking it at 160 for 20 mins and most of the batter overflowed bt when i tried it again with the tin 3/4th filled at 200 for 20 mins it turned out perfect.
Hi Ann, my mixture was thicker than yours, when you made a point to say it would be runny. I used butter and I’m thinking thats the culprit, because your butter substitution is almost half the margarine version, is this correct? Also a cup and a quarter of AP flour according to my bag is 150 grams not 200, does this weight change for brands? Also despite being thicker, it didn’t rise very much and took twice as long to bake through?
@Oscar mine as well was thicker and I think it is the butter too.
By the way I tried this recipe and it is now officially my ultimate favorite chocolate cake. Thanks Ann
How many lots of this mixture should I use for a 10 inch square cake filled with ganache? Thanks
Hi Ben Carlton-Gray, depending on the depth of your tin, it should take 1 quantity of the chocolate cake Recipe for one 10in square cake. If you do 2 x quantity listed, that would give you 2 cakes or 4 layers depending on how you wish to layer & fill it.
Hi I want to make the 3d lightening mqueen cake but the chocolate cake recipe is for a 7 inch round cake tin but I am using 11″ x 15″ square cake tins, can you let me know what quanity I need for the square cake tin recipe!
Thanks
Hi Sharon, Ann used 11 x 15 inch pans as well. You just need 3 times the chocolate cake mixture, to make the Lightning McQueen 3D cake.
Thanks for the information about coloring fondant. I never know that water base colors ate not good.
Hi Ann, what size eggs do you use? In the UK, we have them in medium or large sizes. Thank you!
Hi Ann, it was for my husband on Father’s Day 🙂 he really loved it n he is proud of me
Hi Ann, pls tell me what kind of cream do you use in chocolate cake, I have seen heavy cream, fresh cream and whipped cream in stores .I don’t know the difference, pls explain.thanq
Hi Sunaina, Ann has a blog page designed to help with cream questions. You will find the answers here: https://wellness-wave1.news/public_html/cream-use/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Hi, I love this recipe and it’s my go to recipe for everything. I first made the 3d thomas cake which was a hit! However, I’m look to make a coloured layer cake and was wondering if this recipe would work if I used white chocolate and left out the coco powder? Do you have a white cake recipe that’s like this one? Thanks for your channel!
Hi Sammy, Here are two options for you. You could use Ann’s recipe for a rainbow cake and just adjust the colours and decoration as suits you : https://wellness-wave1.news/public_html/rainbow-unicorn-cake/%3C/a%3E.%3Cbr /> Otherwise you could us e this sponge recipe: https://wellness-wave1.news/public_html/sponge-cake-recipe/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
This is now my go too cake for any occasion! Tastes great and looks just as good. Thanks again Anne!
Hi Kristie, Your cake looks scrumptious. I wish I could have a piece now with a hot cup of tea! Well done.
So sad, followed to a t , yet batter was thick at the end , after 2o mins at instructed temp , both cakes raw ….
Hi Nik, If you batter was very thick something must have gone awry, as it should be quite runny. Better luck next time.
I made another one. This cake never fails.
I want to thank you so much for this recipe and detailed instructions. I made this cake over the weekend for my brothers birthday and it was a HUGE hit. Thanks once again.
That’s great to hear Sarah!
I made one with buttercream on top, and everybody loved it.
Hi Again Me, This looks so delicious!
More pics
This looks fabulous Alice. I am impressed!
Hello Ann, love your channel!
I would like to know roughly how much servings this chocolate cake will make! It looks quite big!
Hi Elena, The same quantity make 24 cupcakes or 12-16 generous slices of cake
Hi Ann! This is my second time using your chocolate cake recipe for my son’s birthday party! My son just turned 2 and we are making him a Curious George cake.
First question.. I could only find Hershey’s 100% cocoa dark chocolate baking bars, and so that’s what I was able to use in the cake instead of the 70% cocoa. People say 100% cocoa dark chocolate bars is more bitter but I only used the same amount of sugar stated in the recipe.. So I was wondering if it would affect the taste of the cake in a good or a bad way… I’ve googled a ton of articles trying to find an answer..
Second question..While baking the cake last night; in the process of mixing all the ingredients, I found my batter to be thicker than yours in the video… It didn’t pour into the pan like a runny batter, it was more thick, I had to spread in the pan. So I guess my question is, would this affect the outcome and texture of the cake.. Or it doesn’t matter if it was not as runny as yours in the video…??
Thank you, and hoping to hear back from you 🙂
Hi Cleopatra, So how did your cake turn out? I am guessing you have the answers you need already.
After reading all wonderful reviews, I decided to have a go at making this cake. I failed twice.
The first time I used self raising flour and added a little baking powder. I also whisked the ingredients using and electronic whip.
The second time round I used self raising flour with no added baking powder. I whisked everything by hand.
Both times the cakes flopped :(.
please help as I am trying to make the lightning McQueen cake for my son’s birthday on Thursday. It is Tuesday evening now.
Hi Alice, Can you explain what exactly didn’t work and then we might be able to help. Did the cake fail to rise? or was it something else? Thanks
The cake did not rise. All the same I made layers for the lightning McQueen cake. I wasn’t too impressed with the outcome of the layers. I however worked with them and to my surprise everyone(kids and adults) loved it. I will try it again for a friend’s son’s birthday. Thanks for your lovely channel.