Chocolate Fudge Cake
Sometimes the best things in life are the understated. Like this simple chocolate fudge cake with ganache filling and frosting. No fancy swirls or sprinkles or fillings. Just a good quality chocolate cake.
Today is my birthday, and like the cake, we’re keeping the celebration simple this year. We’re having some friends over for a cookout next weekend to celebrate. There will be some grilling, a game or two of bocci, and smores. I can’t wait for the upcoming opposite of an over-the-top party.
While this cake may seem understated, the flavors are rich and chocolatey, like a chocolate cake should be. Using a simple ganache to fill and frost the cake just adds to the decadence and keeps the cake extremely moist. With a simple candle, this would make any birthday boy or girl giddy with joy.
Three Years Ago: PB&J Omelet
Four Years Ago: Crockpot French Dip Sandwich
Chocolate Fudge Cake
Yield: Serves 12-14
Ingredients:
For the Cake
2 cups (14 ounces) sugar
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) flour
2 Tbsp (3/8 ounce) cornstarch
3/4 cup (2 1/4 ounces) dark cocoa or Dutch-process cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp espresso powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
4 eggs
3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) water
For the Filling
12 ounces semisweet chocolate
6 ounces cream (light, whipping, or heavy) or milk, or a combination
3 Tbsp Framboise
For the Frosting
8 ounces semisweet chocolate
4 ounces cream (light, whipping, or heavy)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degF. Lightly grease and flour two 8" x 2" round cake pans.
For the Cake
Whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the eggs, oil, and vanilla, beating until smooth. Gradually add the water, beating until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pans.
Bake the cakes for 35 to 38 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn them out of the pans to cool completely on a rack.
For the Filling
Combine the chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat until the cream is very hot, and the chocolate very soft. Stir to melt the chocolate completely, reheating very briefly if necessary. Stir in the Framboise (see KAF recipe for alternative flavoring options)
Divide the cooled layers in half horizontally, to make four layers. Place one layer on a serving plate, and spread with filling. Repeat with the next two layers. Top with the final cake layer.
For the Frosting
Combine the chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat until the cream is very hot, and the chocolate very soft. Stir to melt the chocolate completely, reheating very briefly if necessary.
Pour and spread the icing over the top of the cake, letting it drip over the edges and down the sides. Once it’s done dripping, you may smooth the sides with an icing spatula, if desired.
Allow the cake to rest, covered with a cake cover until the chocolate is set; overnight is good, though several hours are sufficient.
Recipe from King Arthur Flour
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
those look good too. Are homemade butterfingers next? I have a recipe I’m going to try out soon.
Butterfingers would be tasty, but I’ve got something else coming on Friday…
OH YUM! I really want to try these but I’m horrible at dipping things too.
This is exactly what my son’s been asking me to do. You’re making it hard to say no – they look perfect!
Why do you tempt me so? Milky Ways are my favorites. This is so worth trying 🙂
Yum these look delicious! I love Milky ways
Well they look pretty perfect to me! And super delicious too.
I’m so intrigued by the cool whip/chocolate mixture for the filling! These look so yummy and addicting!
These look so cute and much easier than the milky ways and snickers I made a few months ago. I made mine in muffin wrappers so I didn’t dip them, just layered the chocolate, nougat, caramel, and chocolate! They came out pretty tasty but was a lot of work!
I just tried these and they didn’t come out as I’d hoped. The chocolate and whipped cream mix was too sticky and wouldn’t harden. Did I do something wrong? Also what if you can’t find kraft caramel?
Rachael – Sorry to hear they didn’t turn out for you. The center part was a bit sticky while dipping and wasn’t super hard… Any caramel would work for this recipe, I just use the Kraft kind that comes individually wrapped.
I would put melted chocolate in the pan first, freeze, then the chocolate mixture, then the caramel. Then you can spoon melted chocolate on top. Would this work? (It solves the dipping problem too!)
beantownbaker — November 3rd, 2013 @ 12:36 pm
That could definitely work… The caramel might ooze out when you gut them though… Let me know how it goes if you try it.
I hope you are not using Cool Whip which is all trans-fat and high fructose corn syrup. I’m looking for a healthier alternative to the store bought Milky Way. Perhaps a recipe for homemade whip ?
These were a DISASTER. I wasted my morning and a lot of ingredients. The chocolate mixture was so sticky when cutting into squares. The directions did not state whether to add water to the caramels when melting so I didn’t…the caramels ended up thick and so sticky, I had trouble putting it on the chocolate layer. Dumped the whole mess out since I didn’t want to waste a bag of milk chocolate chips to coat them. I have been baking my entire life (60 +) and never had a recipe go like that.
Very rapidly this website will be famous amid all
blog visitors, due to it’s good articles or reviews