Indulge yourself with this ultimate chocolate ganache cake recipe that is beautifully moist, rich and fudgy. Perfect for a celebration or an afternoon tea
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:30 mins – 40 mins
- Cook:1 hr – 1 hr and 30 mins
- Plus baking and cooling time
- Easy
- Cuts into 14 slices
- Freezable (un-iced and undecorated)
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Ingredients
For the chocolate cake
- 200g dark chocolate (about 60% cocoa solids), chopped
- 200g butter, cubed
- 1 tbsp instant coffee granules
- 85g self-raising flour
- 85g plain flour
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 200g light muscovado sugar
- 200g golden caster sugar
- 25g cocoa powder
- 3 medium eggs
- 75ml buttermilk
- 50g grated chocolate or 100g curls, to decorate
For the ganache
- 200g dark chocolate (about 60% cocoa solids), chopped
- 300ml double cream
- 2 tbsp golden caster sugar
Method
- STEP 1
Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Butter and line a 20cm round cake tin (7.5cm deep).
- STEP 2
Put 200g chopped dark chocolate in a medium pan with 200g butter.
- STEP 3
Mix 1 tbsp instant coffee granules into 125ml cold water and pour into the pan.
- STEP 4
Warm through over a low heat just until everything is melted – don’t overheat. Or melt in the microwave for about 5 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- STEP 5
Mix 85g self-raising flour, 85g plain flour, ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda, 200g light muscovado sugar, 200g golden caster sugar and 25g cocoa powder, and squash out any lumps.
- STEP 6
Beat 3 medium eggs with 75ml buttermilk.
- STEP 7
Pour the melted chocolate mixture and the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir everything to a smooth, quite runny consistency.
- STEP 8
Pour this into the tin and bake for 1hr 25 – 1hr 30 mins. If you push a skewer into the centre it should come out clean and the top should feel firm (don’t worry if it cracks a bit).
- STEP 9
Leave to cool in the tin (don’t worry if it dips slightly), then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut the cold cake horizontally into three.
- STEP 10
To make the ganache, put 200g chopped dark chocolate in a bowl. Pour 300ml double cream into a pan, add 2 tbsp golden caster sugar and heat until it is about to boil.
- STEP 11
Take off the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Cool until it is a little thicker but still pourable.
- STEP 12
Sandwich the layers together with just a little of the ganache. Pour the rest over the cake letting it fall down the sides and smooth over any gaps with a palette knife.
- STEP 13
Decorate with 50g grated chocolate or 100g chocolate curls. The cake keeps moist and gooey for 3-4 days.
