This is the best, the chocolatiest chocolate cake ever. The cake is moist, packed with intense chocolate flavour then frosted with the most incredible dark chocolate fudge frosting. If you ever want to win the hearts of the chocolate lovers in your life, this chocolate cake with chocolate fudge frosting is the way to do it.
Hey you guys! Welcome to November or, as we like to call it at home, the month diets die are thrown out the window forgotten are put on hold.
There’s Thanksgiving (Canadian Thanksgiving was in October so our diets died a month early), Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day and all the parties and get-togethers in between.
Phew! That’s a lot. We can’t serve the same thing over and over, can we? Where’s the fun in that?
So starting today it will all be about celebration cakes that you can proudly serve at these delightful gatherings, and goodies that you can make and give out as gifts.
This chocolate cake with chocolate fudge frosting is just the delicious beginning. Let’s go!
The holidays
Oh how I love the holidays. Christmas season in the Philippines starts in September (I kid you not) when the weather turns a tad cooler and you start hearing Christmas carols played on the radio.
A lot of people say nothing compares to Christmas there and I tend to agree (and not just because I’m biased!). It’s really the most wonderful time of the year!
Streets and homes are lit and decorated, carols are sung everywhere, everybody is just always in a jolly mood.
Christmas here, slightly less intense but I try to make the most of it. Our decorations are up (don’t judge me). And we already play Christmas songs. It brightens up my mood instantly (except when “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” plays then I get teary so we skip that).
Chocolate cake with chocolate fudge frosting
We also love throwing parties, around the holidays especially. Have you ever been to a Filipino party? There is a real danger of dying from overeating there’s so much food!
Since I learned to bake, by default we almost always serve a cake that I baked. And this chocolate cake is one of my favourite things to make and eat. It’s been tried and tested by our guests and they love it too!
Team Chocolate?
It’s incredibly moist and chocolatey; I adapted the recipe from Hershey’s so I already knew going in that it would be fantastic (I mean, it’s Hershey’s!). I did make it even more chocolatey.
I then paired it with dark chocolate fudge frosting – oh my word this chocolate cake makes me question my loyalties to Team Lemon! It’s that good.
So if you’re already planning your menu for that next party, add this in. It’s a great way to end the meal and your guests will adore you all the more for it!
Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cake:
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 pieces large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup coffee hot
For the Dark Chocolate Fudge Frosting:
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup confectioner’s sugar sifted
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder sifted (for the frosting, I used Dutch processed cocoa)
- ⅓ cup coffee hot
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 15 ounces dark chocolate chopped, melted and slightly cooled
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour 3 8-inch round baking pans and set aside (for good measure I also line the bottom with parchment paper but you don’t have to).
- Using the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large bowl if you're using a handheld electric mixer), sift sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on low-medium speed until well incorporated (about 2 minutes). Add coffee and stir until combined. The batter will be thin.
- Transfer the batter into your prepared pans and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with minimal crumbs.
- Cool in the pans for 10 minutes then on a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Dark Chocolate Fudge Frosting:
- Using a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat unsalted butter on medium speed until light and creamy (about 5 minutes using a stand mixer), scraping the bottom and sides of your bowl as you go.
- Switch to low speed and add confectioner's sugar, cocoa powder, coffee, sour cream, vanilla and salt until combined (about a minute). Switch to medium speed and beat for another 2 minutes.
- Add the melted chocolate and beat until smooth (about a minute).
Assembly:
- Trim the tops of your cakes if they are uneven using a serrated knife or a cake leveller.
- Take one and place on a platter or cake turntable, smooth side down (trimmed side up). Evenly cover the top with frosting. Repeat with the 2nd and 3rd layers. For your 3rd layer, remember to place it smooth side up (trimmed side down) so that you’ll have an even top.
- Finish the cake by also covering the sides of your cake with frosting. To help even out the frosting on top and the sides, use a bench scraper and gently scrape away excess frosting.
- Decorate as desired.
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
(Cake recipe adapted from Hershey’s and frosting recipe adapted from Sweetapolita).
Happy baking!
Did you make chocolate cake with chocolate fudge frosting? Tell me about it in the comments section below. Do you already play Christmas carols too? I’d love to hear all about it.
And check out this fantastic lemon cheesecake recipe for all you lemon lovers!
Vera Sweeney
Chocolate is a weakness of mine!!! I would love to try this cake it sounds amazing!!
Rashmi
The cake looks so delicious and tempting. Your captures are perfect. Thanks for the detailed steps would love to try this home.
Jolina
You are very welcome! Hope you guys can bake this cake over the holidays 🙂
Tiffany VanSickle
I’m not normally a chocolate cake with chocolate icing gal, but woah. This cake looks AMAZING!
Elizabeth O.
I am a huge fan of chocolate and so are my girls! We love the Holidays because somehow, there’s just more sweets. I really love this recipe, I’d like to keep it!
Taylor
I LOVE anything chocolate! Your fudge frosting look absolutely unreal too – I can’t stand the store bought stuff but can never find an icing recipe I really like. Yours looks like it is super fudgey and rich!
Tiina A
I love this already! The cake looks so beautiful and delicious! I’ve been craving for sweets, especially chocolate for a couple of weeks now and just can’t be without my daily dose. A slice of this cake would definitely make my day 🙂
Jolina
Thanks Tiina! This cake is definitely a cheer me up kind of cake 🙂 Hope you get to make it one day soon!
Fiona
I could totally go for a huge slice of this cake! It looks so perfectly moist and fudgy – pinned!
Jolina
Hi Fiona! Thank you! And thanks for the pin 🙂
Nikki
Oh goodness, that chocolate cake looks awesome! November is definitely a month to put diets on hold and splurge a bit!
Jolina
Isn’t it? It’s just too difficult to resist all these cakes and cookies and not to mention wine (and also it’s unfair lol!). Hope you have a great holiday season Nikki!
Sidney Aldaine
Oh, this looks so yummy! …how many calories? Forget calories, I’m making this one and eating it afterwards anyway.
Jolina
Bah. I stopped thinking about calories YEARS ago lol!
Carrie
OMG This looks like heaven! That chocolatey goodness would definitely be appreciated here in our home. I think I am definitely going to have to make this soon!
Jolina
It’s a great holiday cake so hopefully you get a chance to do some holiday baking 🙂 Thanks Carrie!
Kim
Chocolates cakes are my kind of dessert. I’m pretty sure my kids will also love it.
Michelle
Oh my goodness this cake looks divine! I am always on the lookout for new desserts to make.
Rosario
I’ve had this recipe for years in my recipe book. This was handed down to me by a very close friend back when we lived in Australia when your Tito Nel was doing his PhD. This chocolate cake, by itself, is always a hit whenever I bring them to potluck lunches or dinners. But I have never tried icing or frosting it because that’s one thing that I never got to do perfectly. But with the chocolate frosting recipe that you shared, I think it’s about time that I level up a bit. Who knows, I may be able to finally make one perfect chocolate frosting on my favorite chocolate cake. Thank you and take care always.
Jolina
Hi Tita Kim! Hope you can try my version 🙂 The fudgy frosting is really so good! I’d love to hear when you finally get the chance to make it. Sana magustuhan nyo though I have yet to find a Mernel copycat hehe. Ingat! Miss you guys!
Dawn
Whoa….Christmas in September? That’s early. And I thought we started early in Canada! You have your decorations up? Wow girl! Though, I must admit, I am pretty excited just reading that! I think we’ll put ours up early part of December. I can’t believe it’s almost here. So much to do, including going to all those food filled Christmas parties 😉 Definitely going to have to get an extra bit of exercise in just to make up for all that extra eating, lol 😀 You know I love lemon like you, but a good chocolate cake never hurt either. This one looks super moist and reaaaaally chocolatey and if you’re gonna do chocolate, do it right, right 😉 ? And you’ve done just that! Plus, it just looks GORGEOUS!! Happy Monday 🙂
Jolina
I always thought Canada started SO late haha! And would you believe my first “Christmas” party would be in November? Teehee. I’ve started my double calorie intake already in fact! And my oh my this chocolate cake is so so good if I say so myself! Hope you get to try it! Hope you’re having a great week!
Tania Potter
Seriously, your decorations are already up? I love your enthusiasm, you should bottle it and sell it, I’m buying! As for that fudge icing, oh my word, I am going to try it the next time I bake.
Jolina
LOL yes they are 🙂 And yes I hope I can bottle and sell that! I’d be rich on Christmas spirit 🙂 PS: the fudge frosting is EVERYTHING.