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Chocolate Fudge Cake

Chocolate Fudge Cake – a soft, yet fudgy, and exceedingly chocolate sponge filled and covered with a luxuriously, creamy, smooth, intense, yet light, chocolate fudge frosting.

Course afternoon tea, Dessert, Morning Coffee
Keyword cake, Chocolate, fudge
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Servings 12

Ingredients

For the chocolate fudge cake:

  • 130g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids
  • 130g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • ½ teaspoon coffee powder
  • 130g soft brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 130g sour cream
  • 140g plain/all-purpose flour
  • 20g unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt

For the jam layer – (optional)

  • 150g apricot jam
  • 1 tablespoon water

For the fudgy chocolate icing:

  • 75g unsalted butter
  • 175g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids
  • ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 tablespoon golden syrup
  • 125g sour cream
  • ½ teaspoon instant coffee powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 300g icing sugar

Instructions

  1. Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.

  2. Preheat oven to fan oven 160°C/180°C/350°F/Gas 4

  3. Grease and line 2 x 20cm/8in round baking tins with baking parchment.

  4. Make the cake: chop the butter into squares and place in a microwave safe bowl with the chopped chocolate. Melt in a microwave or a bain marie and mix until smooth.

  5. Weigh the sugar into a mixing bowl and add the eggs. Beat with an electric whisk until light and fluffy.

  6. Pour the vanilla, chocolate and butter into the eggs and sugar and mix thoroughly with an electric whisk until smooth and glossy.

  7. Next, fold in the sour cream.

  8. Put a sieve over the bowl and add the flour, cocoa, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Sift directly over the cake batter and fold in.

  9. Divide equally between the 2 cake tins and level the surface.

  10. Bake in the centre of a preheated oven for 25 – 35 minutes or until cooked. It is cooked when:

    - the centre feels springy when lightly touched with your finger and no imprint remains.

    - a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

    - the cake is beginning to come away from the sides of the tin/dish.

  11. When cooked, remove from the oven and leave in the tins for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes remove from the tins and transfer to a wire rack. Ensure one cake is top side up – this will be the top of the cake. The other cake should be top side down – this will be the base of the cake.

  12. Apricot jam layer: whilst the cakes are cooking, weigh the jam into a small sauce pan and add the water. Bring to a gentle simmer and ensure it is all mixed thoroughly.

  13. Push the jam through a sieve and then brush it over the warm cakes. Leave the cakes to cool and the jam to set.

  14. The fudgy chocolate icing: chop the butter into squares and place in a microwave safe bowl with the chopped chocolate, coffee and fine salt. Melt in a microwave or a bain marie and mix until smooth. Set aside to cool a little whilst you collect the remaining ingredients.

  15. Add the golden syrup, sour cream and vanilla extract to the chocolate and mix thoroughly mix.

  16. Next, add the icing sugar and initially fold in with a spoon or spatula.

  17. Then, beat with an electric whisk until thoroughly mixed.

  18. Bring this fabulous cake together: place the base of the cake on a serving plate and cover with the frosting.

  19. Add the top of the cake, and cover this with frosting as well.

  20. Make a swirly pattern on the frosting and, if desired, grate over some chocolate.

  21. Serve: delicious served as it is with a cup of tea or coffee. Also, wonderful served warm with ice cream or fresh cream for dessert.

Recipe Notes

Equipment:

For the cake - 

  • kitchen scales and measuring spoons
  • mixing bowl and electric whisk
  • microwave safe jug
  • sieve
  • 2 x 20cm/8in round baking tins, greased and lined with baking parchment.

Foe the apricot jam -

  • small saucepan
  • small bowl
  • sieve
  • pastry brush

For the frosting - 

  • mixing bowl and electric whisk

Be very careful melting the chocolate. Chocolate can be very difficult to work with. You can overheat it very easily and the mixture will go grainy. When this happens, there is no way to resolve it I’m afraid!

Microwave: I give the chocolate and butter a minute in the microwave, take it out and stir it well, then let it sit for a few minutes to see if it continues melting sufficiently to melt all the chocolate. If not, I then continue with the microwave but in 10 – 15 second bursts.

Bain Marie: if you do not have a microwave, put the chocolate (and butter) in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Do not let the base of the bowl touch the water. Heat until the chocolate and butter are very nearly melted then take it off the heat and take the bowl off the saucepan. Be very careful not to burn yourself as the bowl will be hot and steam will escape from the saucepan. Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes for the residual heat to melt the remainder of the mixture. Again, be careful not to over-heat.