Easy Chocolate Fudge Cake (Printable)

Super-squidgy chocolate cake with silky-smooth icing—perfect for celebrations or indulgent teatime treats.

# What You’ll Need:

→ For the Cake

01 - 7 oz unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
02 - 7 oz dark chocolate (minimum 50% cocoa solids), chopped
03 - 8.8 oz light brown sugar
04 - 3 large eggs
05 - 7 oz all-purpose flour
06 - 1.5 tsp baking powder
07 - 0.25 tsp fine sea salt
08 - 1.75 oz cocoa powder
09 - 5 fl oz whole milk
10 - 1 tsp vanilla extract

→ For the Chocolate Icing

11 - 5.3 oz dark chocolate, chopped
12 - 3.5 oz unsalted butter
13 - 7 oz icing sugar, sifted
14 - 3 tbsp whole milk

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line two 8-inch round cake tins with baking paper.
02 - In a heatproof bowl, melt the butter and chocolate together over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs together until pale and thick.
04 - Stir in the melted chocolate mixture, followed by the vanilla extract.
05 - In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder.
06 - Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, alternating with the milk, until just combined and smooth.
07 - Divide the batter evenly between the prepared tins.
08 - Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
09 - Cool the cakes in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
10 - Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Remove from heat.
11 - Gradually beat in the icing sugar and milk until the icing is smooth and glossy.
12 - Place one cake layer on a serving plate, spread with a third of the icing. Top with the second cake and cover the top and sides with the remaining icing. Smooth with a palette knife.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The batter comes together in one bowl with no fussy creaming or folding techniques.
  • It stays moist for days thanks to the melted chocolate base, so you can bake it ahead without worry.
  • The icing sets just enough to slice cleanly but stays soft and fudgy on the tongue.
02 -
  • Don't overbake, the skewer test should show moist crumbs, not a clean insert, or the cake will be dry instead of fudgy.
  • Let the melted chocolate cool slightly before adding it to the eggs, or the heat will cook them into sweet scrambled bits.
  • Sift the icing sugar or the icing will have gritty lumps no amount of stirring will fix.
03 -
  • If the icing seems too thick, add a teaspoon of milk at a time until it's spreadable but not runny.
  • Run your palette knife under hot water and dry it before smoothing the icing, it glides like butter and leaves a glossy finish.
  • Bake the cakes the night before and ice them the next day, it takes the pressure off and the texture is even better.
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