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With rich, tender chocolate sponge and a simple, elegant and deeply smooth fudge frosting, this ultimate chocolate fudge cake recipe is a real show stopper.
It's perfect to make for a special birthday, celebration or gathering as it makes a glossy, delicious centrepiece.
And the best news: it's super easy to make with simple ingredients you can easily pick up in the supermarket.
To make the three sponges, you'll whisk eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, butter and sugar, then whisk in melted chocolate before folding in flour and bicarbonate of soda.
The bicarb reacting with the buttermilk is what gives the sponges great rise.
Once the sponges are baked, you'll make the fudge frosting simply by melting chocolate and then whisking cream into it until irresistibly thick glossy.
After that, it's a simple case of stack the sponges up with layers of the frosting and you're done!
I originally baked this decadent triple layer chocolate fudge cake back in 2015 in collaboration with Dr Oetker andthe gorgeous Stacey Solomon. You can watch us make the cake:
Here's the full ultimate chocolate fudge cake recipe, complete with lots of photos to show you what to look for at every stage.
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake
- 100 g (3.5 oz) milk chocolate chopped or broken into pieces
- 100 g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate 70% (bittersweet) chopped or broken into pieces
- 3 medium free range eggs
- 300 ml (1¼ cup) buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 125 g (9 tbsp) unsalted butter softened
- 275 g (1½ cups) white caster sugar (superfine sugar) superfine
- 250 g (1⅔ cups) plain white flour (all purpose flour)
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
For the fudge frosting
- 300 g (10.5 oz) milk chocolate
- 100 g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate 70% (bittersweet)
- 450 ml (1¾ cups + 2 tbsp) double cream (heavy cream) room temperature
Equipment
3 Round 20cm (8") nonstick cake tin
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180C (160C Fan, 350F).
Grease and line the bottom of 3 x 20cm (8 inch) sandwich tins.
Make the sponges
Put the milk chocolate and dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Melt in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring between each blast and taking care not to overheat the chocolate. When there are only a few solid pieces left, you can stop heating as they will melt from the residual heat. Set aside to cool.
Put the eggs in a large bowl.
Whisk!
Add the buttermilk, vanilla, butter and sugar.
Whisk until everything is combined.
Add the melted chocolate.
Whisk again.
Sift in the flour and bicarbonate of soda and fold together.
Immediately divide the mixture between the three prepared tins and level off.
Put the tins in the oven - you may need to use two shelves. Bake for 25-30 minutes until risen and firm to the touch.
Allow the cakes to cool in their tins for minutes before removing from the tins and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the fudge frosting
Put the milk chocolate and dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl and melt in the microwave in the same way as before. Allow to cool until only slightly warm to the touch. This could take up to 20 minutes
Whilst whisking the chocolate, gradually pour in the cream.
Keep pouring and whisking until thick and glossy.
Assemble the cake
Place the first sponge on a board.
Top with one third of the fudge frosting.
Spread just shy of the edges (it will spread more when the subsequent layers are placed on top).
Put the next cake on top and top with a further a third of the fudge frosting.
Position the final cake on top, then pile on the remainder of the frosting, using your spoon of a palette knife to add attractive swirls and peaks.
Your cake is ready to serve. For neat slices, chill the cake for 30 minutes before serving.
Enjoy! Who will you share this delicious chocolate fudge layer cake with?
Next up, why not this matchmaker cake!
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4.8 from 9 votes
Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Cake Recipe
With tender chocolate sponge and a simple, smooth fudge frosting, this ultimate chocolate fudge cake recipe is a real show stopper.
Prep Time30 minutes mins
Cook Time30 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr
Course: cakes and bakes
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Servings: 12 slices
Author: Emily Leary & Dr. Oetker
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake
- 100 g (3.5 oz) milk chocolate chopped or broken into pieces
- 100 g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate 70% (bittersweet) chopped or broken into pieces
- 3 medium free range eggs
- 300 ml (1¼ cup) buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 125 g (9 tbsp) unsalted butter softened
- 275 g (1½ cups) white caster sugar (superfine sugar) superfine
- 250 g (1⅔ cups) plain white flour (all purpose flour)
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
For the fudge frosting
- 300 g (10.5 oz) milk chocolate
- 100 g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate 70% (bittersweet)
- 450 ml (1¾ cups + 2 tbsp) double cream (heavy cream) room temperature
Equipment
3 Round 20cm (8") nonstick cake tin
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180C (160C Fan, 350F).
Grease and line the bottom of 3 x 20cm (8 inch) sandwich tins.
Make the sponges
Put the milk chocolate and dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Melt in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring between each blast and taking care not to overheat the chocolate. When there are only a few solid pieces left, you can stop heating as they will melt from the residual heat. Set aside to cool.
Put the eggs in a large bowl and whisk.
Add the buttermilk, vanilla, butter and sugar. Whisk until everything is combined.
Add the melted chocolate and whisk again.
Sift in the flour and bicarbonate of soda. Fold together,
Immediately, divide the mixture between the three prepared tins and level off.
Put the tins in the oven - you may need to use two shelves. Bake for 25-30 minutes until risen and firm to the touch.
Allow the cakes to cool in their tins for minutes before removing from the tins and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the fudge frosting
Put the milk chocolate and dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl and melt in the microwave in the same way as before. Allow to cool until only slightly warm to the touch. This could take up to 20 minutes
Whilst whisking the chocolate, gradually pour in the cream, whisking until thick and glossy.
Assemble the cake
Place the first sponge on a board and top with one third of the fudge frosting, spreading just shy of the edges (it will spread more when the subsequent layers are placed on top).
Put the next cake on top and top with a further a third of the fudge frosting.
Position the final cake on top, then pile on the remainder of the frosting, using your spoon of a palette knife to add attractive swirls and peaks.
Your cake is ready to serve. For neat slices, chill the cake for 30 minutes before serving.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 669kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 158mg | Potassium: 319mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 919IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 4mg
* Note: nutritional information is estimated, based on publicly available data. Nutrient values may vary from those published. Information on this website should not be taken as medical advice. Cuisines identify the primary region of inspiration for a dish.
Tried this recipe?Snap a pic and tag @amummytoo on Instagram or tag @EmilyLearyCooks on Twitter. I can't wait to see your posts!
This was a commissioned post for Dr. Oetker in 2015 and was revised and reshot in 2022.
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