Ultimate Chocolate Cake
This cake is rich, deeply chocolatey, and built for celebration. Whether you’re marking World Chocolate Day or simply baking for the joy of it, this foolproof recipe is layered with bold flavour and velvety ganache. It keeps beautifully, slices cleanly, and tastes even better the next day. In short: this is your go-to chocolate cake for birthdays, holidays, or anytime chocolate calls.
It all starts with a simple melt-and-mix batter. Add in a slow bake, a glossy ganache, and your choice of decorations—and you’ve got a centrepiece cake that delivers every single time.
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cake:
300g boiling water (from a kettle)
250g unsalted butter
200g dark chocolate, finely chopped
400g granulated sugar
30g cocoa powder, sifted
2 tsp instant coffee granules
2 large eggs
100g sour cream
225g self-raising flour, sifted
For the Ganache:
500g good-quality dark chocolate chips
250g thickened cream
20g unsalted butter
Big pinch of sea salt flakes
Optional Chocolate Decorations:
Extra dark, milk, or white chocolate (for curls or chocolate bar moulds)
Method
Step 1: Melt the Chocolate Base
In a large saucepan over low heat (or using a microwave in short bursts), combine the boiling water, butter, chopped chocolate, sugar, cocoa powder, and instant coffee. Stir gently until the mixture is completely melted and smooth.
Chef’s Note: The coffee won’t make it taste like mocha—it simply amplifies the chocolate flavour.
Step 2: Combine the Wet Ingredients
In a jug or small bowl, whisk together the eggs and sour cream until just combined. Allow the chocolate mixture to cool slightly (around 5 minutes), then stir in the egg mixture until smooth and glossy.
Step 3: Fold and Bake
Sift the self-raising flour directly into the chocolate batter and fold gently until fully incorporated with no visible lumps.
Divide the batter evenly between three greased and lined 7-inch (18cm) round cake tins.
Bake at 145°C (no fan) for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Let the cakes cool in their tins for at least 30 minutes—or ideally leave them to cool completely in the tin to avoid cracks.
This cake is best made the day before decorating. The flavour develops overnight, and the structure is easier to work with once chilled.
Ganache Method
Place the chopped dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
Heat the cream in a saucepan until it just begins to boil.
Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 1 minute before stirring gently until smooth.
Stir in the butter and sea salt.
Let the ganache cool at room temperature until it thickens to a spreadable consistency.
Optional Chocolate Decorations
Melt dark, milk, or white chocolate in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring in between.
Pour into silicone bar moulds to create decorative slabs, or spread thinly on baking paper and chill.
Use a vegetable peeler to shave large curls or flakes for an elegant finish.
If you don’t have moulds, a block of white chocolate works perfectly for smaller curls.
Assembly & Finishing Touches
You’ve got two brilliant paths here:
Option 1: Chocolate Celebration
Stack the cakes with generous layers of the dark chocolate ganache.
Use remaining ganache to coat the sides and top of the cake.
Finish with white chocolate curls, flakes, or shards for texture and contrast.
Option 2: Extra Indulgent
Layer with Swiss meringue buttercream and a drizzle of salted caramel between each layer.
Cover with ganache or buttercream, then decorate to your taste.
Top it off with fresh berries, a dusting of cocoa powder, gold leaf, or even a few sprinkles—there are no rules when it comes to chocolate.
Chef’s Top Tips
Use good-quality chocolate. It’s the hero here—choose something you love to eat on its own.
Let it rest. This cake holds beautifully in the fridge for up to two weeks and tastes better as the days go on.
Chill before decorating. A chilled cake is much easier to layer and frost cleanly.
Low and slow. The lower bake temp ensures a tender crumb without doming or cracking.
If you make one chocolate cake this year, make it this one. It’s dependable, luxurious, and endlessly adaptable. Once it’s in your repertoire, you’ll reach for it again and again.
