Chocolate Cake Recipe
This is a beautiful moist and delicious chocolate cake with the crunch of toasted pistachios and almonds on the side topped off with rich ganache and chocolate flowers. Perfect for Christmas or any other special gathering.
Chocolate Cake Ingredients:
Makes two 8inch (20.32 centimetres) round cakes or 24 cupcakes
200g (7.05 ounces) of 70% cocoa dark chocolate
315g (11.11 ounces) or 1 1/3 cups margarine or butter
8 large eggs
2 1/4 cups or 485g (17.11 ounces) caster sugar (super fine sugar)
1 1/4 cups or 200g (7.05 ounces) plain flour (use GF flour if coeliac, this recipe has been tested with gluten free flour and works well)
1/4 cup or 30g (1.06 ounces) cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Chocolate Cake Recipe Directions:
Preheat the oven to 180C (356 degrees Fahrenheit).
Place chocolate and margarine into a bowl.
Melt in the microwave (30seconds, stir, 30sec, stir…).
Whisk in the sugar and then the eggs.
Sift flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together and mix into cake mixture until just combined.
Pour into two lined 20cm (7.87 inches) round cake tins.
Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Test if its done by inserting a skewer into the centre, if it comes out clean it is ready. If the cake is looking done on top but is not yet cooked through put an empty baking tray on the shelf above it in the oven.
For the decoration
600 mL (20.29 fluid ounces) or 2 1/3 cup cream
2 tablesppons icing sugar
dash of vanilla essence
Whip the cream, vanilla and icing sugar until just thickened. Divide your bowl into half and then one half into thirds. Use one of these smaller portions between the layers. Add a generous spoon of ganache to the larger portion and mix in, use this to cover the sides of the cake.
100g (3.53 ounces) or 1 cup flaked almonds
100g (3.53 ounces) or 3/4 cup pistachios, chopped
Roast the almonds and pistachios on a tray in the oven at 180ºC or approx 5 minutes. Leave to cool
Press the nuts onto the side of the cake as shown in the video.
Ganache Recipe
300g (10.58 ounces) milk chocolate
100 mL (3.38 fluid ounces) or 1/3 cup cream
Break the chocolate and put into a bowl. Bring the cream to a boil and then pour over the chocolate. Leave to sit for a couple of minutes and then stir until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and leave on the bench overnight to firm up.
Use the ganache to decorate the top of the cake.
Chocolate Flower Tutorial
How to temper chocolate and what chocolate to use for chocolate decorations
by Ann Reardon How To Cook That
2014
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All recipe quantities in the book are in grams, ounces and cups.
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Hi Ann, I am going to try to make your TNT Minecraft cake for a friend, your recipe for rich chocolate says to use margarine can I use butter, what size cake trays and depth should I use. Many Thanks Alison
Hi Alison, you can use unsalted butter. Ann generally prefers to use margarine. Ann used trays that are about 15 x 10 inches approx.
If I was multiplying this cake mix by 4. What temp and time would you recommend? I’m cooking in a 12 x 5 inch tin
Hi Jennifer, Use a slow oven as suggested in the recipe. Ann prefers not to give exact cooking times and prefers to recommend checking using the knife/skewer method. Given you are using a larger tin you may find the top at risk of becoming overcooked on top before the middle is done. Use an empty baking tray on the empty oven shelf above to protect the cake or perhaps consider cooking 3 cakes at a shallower depth to get a better result.
Thank you so much for your inspiration…!
So beatiful! The most stunning cake I ever made…
Rebecca, this looks so beautiful! Well done!
Hi Anne!!
Love your channel!
What would happen if I didn’t used 70% cocoa dark chocolate?
HI RWI, the flavor of the cake would be less chocolatey.
Looks fab!
But I can’t see anywhere how long to cook the cake or what temp the oven should be?
Hi Laura, Ann indicates to bake in a slow oven (150c). She prefers not to give an exact time as it will vary depending on the accuracy of your oven. If baking in round tins, check it around the 30 minute mark.
Love this recipe. Thankyou. I always use the Cadbury ‘family cake’ chocolate cake recipe for a quick and easy chocolate batter when in need, but I pull this one out for the showstopper multi layers and gateaus, tortes etc. Truly a great recipe. I’ve got a batch in the often now, I’m going to cut out 7.5cm rounds with a ring mould and create little 3 layer naked cakes this afternoon. Brilliant and stupidly foolproof recipe!
That is great to hear Sarah. Send us a pic if you can!
Hello,
Im doing this recipe in a hemisphere 8″x4″ cake how much of the batter would u suggest i put in?
hello, is there a printable version of this recipe ??
Hello Ann,
I tried this for the first time yesterday, digressing from my usual chocolate cake with the creaming method.
It was rich and delicious. Thank you so much for this.
That is great to hear Natasha!
That’s absolutely amazing!! I’m going to try to make my son a Gravity Falls Grunkle Stan cake using your pattern. I would love for you to make a Grunkle Stan cake and pattern. I’m a big admirer of your work! ?
Wow Michelle, That sounds like an amazing project!
are you selling the templates for the LV bag
hi Judith, yes if you click here: https://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/louis-vuitton-hand-bag-cake/ then you can find the ‘buy it now’ button on that page. Have fun 🙂
hello Ann,
I have made a cake with this recipe, the vanilla cake recipe from the princess cake and chocolate ganache.
Looks yummy Merel!
Good work Merel!
Hi Ann…I love ur channel n recipes..they are easy to understand ..n the ingredients are also easy to find in india too…so I want to try your chocolate cake recipe..I am not sure which setting I should use in my oven..it has following settings..
1. heat from above and below with fan
2. heat from above n below without fan
3. heat from above without fan
4. heat from below without the fan
It also has 4 racks to place the tray..
please help me out..as I want to make this cake for my twins birthday party..n can I just compound chocolate for this recipe..
Thanks in advance. .
varsha
Hi Varsha, use the setting with fan and I would remove one or two of the trays and set a shelf about the middle of the oven and use that.
Hi varsha I am also from india
Hola querida Ann feliz de reproducir tus creaciones, con un par de modificaciones en el relleno como dulce de leche con merengues y por fuera confitura de mani y mani fileteado y tostado!!!
Hola Jesica, Se ve delicioso !
Hi Ann, you really are a genius. I think Anna may mean that the cake mixture leaks from the tin, not the sugar. Possibly she is using a spring form tin which doesn’t seal properly in which case she would need to use grease proof paper to seal the join. I may be wrong, just a thought.
Hi Ann,
I was wondering what brand of margarine you use in this cake recipe? (I am in Australia) I usually only use butter when baking, so not sure which margarines can used for cooking.
Thanks.
Hi Vanessa, Ann always prefers to use margarine unless the taste of butter will specifically add to the recipe. She doesn’t recommend a particular brand but some of the the Australia supermarket brands that are salt reduced will be fine unless the recipe states otherwise.
Use butter. I’ve done this one before and I only use butter for everything. Marg is not good
Hi Ann , I love all your recipes and this one is just awesome. I had one problem when I tried this , when I baked the cake I soak it with syrup and everything was fine but few minutes when I started making layer the cake collapsed 🙁
Hi Mouna, We aren’t sure what you mean when you say soak the cake with syrup. Are you just giving it a spray or brush with syrup or are you really soaking the layers?
Hey Ann,
I have 2 problems when cake making and hope you can help me. 1: whenever I buy brown sugar, it drys out and I can’t pack it in anymore. The pakage is sealed but it still dries out. 2: whenever I pour cake into a tin and bake it, it always leaks and I don’t know why.
I hope you have some tips.
Thanks, Anna
Hi Anna, Brown sugar is usually quite moist when packaged as it not greatly processed or refined. It will gradually dry out, which isn’t really an issue. Normal sugar is quiet dry when you use it in cooking and that doesn’t cause any problems. The second issue you mention is quite unusual and it doesn’t sound normal. You dont usually get sugar leaking out of a cake during baking. Check that it is properly mixed in or try a different brand and see how that goes.
Hello
Your recipies are awesome i do watch all just a query in india we get all purpose flour as maida so shall i use it directly or cake flour for making uour cakes also plz share cake flour recipie
Hi Rutuja, all purpose flour or maida should be fine.