Ann Reardon

Chocolate Cake Recipe

chocolate cake recipe ann reardon howtocookthat

 

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 cake recipe ann reardon
Chocolate Flower Tutorial
How to temper chocolate and what chocolate to use for chocolate decorations

by Ann Reardon How To Cook That
2014

My Cookbook

ann reardon crazy sweet creations cookbook
Stores that sell my book listed by country: http://bit.ly/ARcookbook
All recipe quantities in the book are in grams, ounces and cups.

491 Comments View Comments

  1. How long does this chocolate cake recipe keep for?

    • Hi Amanda, fresh cake is best eated within 3-4 days. You can freeze the undecorated and cooled cake if you like.

  2. Hi..would like to ask if you have substitute for the 70% cocoa dark chocolate,i don’t think it’s available here in my place. Can I use regular dark chocolate? is it sweetened or unsweetened? Thank you.

    • Hi Erin, 70% is just a rich dark chocolate. You can find it in the supermarket here. It is usally a little sweetened. Regular dark chcolate would be fine.

  3. I want to make the cars cake. The recipe calls for chocolate cake. Can use another kind of cake? Or does it have to be chocolate because I’m using fondant? I’m beginner please help.

    • Hi Toneka, You can use a different typreo f cake but you need a cake that is denser than a sponge and can hold up to the sculpting the cars cake requires and the weight of the fondant. Chocolate cake is therefore a good candidate. You could use a good vanilla cake recipe if you prefer.

  4. How do you print these recipes

    • Hi Veronica, You should be able to use the drop down menu in your browser bar to select print.

  5. I am having trouble printing these instructions…I have highlighted also and used Control P and that didn’t work either…do you have a special place on your website where all your recipes are listed? Please give me some technical advice…gotta get working on Lightning McQueen!!

  6. Hi, Ann gives this chocolate cake recipe for the Lightning McQueen cake – but says to triple this recipe. Does that really mean 24 eggs?!
    Thanks in advance!

    • HI Kelly, 1 quanity will use 8 eggs and make 2 full baking trays of cake. Three times the recipe will give 6 trays and you will need 5 of those. 1 will be spare to freeze and use for something else.

  7. The recipe calls for margarine, but the video says butter, which is correct? And if butter is it salted or unsalted butter.
    Thanks!

    • Hi Valerie, Ann generally prefers to use margarine unless the flavour of butter is required. Unsalted Butter can be used in place of margarine if you prefer.

  8. where is the temperature for the baking of this cake? i don’t know what a slow oven is

    • Hi Jessica, A slow oven is considered to be around 150C.

  9. how do i print this recipe?

  10. Hi Ann I watch almost all of your videos, to hopefully make beautiful cakes. But, I saw a video today with the frosting looks so smooth and I was wondering if you know how to make this cake frosting?? The video not sure if I can post his name here so you can look and see if you have this recipe. Should I send the information in an e-mail. and would you have the time to look at the youtube video to see if you know how that frosting is made? Thank you for all your videos I really learned a lot today about chocolate and how to temper it, as I am making my daughters birthday cake next week and wanted it to be special for her.

    • Thanks for commenting Debbie. If frosting looks smooth it usually comes down to ingredients and mix. The smoothest frostings are usually ganaches or glazes. Ann has recipes for both. Just use the search box to find the one that most resembles what you are looking for.

  11. Hi Ann,

    I plan of doing your Thomas train cake for my son’s 1st birthday in 2 weeks. You suggest to prepare 2.5 times the cake recipe, so it would take like 20 eggs and so on (how rich it will be…!!!). Do you recommend to make 1 big recipe or to split it in 2?

    Also, I find fondant not very good to eat…so I found a fondant recipe using marshmallows, icing sugar and chocolate. I thought of changing the milk chocolate for white chocolate so I can die it with gel color. I need your input on that…

    Thanks!!

  12. Hi Ann,

    I’m planning on using your rich chocolate cake recipe to make a cake for my son’s third birthday this Friday. Please can you advise me how many days before the big day can I bake?
    Obviously I don’t want a stale sponge but also have to juggle my time with 3 children aged 4 & below.

    Thanks for sharing your food adventures with the world – my son loves watching your making & baking – especially chocolate butterflies & when your poor son becomes the victim of a wasabi truffle assault!

    Kindest regards,
    Tamsin & family, UK

    • Hi Tamsin, Cakes are always best fresh, but making it the day prior would be fine. If you are concerned, then use a simple syrup to keep the layers moist.

  13. Hi Ann
    I bought the template for the Thomas the tank engine cake and printed it but now can’t find the recipe for the cake or quantities for the sugar paste etc.please could you email them to me many thanks Jenny

  14. Hi Ann,
    Can butter be subsituted for margerine in this recipe?
    Thanks!

    • Yes you can substitute butter if you prefer to use it.

  15. Rating: 3

    Hi Ann!
    Hoping you still read these comments because I need some serious help haha! I’ve tried this recipe several times and just can’t seem to get it right!! I’ve made cupcakes with this recipe which taste absolutely amazing but are really difficult to decorate because they form a sort of crunchy crust on top and it was hollow underneath and then the cupcake (if that makes sense?) so when I frost them, the frosting just collapses on the cupcake. And then I’ve tried making cakes and I either get the crust thing on top or the cooking times are way off! If I cook it until the outsides are nice and crisp the inside is still very wet so the cake just collapses but if I cook it until the inside is cooked, the outside is just too crunchy and I have to cut it off! I put an empty tray op the top shelf like you suggest, Ive tried wrapping the pans in tin foil and I’ve tried using these fancy cake tins that are supposed to cook cakes evenly but I just cannot seem to get this right! I bake them in a fanforced oven at 150 degrees, I follow every step and I’ve watched your video about a million times! I’ve baked this cake tonight and it took about 2 hours – the edges were super crisp and I think I’ll have to trim them but fingers crossed this one doesn’t collapse!! I never have trouble with any other cake recipe but yours is the yummiest and I just want it to work! Do you have any suggestions?

    • Hi Laura, This cake does need to be cooked low and slow to ensure event cooking. Double check that you are cooking at 150C and that your oven temperature is accurate using an oven thermometer. It may be that your oven is running cooler or hotter than you think. THis cake does have quite a high sugar content , which can exacerbate the crispy crust. Ensure that the sugar is well mixed in. Cook the cake in several smaller tins and layer rather than trying to cook it as one cake. Hope that helps.

  16. The remark “slow baking”interpreted bij a 12 yr old “yeah got it”daughter left us whit a giant donut shaped cake.
    what temperature is used? time??

    • Hi Linda & Elise, A slow oven as listed in the recipe is a standard term for an oven approximately 150°C or 300°F. How long it will take to cook will vary depending on the size/depth dish you use and the quality and type of your oven. It is best to check the cake when it has risen in the middle using a knife or skewer to test that it is baked in the middle as outlined in the recipe. If you ended up with a large dip in the middle of your cake, then it definitely was not cooked in the middle.

  17. Hello Ann
    with the 8 eggs what size eggs have you used 600g, 700g or 800g

    • Hi Tanya, Ann usually uses medium sized eggs which are about 60-70g

  18. Can butter be used in place of margarine?

    • Yes it can.

  19. Hey Ann! What would happen if you only add the 70% chocolate and not the cocoa powder?

  20. Hello, the recipe doesn’t say how much sugar to use for the icing?

    • Hi Constantine, none is required. This is a ganache and the sweetness is provided through the chocolate.

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