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
My Cookbook
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All recipe quantities in the book are in grams, ounces and cups.
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I just used 350 g chocolate and 100 ml of cream. My ganache looks like chocolate milk! Why so much cream?
Hi!Did you used 35% fat in the cream?
Hi Luka, yes I did
Hi Ann,
I’m confused about whether to use butter or margarine. The ingredient list says margarine, but in the video you say butter. Do you prefer one over the other?
Thanks,
Kate
hi kate yes i prefer margarine
Is it possible to send me a print out to do the thomas cake with instuctions for me to print out please love andrea
hi andrea thomas cake is here… https://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/thomas-train-cake/
Hi!
I was wondering if you could use this recipe for cupcakes and if so how many and at what temp should they be baked?
hey ann,
I was just wondering do you have to use caster sugar and if you have to why? Thanks
Hi Ashley, Yes you can swap for normal sugar.
Caster sugar has a smaller crystal size than normal sugar which means it dissolves faster into what is being baked.
Hi Ann, this recipe sounds yummy , but i was wondering if this cake carves well?
Hi Ann can you tell me recipe for Thomas cake but not in chocolate cake but plain sponge not sure how to convert julie
Hi Julie, the sponge cake recipe and the chocolate cake recipe make the same quantity of cake (two round cake tins) so you can just swap recipes
Hi Denise, yes, check it out in the lightning mcqueen cake and thomas cake on this site.
Hi Ann, I plan on making the Thomas the Train cake on thursday for my 1 year old. My husband and I are putting the cake together and we are going to make the chocolate cake using this recipe. I have a question about the eggs, is it necessary to use all 8 eggs and why so many?
Hi cleopatra, this makes a very moist rich cake, you can use a different recipe that requires less eggs if you prefer.
Hi ann, great site. Have brought lightening mcqueen template… Quick question. What temperature is a slow oven and what’s the approximate time for bake on the tray cake? X
Hi Kelly slow oven is 150C and tray cake takes about 15 minutes but times vary with ovens
Hi Ann I just have a quick question for you. Following your template after thomas the train is all done how many people will it serve how many slices?
thanks
Amy
Hi Ann! I was wondering if your chocolate cake is firm enough for a wedding cake. I’m looking for a recipe that tastes great and will hold its shape. Hoping to you hear from you soon 🙂
Hi Mahana, yes it is firm enough for wedding cake 😀
My cake turned out quite good and everybody loved it especially my friend who love chocolate
Thank you
Hi Anne
In your truck cake instead of using a box could I use a rice Krispy cake and shape it ?? Love your work x
HI ann i’m shawn i’d wanted to request that can you make a cake like the picture shown below and that picture is called jewlpet!!!! thankshttp://media.photobucket.com/user/Rawwr-Sleepy-Dinosauur05/media/Jewelpet%20Twinkle/k-jewelpet-ruby001.jpg.html?filters%5Bterm%5D=jewelpet&filters%5Bprimary%5D=images&filters%5Bsecondary%5D=videos&sort=1&o=2
if you have any trouble looking at the pic just double click it and it will come up and if you have finished the cake please post it up on you tube and tell me that you have post it on you tube by e-mail thanks
bye ann Shawn
hi Ann
just wanted to say that I love your chocolate cake better… I made your cake for Christmas eve for a party and there was nothing left!!! everybody loved it…. Thank you for all of your recipes and have a Merry Christmas
Here’s the cake i made ( piped on whipped Cream and the ganache to practice :3) best chocolatecake i ever had, and im actually not a big fan of chocolate 😛
Love your work! Merry christmas and happy new year!
Love from Sweden <3
looks awesome caroline well done
Hey Ann! I just made this cake today for christmas Eve (in Sweden we celebrate on the 24th) i was absolutly delicious! My boyfriend loved it and my friends are soon knocking on my door after posting the picture on Facebook! Posting a Picture for you soon!!
Hi Ann, how much vanilla and icing sugar do you need for the cream? I’ll be VERY happy if you answered before wednesday, because i’m going to bake this for my dad on his birthday! I just wanted to say that i come from Sweden and i’m 11 years old, i just LOVE your videos! I get so much inspiration from you! THANKS 🙂
hi maha it is to taste, so add some and taste it and see if you want it sweeter or not. Start with 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp icing sugar
I don’t know how it happened, but my ganache(what a fancy word) turned oily -w-‘…
-Then I read the last part. I had to put it overnight o_o. Does ganache turn oily if you don’t leave it overnight?
Hi Gizelle, it sounds like it split – which is when the oil separates out. The causes of this is the chocolate and cream being heated too hot. Just let it cool right down and mix it again and it should come back together.
Hi, How long does this cake keep refridgerated? I plan to make this cake in advance of a party. Thanks!
Hi Anne,
Saw your video on YouTube and was intrigued and amazed on how you demystify some of the so called “complex decorating techniques”.Then went through some of your videos from your website and subscribed immediately.
I decided to give the chocolate and flower decoration a try and baked it 2 weeks ago for one of the kids in my Sunday school and got some very lovely comments.
Just wanted to say you are an inspiration and keep the faith
Beautiful ayo