Best-ever chocolate layer cake

Best-ever chocolate layer cake

This decadent choc fest lives up to its name

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 10

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 30 mins

Cook time

Cook 30 mins

plus cooling

Method

  1. Make the icing first (it takes a while to cool and thicken). Put the chocolate into a bowl. Pour the cream into a pan and heat until simmering. Take off the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Stir until the mixture is smooth. Cool, then chill, until really thick but spreadable.
  2. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and base-line 2 x 18cm sandwich tins with baking parchment. Take 3 tbsp flour from the full flour amount and put them back in the flour bag - the cocoa powder will make up the difference.
  3. Put all the cake ingredients except the chocolate in a large bowl. Beat them together with an electric whisk (or whizz in a food processor) until you have a creamy mixture, then fold in the melted chocolate. Add a little more milk if the mix is too stiff - it should fall easily from a spoon.
  4. Divide the mixture between the 2 tins and level. Bake on the same shelf in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the sponge springs back when pressed. Cool for 5 minutes, turn out onto a wire rack, peel off the paper and cool completely. Cut each in half horizontally so that you have 4 layers altogether.
  5. Sandwich the layers together with a little icing, then spread the rest on top thickly.

PER SERVING

865 kcalories, protein 9.5g, carbohydrate 67.2g, fat 63.9 g, saturated fat 36.5g, fibre 1.8g, salt 0.82 g

Recipe from olive magazine, April 2011.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 61-70

  • Binder photo cheekymama

    20 November 2012

    cheekymama rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    The ganache is ridiculous! Takes forever to set, I had to add extra chocolate and put it in the freezer! Makes way too much...that'll teach me not to read the comments next time :/ Tasty cake all the same

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  • Binder photo ilikepasta

    26 January 2013

    ilikepasta rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    The chocolate filling is to die for! Although I put mine in the freezer for an hour as it was taking forever to set in the fridge then it was perfect! The cake is delicious but makes no way near enough to slice in half to have 4 sections. I ended up quickly whipping up a Victoria sponge cake with added cocoa powder and that rose much better. So I had a tripple layer cake. Very pleased and will make again now I know more what to expect!

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  • Binder photo stephiee

    12 February 2013

    stephiee commented on this recipe

    I use this this recipe REGULARLY! It's amazing, however i do make a few changes.. i do not put coffee in there, as its quite an aquired taste, and instead of using 70% dark chocolate, i use cadburys, and the same for the drinking chocolate (cadburys drinking chocolate) and again, with the icing. Although it makes it slightly more costly, the taste is incredible, and one barely lasts an hour in our house!! Definitely is the best chocolate cake ever! It's also easy to make a white chocolate cake using the same method, however, use 200g of melted chocolate in the mix, and no powder. it takes slightly longer in the oven so keep an eye on it!

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  • Binder photo nancy gilmour

    19 February 2013

    nancy gilmour commented on this recipe

    I am making this for the second time,it is so moreish,I am using betty crockers choc fudge icing and apricot jam with the icing for the layers,

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  • Binder photo samisweetheart

    06 March 2013

    samisweetheart commented on this recipe

    I've used this recipe time and time again and its incredible! It's been loved by everyone and has the royal seal of approval from my cake-monster brother and master baker mother! I've swapped a couple of layers of ganache with orangevor strawberry buttercream for a really fresh taste! Love love love this cake!!!

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  • Binder photo luv2bake

    18 March 2013

    luv2bake rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this cake for my daughter's b'day and it was delicious but very rich. I was a little concerned how the cake would turn out because my mixture seemed very stiff when I put it in the tins and I had added extra milk but it baked really well and I was able to cut both cakes to make the layers. I did whisk the icing well before leaving it overnight in the fridge to set and it was perfect. Yummy!

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  • Binder photo Dom

    09 April 2013

    Dom rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Looks so good

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  • Binder photo brafikoto

    08 May 2013

    brafikoto rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Fantastic cake - I did this for my daughter's birthday on Saturday and it went down a treat - I used margarine instead of butter to get a more fluffy cake, did 2 layers instead of 4 and mixed a bit of caramel chocolate in the filling -well received and enjoyed by all - will definitely be repeating this recipe for Dad's birthday !

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  • Binder photo brafikoto

    08 May 2013

    brafikoto commented on this recipe

    Fantastic cake - I did this for my daughter's birthday on Saturday and it went down a treat - I used margarine instead of butter to get a more fluffy cake, did 2 layers instead of 4 and mixed a bit of caramel chocolate in the filling -well received and enjoyed by all - will definitely be repeating this recipe for Dad's birthday !

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  • Binder photo kmyeomans

    19 May 2013

    kmyeomans commented on this recipe

    Really good cake! Didn't rise enough to slice into 4 but that could be my cake tins and used an alternative icing so can't comment on that but the cake itself ws delicious!

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 10

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 30 mins

Cook time

Cook 30 mins

plus cooling

Ingredients

  • 175g self-raising flour , sifted
  • 3 tbsp 70% cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp instant espresso coffee powder (optional)
  • 175g butter , completely softened, plus extra for lining the tin
  • 175g golden caster sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 3 eggs
  • 1-2 tbsp milk
  • 100g 70% dark chocolate , melted and cooled

FOR THE ICING

  • 500ml double cream
  • 500g milk chocolate , chopped
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PER SERVING

865 kcalories, protein 9.5g, carbohydrate 67.2g, fat 63.9 g, saturated fat 36.5g, fibre 1.8g, salt 0.82 g

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