I love a good, simple chocolate cake. Who doesn’t? When it’s a one-bowl cake I love it even more because that means less work and less dishes, but still ending up with a fantastic result. This chocolate cake is my go-to for a rich, dense, CHOCOLATEY, super indulgent yet painless to create sort of dessert. I probably make it once a month and any time I want to take a dessert to someone, this is what I throw in the oven. I’ve even heard those who don’t care for chocolate cake change their tune after a bite of this glorious confection.
This cake is made with hot coffee in the batter to really bump up the chocolate flavor. The crumb is heavy and dense and that just makes a girl like me happy. A simple ganache tops the cake, adding a bit of silky smooth creaminess to this simple cake. You don’t have to top it with ganache, however. A dusting of powdered sugar or cocoa powder would be nice. I’ve even spread my favorite chocolate buttercream over the top and it was INCREDIBLE. Whatever you do with the top, the cake base is an absolute staple and will always be up to the challenge.
This cake is a little bit crumbly, so take care not to over-bake and be careful when you remove it from the pan. This cake will store in an airtight container for several days.
ITEMS USED TO BAKE THIS CAKE:
- FOR THE CAKE:
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons Unsated Butter, at room temperature
- 7 ounces Dark Chocolate, chopped(I use 60% cacao chocolate chips)
- 1½ cups Hot Coffee
- 1¼ cups Raw Cane Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1¾ cup + 2 tablespoons Self-Rising Flour
- ⅓ cup Cocoa Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- FOR THE GANACHE:
- 7 ounces Dark Chocolate(60% cacao chips are my favorite)
- ¾ cup Heavy Cream
- 1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 inch round baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Place the butter and chocolate in a large mixing bowl and pour the hot coffee over the top. Let sit for 30 seconds then whisk together until everything is smooth and melted.
- Add the sugar and whisk until dissolved. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk again until smooth.
- Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, and salt over the top of the liquid mixture and whisk in until just combined. Mixture will be a bit liquidy.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 55-60 minutes, or until top is puffed and cracked and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached. Cool the cake for 20-30 minutes, then remove it from the pan and set aside until completely cool..
- FOR THE GANACHE:
- Place the chocolate and butter in a mixing bowl. Heat the cream to steaming in a saucepan over medium/high heat. Pour over the chocolate and whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth and silky. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until you are ready to frost the cake. Stir the ganache before using to make it smooth and spreadable. Spoon the ganache on top of the cake and smooth it across the top.
- Slice into wedges to serve.
- Store in an airtight container.
Recipe lightly adapted from “Take Home Chocolate Cake” in the book Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh
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