This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
Chocolate mud cake is one of those cakes that you might not make often but when you do, you remember why they are just SO good. Chocolate mud cakes are cooked low and slow, the oven temperature is much lower than a typical sponge cake and they’re cooked over a few hours. They tend have a tight crumb making them quite dense and very delicious.
This cake is perfect just with the ganache but the whipped cream just steps it up a level and makes it look pretty spectacular. I used rather a lot as you will see in the recipe but you can use as little or as much as you like. The cream is whisked together with a little icing sugar – not too much but just a touch and then a sprinkling of malt powder. The malt powder makes it taste a bit like the inside of a malteser – need I say more?!
You could also add a splash of Baileys in the cream – I have done that before and it really was delicious.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s rich and chocolatey, with a moist and dense (in a good way) centre and piled with smooth ganache and malted cream.
- This cake stands so tall and proud, topped with whipped cream, it’s a perfect celebration cake.
- You can top the cake with whatever you like – whether just ganache, just cream or nothing, as the cake itself is so full of chocolate flavour.
- It’s super easy to put together, taking just one bowl, whisk and tin.
Ingredients
Full recipe can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, just scroll down!
Plain flour – you don’t want too much rise on this cake as keeping it dense and moist is part of the appeal. Don’t use self-raising.
Cocoa powder – use one with high cocoa solids and good quality as it does make a difference. Natural or Dutch Processed both work.
Bicarbonate of soda – this adds a tiny bit of rise.
Eggs – I like to use large, free range eggs.
Caster sugar – Granulated sugar also works but caster sugar has a fine texture which melts better in the cake. In the US, it’s known as superfine sugar.
Vegetable oil – using oil instead of butter contributes to the moisture and the density of this cake to make it a proper chocolate mud cake.
Coffee – you need about 1 shot of espresso. Strong coffee works too.
Milk chocolate – this is melted down and stirred into the cake for a deep chocolate flavour.
Substitutions and Variations:
Sugar – use granulated sugar but avoid brown sugar.
Vegetable oil – any neutral oil works so you could also use sunflower or rapeseed (canola) oil.
Topping – you could just do the whipped cream or just the chocolate ganache. If you want to, you could try with white chocolate icing.
Here’s how to make Chocolate Mud Cake
Here’s a step by step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe at the bottom of the page for detailed instructions.
1. Melt the milk chocolate in short bursts in the microwave until smooth. Go slowly and at a low temperature. You could also use a double-boiler.
2. Add the eggs and sugar to a bowl with an electric whisk.
3. Beat until foaming and thick.
4. Pour in the melted chocolate and beat again until smooth. Keep whisking to incorporate and then add the oil.
5. Now add flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Add the water and the coffee. Mix well to combine.
6. Pour into your prepared tin. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. The cake is ready if the skewer comes out clean. If there are any crumbs attached to the skewer, pop the cake back into the oven for several minutes.
7. Heat the cream in a pan until it’s shimmering but not bubbling. Then remove from the heat and stir in the chopped chocolate.
8. Whisk until there are no lumps of chocolate and leave to set at room temp until it’s a spreadable consistency.
9. Add the room temperature chocolate ganache to the cake.
10. Use a spatula to smooth it over the cake.
11. Add a tower of whipped cream and arrange how you like.
12. Dust with cocoa powder.
Cooking Tips
Cooking time: As this is such a dense, rich cake, you want it to be fully cooked through. Don’t err on the side of underbaked like you would with brownies. Otherwise, you can end up with a stodgy, raw centre once it settles. Once you remove it from the oven, it shouldn’t jiggle at all in the centre. The skewer should also come out of the cake totally clean, no crumbs.
Cooling in the tin: Cooling the cake in the tin until totally room temperature ensures the best, fudgiest texture. If you have time, I would really recommend doing this.
Frequently Asked Questions
A mud cake is a cake that is so dense, dark and chocolatey that it supposedly resembles mud. Whilst I don’t quite think that’s true, it is really one of the most luxurious and rich chocolate cakes rather than being bouncy and airy. A regular sponge cake is usually baked at a higher temperature like 180-190 degrees and much quicker which allows for a bigger rise and an airier crumb. Mud cakes are cooked at a lower temp for longer which gives it a tighter crumb, and a more dense, rich outcome.
This mud cake is delicious with just the ganache topping but the whipped cream does just take it to the next level and makes it such a centrepiece. But you don’t need to do both – I just recommend it!
Perhaps not the most delicate way to put it, but a mud cake has the name as the dense, moist cake resembles mud.
Storage & Make Ahead Instructions
Mud cakes almost get better over a few days so yes you can prep ahead of time. I tend to bake the cake a day ahead and let it cool completely in the tin. This gives it a great fudgy texture. Then decorate on the day you want to serve. You could make the cake a few days in advance. If you’re leaving it longer than just one night, make sure you wrap the cake in clingfilm or store in an airtight container.
Cover or transfer to airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. It will last longer without the whipped cream on top – more like 5 days if it’s just the mud cake with chocolate ganache (or on its own). If it doesn’t have any ganache or cream on top, I like to store it at room temperature for the best texture.
You can freeze the mud cake without the ganache and cream. Wrap tightly in cling film and a layer of foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight at room temperature until fully thawed.
Other recipes you may like
If you like my chocolate mud cake, you will love my moist chocolate cake, Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread Loaf, Crinkly Chocolate Brownie Cookies or No bake Biscoff cheesecake. Or try my No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake.
Easy Baking Recipes
Homemade Chocolate Marshmallows
Easy Dessert Recipes
Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Mousse
Easy Dessert Recipes
Chocolate Brownie Trifle
Easy Baking Recipes
Chocolate and Pear Cake
Made this recipe and loved it?
I would love love LOVE if you could leave a review in the comments… I love hearing what you thought, any changes you made, the stories behind what made you try my recipes. Also, if you share a photo on Instagram, please tag me @desertislanddishes, it makes my day to see you making my creations!
Chocolate Mud Cake with Malted Whipped Cream
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3 eggs, medium
- 140 g caster sugar
- 100 g soft brown sugar
- 180 g milk chocolate
- 100 ml vegetable oil
- 150 g plain flour
- 45 g cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 180 ml water
- 20 ml strong coffee, cooled (even if you don’t love coffee I recommend you add this!)
For the milk chocolate ganache:
- 300 g milk chocolate roughly chopped
- 300 ml double cream
For the malted whipped cream (this makes a tower of whipped cream, use 500ml if you want a more standard layer):
- 1200 ml double cream
- 1 tbsp icing sugar, sifted
- 1 tbsp malt powder, horlicks or ovaltine (optional)
- Dusting of cocoa powder to finish, or could also use chocolate shavings
Instructions
To make the mud cake:
- Preheat your oven to 150°C fan.
- Line and grease an 8-inch round cake tin.
- Melt the milk chocolate in short burst s in the microwave until smooth. Go slowly and at a low temperature. You could also use a double-boiler.
- Add the eggs and sugar to a bowl with an electric whisk. Whisk the eggs and sugars until light and foamy. This will take a few minutes so it’s worth using an electric whisk but of course you can use good old fashioned elbow grease.
- Once light and foamy, you can slowly add the melted chocolate. Keep whisking to incorporate and then add the oil.
- Now add flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Add the water and the coffee. Mix well to combine and then pour into your prepared tin.
- Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. The cake is ready if the skewer comes out clean. If there are any crumbs attached to the skewer, pop the cake back into the oven for several minutes.
- Once cooked, remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin.
For the milk chocolate ganache:
- Heat the cream in a pan until it’s shimmering but not bubbling. Then remove from the heat and stir in the chopped chocolate. Whisk until there are no lumps of chocolate and leave to set at room temp until it’s a spreadable consistency.
For the whipped cream:
- Simply add the cream, the icing sugar and the malt powder to a bowl and whisk until thickened. Careful not to over-whisk it.
- To assemble the cake:
- Once cool, remove the cake from the tin. You can use a serrated knife to cut the top off to level it out but I never do with this cake recipe. Then smother the top with the chocolate ganache. Pile on the whipped cream and leave to chill in the fridge for a few hours.
- Remove from the fridge about 20 minutes before serving (unless it’s very hot in which case it’s safer to keep it in the fridge otherwise the cream will be a melty disaster). Dust with cocoa powder and slice and enjoy.
This was a family favourite for Christmas – it has such wow factor for such a straight forward recipe xx
I’m confused about how much melted chocolate? How many oz?
Hi! Thanks for your question. There are 28 grams (28g) in an ounce, though technically speaking, there are 28.3 grams in an ounce. There’s chocolate in both the mud cake and also the ganache so I wasn’t sure which bit you were referring to so thought it easier to give you the calculation. Hope that helps! Margie
Hi, is the soft brown sugar the light or the dark one?
Thanks
the light! x