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This is an absolutely foolproof recipe for a moist chocolate cake. I’ve made it so many times and it never lets you down. It uses standard baking ingredients and involves pretty much just mixing the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and baking. At the last stage, hot coffee is folded through which keeps the cake super moist. Alongside this, the chocolate cake is kept moist with the use of yoghurt and oil in the wet ingredients. It ensures a soft cake that isn’t dry at all.
The chocolate cake here is filled with whipped cream that has a tablespoon of icing sugar folded through. And topped with a simple chocolate ganache (melted chocolate + cream) plus berries. But decorate however you like!
Filling & Topping Ideas
Chocolate Ganache – making a chocolate ganache is very simple and one of my favourite ways to decorate the cake. To fill the middle and pour on top, crack 200g dark chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Heat 300ml double cream on medium heat until just simmering. Pour over the dark chocolate and leave for 5 minutes. Then whisk together until smooth and glossy. If you only want to ice the top of the cake, halve this.
Whipped cream – I like to fill the middle of the cake with whipped cream and then spread chocolate ganache on top. Just whip the cream to soft peaks with a spoon of icing sugar to add sweetness.
Buttercream icing – sometimes I find this a bit sweet but since this cake is not too sweet itself and has a real dark chocolate flavour, this works well. You can find a great chocolate buttercream recipe here.
Fresh fruit – sometimes simple is best. This chocolate cake is so moist that you don’t always need some icing/ganache on top. Top with a sprinkle of fresh berries and it’s delicious, perhaps add a spoon of crème fraiche or thick double cream when it comes to serving up, dolloped on top of each slice.
FAQs
For a layer cake like this, it’s best made in 2 sandwich tins. For an unfilled cake then you can use 1 deep cake tin but it will dip in the middle if you do it that way. This doesn’t bother me, I prefer it like this as it becomes more like a puding with a bowl of cream and berries.
If you don’t have yoghurt, you can swap for full fat crème fraiche or sour cream.
Yes, wrap tightly in a few layers of cling film when ever so slightly warm and pop in the freezer. It will keep for a few months.
Other baking recipes you may like
Tunisian Orange Cake
Chocolate Mud Cake
No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake
Mini Biscoff Cheesecakes
Triple Chocolate Brownies
Chocolate Muffins
Chocolate Courgette Cake
Simple Moist Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 250 g plain flour
- 375 g caster sugar
- 70 g cocoa
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1.5 tsp bicarbonate baking of soda
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 125 ml flavourless oil, vegetable, groundnut, sunflower
- 125 ml milk
- 125 g natural yoghurt, unflavoured
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 50 ml strong hot coffee, can be made using instant or fresh
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180c/ 350f/ gas mark 4.
- Grease + line 2 x 9″ loose bottomed cake tins or 1 x deep 9″ springform cake tin.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, the caster sugar, cocoa, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and sea salt.
- In a large measuring jug whisk together the oil, milk, yoghurt, eggs and vanilla.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix together. Fold in the hot coffee and divide between the tins/ or pour into one tin.
- If baking 2 cakes, bake for around 25 minutes. If baking 1 large cake bake for around 35 minutes. Check the sponge with a skewer or toothpick to make sure it is cooked all the way through. Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Then decorate however you like.
Notes
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This recipe is by Georgina Hayden. Georgina is an award-winning food writer, cook and presenter from North London. As well as publishing three cookbooks, she writes for The Telegraph, Delicious Magazine and The Observer Food Monthly. Her newest book Greek-ish is out 25 April, full of vibrant, simple and delicious Greek-ish recipes.
