Easy Chocolate Fudge Cake (Printable)

Rich, squidgy chocolate cake with smooth chocolate icing—perfect for celebrations or indulgent teatime.

# What You'll Need:

→ Cake

01 - 7 oz unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
02 - 7 oz dark chocolate (minimum 50% cocoa solids), chopped
03 - 8.8 oz light brown sugar
04 - 3 large eggs
05 - 7 oz all-purpose flour
06 - 1½ tsp baking powder
07 - ¼ tsp fine sea salt
08 - 1.8 oz cocoa powder
09 - 5 fl oz whole milk
10 - 1 tsp vanilla extract

→ Chocolate Icing

11 - 5.3 oz dark chocolate, chopped
12 - 3.5 oz unsalted butter
13 - 7 oz powdered sugar, sifted
14 - 3 tbsp whole milk

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line two 8-inch round cake tins with baking paper.
02 - In a heatproof bowl, melt the butter and chocolate together over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs together until pale and thick.
04 - Stir in the melted chocolate mixture, followed by the vanilla extract.
05 - In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder.
06 - Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, alternating with the milk, until just combined and smooth.
07 - Divide the batter evenly between the prepared tins.
08 - Bake for 30–35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
09 - Cool the cakes in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
10 - Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Remove from heat and gradually beat in the powdered sugar and milk until smooth and glossy.
11 - Place one cake layer on a serving plate, spread with a third of the icing. Top with the second cake and cover the top and sides with the remaining icing. Smooth with a palette knife.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • The texture is impossibly squidgy in the center, almost like a hybrid between cake and fudge, which means every bite feels indulgent.
  • It uses straightforward ingredients you probably already have, yet it tastes like you spent hours perfecting it in a fancy bakery.
02 -
  • Don't skip the cooling step before icing, because I once tried to ice a slightly warm cake and ended up with a puddle of chocolate soup on my counter.
  • Use a proper heatproof bowl over simmering water rather than microwaving the chocolate, as direct heat can seize it into a grainy, unusable lump.
03 -
  • Always use a light hand when folding in the flour; overworking the batter will give you a tough, dense cake instead of that squidgy, fudgy crumb.
  • If your icing starts to thicken too much as it cools, just pop it back over the warm water for a few seconds and stir until it loosens up again.
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