no fuss chocolate cake recipe

No Fuss Chocolate Cake Recipe

Yes you heard me!

A chocolate cake that boasts a moist texture and is easy to make? That’s my kind of cake! My No Fuss Chocolate Cake Recipe is something that I have been working on for a while. I needed this cake to have everything I wanted in a cake. The texture is on point, it has a light crumble and a soft, moist texture. The filling is a simple caramel that you can buy at the store (again, no fuss!). And the frosting is a beautiful, silky chocolate ganache. A dark chocolate cake is a recipe everyone should have and this one is a “print now” type of recipe. I am not a chocolate cake fan, having said that, this No Fuss Chocolate Cake recipe is AMAZING!

I realised I don’t have a chocolate cake recipe on the blog and I had to fix that. While testing this recipe, I knew that many people would love it but the mess/time may deter them. Therefore, I decided to make this blog post quite detailed so that you can bake with no worries that you’ll flop the recipe. I hope you enjoy it and please remember to leave a comment.

Bon Apetit,

Zorah

no fuss chocolate cake

Tips for making this No Fuss Chocolate Recipe

  1. Preheat your oven before you start baking. This will help the oven to equalise in temperature to cook two cake tins at the same time.
  2. I like to whisk my dry ingredients together, I find this is the faster way. However, you can sift them too. Just make sure there are no lumps and everything is incorporated well.
  3. When whisking you eggs and the rest of the ingredients in this step, make sure to do so thoroughly. Your eggs may not become light and fluffy, and that’s okay. But make sure, if you are doing this by hand, they are whisked for about 3-5 minutes. You want the ingredients to combine well.
  4. Make your hot chocolate in advance so that it has time to cool.
  5. When your cake come out of the oven, allow them to cool in the tins for 15 minutes. Thereafter, you can remove them and let them cool to room temperature before adding the ganache.

How to bake the cakes

Ideally I like to use two cake tins and bake them off at the same time. Naturally this will prolong the baking time so that they are both cooked through. Alternatively, you can cook one cake tin off at a time and stick to the oven temperatures below. If you decide to cook them both at the same time:

  1. Make sure that the cake tins are the same size. The sizes I would recommend would be a 20cm/8inch cake tin.
  2. When baking both cakes off at the same time, I would recommend using the fan assist (but not necessary).
  3. Measure the batter equally between the two cake tins.
  4. Bake time for two cakes is between 40-50minutes. Make sure to check for doneness at the 45 minute using a toothpick.

Storing your No Fuss Chocolate Cake

This cake really does stand the test of time. I would keep the cake in an airtight container (with the frosting and filling added) at room temperature for up to 7 days. If you are keeping it in the fridge, then up to 10 days.

no fuss chocolate cake

No Fuss Chocolate Cake Recipe

Recipe by inthemidnightkitchenCourse: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium
Servings

8-10

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

30

minutes
Total time

45

minutes

This delicious chocolate cake is a No Fuss Recipe! I love baking this cake when I am in the mood for something sweet, but without too much mess. The texture is light and moist. The filling is caramel and it’s topped off with a dark chocolate ganache.

Ingredients

  • Chocolate Cake Ingredients
  • 1 ½. Cups granulated sugar

  • ¾ cups dark cocoa powder

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 ¼ tsp. baking soda

  • 2 tsp. baking powder

  • 3 large eggs

  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

  • 1 tsp almond extract

  • ¾ cup buttermilk

  • ½ cup brewed hot chocolate/Milo

  • ¾ cup vegetable oil

  • Ganache Ingredients
  • 1 cup roughly, chopped 70% dark chocolate

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • 2 tbsp. butter, room temperature

  • ½ cup heavy cream

  • Caramel Filling
  • 200g canned caramel

Directions

  • Method for cake
  • Preheat oven to 175C, and adjust the tray to the middle rack.
  • In a stand mixer or large bowl, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and baking powder.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, almond and vanilla extract, oil and buttermilk until there are no lumps.
  • Add the wet to dry ingredients, and then pour in the warm hot chocolate (make sure it isn’t too hot).
  • Divide the batter into two, prepared, round baking pans and allow to bake for 25-30 minutes or until a paring knife comes out clean.
  • Allow the cakes to cool and start on your ganache in the meantime.
  • When you are ready top assemble the cakes, spread the caramel layer in between the two layers. Once the caramel is spread evenly, place in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes. In the meantime you can make your ganache frosting.
  • Method for Ganache
  • Warm the heavy cream and vanilla on a medium, until it starts to boil. Then lower the heat and then add in the chopped chocolate and allow it to sit in the cream for about 30 seconds to soften.
  • Using a wooden spoon or spatula, start mixing the chocolate and cream, starting from the center and gently moving outwards to incorporate everything.
  • Then drop in one tablespoon of butter at time, and stir to combine.
  • To get your ganache stiff, put it in the fridge for 20 minutes at a time, then remove it and stir and continue this way until it’s fairly stiff and isn’t too runny.

Notes

  • You can make your ganache once the cake is out of the oven, as it needs at least 30 minutes to cool.
 

12 Comments

  1. Hi zorah. Can the oil be substituted with melted butter?

     
    • inthemidnightkitchen says:

      Hi,

      I haven’t tried it with oil but it should work well. The taste may vary
      slightly but I would say you should give it a try you prefer using oil in
      your recipes.
      Thank you,
      Zorah

       
  2. Where is the Carmel filling ingredients?

     
    • inthemidnightkitchen says:

      Hi,

      For this recipe, I just used canned caramel for the filling. I will add that to the ingredients list.

      Thank you,
      Zorah

       
  3. Ronel Mari says:

    I recently tried out this recipe, and let me tell you, it does not disappoint! If you ever wondered what the Bruce Bogtrotter cake tasted like, I’m pretty sure this is it! I am abit fussy with chocolate cakes because I feel many never seem to get it right but Zorah has done a great job putting this recipe together. The cake had the perfect crumb, was so moist and absolutely decadent in all it’s chocolatey goodness without being too sweet at all! Perfection.

     
    • inthemidnightkitchen says:

      Hey babe!
      I am so so happy you enjoyed the recipe! It truly is one of my favourites:)

       
  4. Barbara Nel says:

    When do you add the oil to the cake mixture?

     
    • inthemidnightkitchen says:

      Hi Barbara,

      You can add the oil to the wet ingredients, I updated the recipe to reflect this as well.
      Happy Baking!

       
  5. This cake sounds amazing!!! I cannot wait to try it! The recipe doesn’t mention the baking temperature, unless I missed it (Apologies if this is the case) . Is 180 deg correct?

     
    • inthemidnightkitchen says:

      Hey!

      The oven should be preheated to 175C.

      Thanks so much for asking, I will update the recipe as well!

       

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