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CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE

CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE

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Serves: 10

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  • Nigella Recipe
  • Vegetarian

This is the sort of cake you'd want to eat the whole of when you'd been chucked. But even the sight of it, proud and tall and thickly iced on its stand, comforts.

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Ingredients

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For the cake

  • 400 grams plain flour
  • 250 grams golden caster sugar
  • 100 grams light brown muscovado sugar
  • 50 grams best-quality cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 142 ml sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 175 grams unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
  • 125 ml corn oil
  • 300 ml chilled water

For the fudge icing

  • 175 grams dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
  • 250 grams unsalted butter (softened)
  • 275 grams icing sugar (sifted)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
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Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
  2. Butter and line the bottom of two 20cm sandwich tins.
  3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb and salt. In another bowl or wide-necked measuring jug whisk together the eggs, sour cream and vanilla until blended. Using a freestanding or handheld electric mixer, beat together the melted butter and corn oil until just blended (you'll need another large bowl for this if using the hand whisk; the freestanding mixer comes with its own bowl), then beat in the water. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix together on a slow speed. Add the egg mixture, and mix again until everything is blended and then pour into the prepared tins. And actually, you could easily do this manually; I just like my toys and find the KitchenAid a comforting presence in itself.
  4. Bake the cakes for 50-55 minutes, or until a cake-tester comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their tins on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and then turn the cakes out onto the rack to cool completely.
  5. To make the icing, melt the chocolate in the microwave - 2-3 minutes on medium should do it - or in a bowl sitting over a pan of simmering water, and let cool slightly.
  6. In another bowl beat the butter until it's soft and creamy (again, I use the KitchenAid here) and then add the sieved icing sugar and beat again until everything's light and fluffy. I know sieving is a pain, the one job in the kitchen I really hate, but you have to do it or the icing will be unsoothingly lumpy. Then gently add the vanilla and chocolate and mix together until everything is glossy and smooth.
  7. Sandwich the middle of the cake with about a quarter of the icing, and then ice the top and sides too, spreading and smoothing with a rubber spatula.

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  • Best home made cake ive ever made :o) thanks!!!

    Posted by sweetcorn88 on 16th May 2011 at 13.31

  • I love this recipe! Thankyou!

    Posted by annefleeur on 17th Feb 2012 at 23.29

  • I've made this cake a few times and it's THE ULTIMATE chocolate fudge cake. It's quite expensive to make unless you already stock everything but it's sooooo worth it. No other chocolate fudge cake bought or otherwise stands up to this. Worth every penny and every minute it takes to do.

    Posted by aruif on 7th Oct 2012 at 16.16

  • I made this cake for hubby's bday with the "help" of my 2.5 yr old daughter. Despite not being able to concentrate as much as I would have liked, and her eating the sugar while mixing, it came out DELICIOUS! I adjusted the wet ingredients slightly and used less of oil/butter/water mix as thought batter looking a bit wet, and in my electric fan oven, only needed 40mins at 180. Was nervous about trying this out as wanted to make something extra special for hubby but thought who can go wrong with a Nigella cake? He LOVED it, won't let me give any to neighbour, and is now on my saved list of recipes!

    Posted by MrsS1 on 12th Oct 2012 at 11.00

  • I made this cake today and it cracked really badly on top. I might try it again at 170C in case my oven is a bit out. I stirred everything as instructed - could I have been a tad too vigourous; would that have caused the cracking? Also I sieved the dry ingredients rather than just mix them. Advise please. PS,the beauty of it is that the icing will just sink into the crevaces!

    Posted by KreeativeKat on 29th Oct 2012 at 14.49

  • I've made it this morning and it's fantastic!! many thanks Kiss kiss http://madamecroque.blogspot.it/

    Posted by MadameCroque on 1st Nov 2012 at 12.39

  • Mmmmm My son made this for my partners birthday cake last month....the nicest chocolate fudge cake recipe...Im making tonight for my sons Birthday!!

    Posted by Sooziq on 5th Nov 2012 at 15.02

  • This recipe makes the most delicious, moist and light cake. I was a bit disappointed by the icing as for me it's much more of a chocolate butter icing than fudge icing. But everyone who ate it loved it anyway!

    Posted by lizzieheart on 10th Nov 2012 at 22.39

  • Can I substitute milk for the sour cream?

    Posted by Patty81 on 21st Nov 2012 at 21.50

  • Amazing, the best chocolate cake I have ever made! Perfect.

    Posted by katiewhite on 20th Dec 2012 at 12.46

  • I have just finished making this as my usual Christmas cake in a star mould. Best chocolate cake ever! Comes out perfect every time.

    Posted by Alifudge on 25th Dec 2012 at 0.03

  • Could anyone let me know how long to cook the cake for if I double or treble the ingredients? The recipe is for two 8" rounds and I'm baking it in a 10" square. Thanks.

    Posted by Granstercas on 5th Apr 2013 at 20.23

  • This is THE traditional birthday recipe in our house. Son has a dairy allergy, so I ensure choc & butter are dairy free & simply omit the sour cream completely - lushious!

    Posted by CountryMumpkin on 5th May 2013 at 10.22

  • This is the tastiest chocolate cakes I have made. I have searched for and tried lots of recipes and this is by far the best! It's pricey to make if you don't stock the more unusual ingredients but is well worth the added expense! Happy eaters all round!

    Posted by Emzee80 on 15th May 2013 at 22.06