Chocolate Ganache Cake is a true delight for chocolate lovers. This cake features a rich, moist chocolate base, topped with a smooth and glossy ganache made from milk chocolate and cream. The simplicity of the ingredients belies the cake’s decadent flavor and luxurious texture. The ganache adds a silky, melt-in-your-mouth finish that perfectly complements the tender crumb of the cake. Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or simply indulging a chocolate craving, this cake is sure to impress. Its elegance and deep chocolate flavor make it a standout dessert that’s both easy to make and absolutely irresistible.
Why this cake recipe will become your new favorite !
I love making this cake because it’s my kids’ favorite chocolate cake and it’s so easy to make.
With simple ingredients, it comes out fluffy, light, and delicious every single time.
You are going to love this Chocolate Ganache Cake! Sometimes you just need a simple chocolate cake, and this recipe is definitely the one. Despite its simplicity, this cake is so delicious and decadent that anyone who tastes it will be coming back for seconds!
What is the secret ingredient for a fluffy chocolate ganache cake ?
There is a secret ingredient that makes the cake fluffy and light: Hot water. It adds moisture to the cake, preventing it from becoming too dry and ensuring a moist texture. Additionally, hot water enhances the flavor of the chocolate.
This cake doesn’t require a mixer and can be mixed by hand. It takes only 10 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to bake. You can serve it hot or after it has cooled, making it the perfect dessert for your guests. If you are looking for a simple, easy recipe, this is the one.
Ingredients for chocolate ganache cake:
Eggs: play a crucial role in giving structure and moisture to the cake. They help bind the ingredients together, create a light and airy texture, and provide richness. The proteins in eggs help trap air during mixing, contributing to the cake’s soft crumb.
Sugar: Sugar sweetens the cake and helps to balance the rich, slightly bitter notes of the cocoa powder and coffee. It also contributes to the cake’s moisture by attracting water, ensuring a soft and tender crumb. Additionally, sugar helps the cake brown as it bakes, giving it a beautiful color.
All-purpose Flour: Flour forms the bulk of the cake, providing the necessary structure and texture. It absorbs the wet ingredients, helping to create a batter that holds together as it bakes. The right amount of flour ensures that the cake isn’t too dense, but still sturdy enough to hold its shape.
Cocoa Powder: Cocoa powder is the star ingredient for the chocolate flavor. It gives the cake its deep, rich taste and dark color. Cocoa also adds a slight bitterness that balances out the sweetness of the sugar, creating a well-rounded flavor profile.
Vegetable Oil: Oil adds moisture to the cake, keeping it soft and tender. Unlike butter, which can create a firmer texture, oil helps the cake stay moist for longer and ensures a rich, smooth crumb. It also contributes to a slightly denser, more decadent texture.
Hot Boiling Water: Hot water serves two purposes: it dissolves and activates the cocoa powder, allowing it to fully integrate into the batter, and it helps create a smoother batter. The added liquid helps to keep the cake moist and tender as it bakes, especially when combined with the oil.
Instant Coffee: Instant coffee enhances the chocolate flavor, making it richer and deeper. You won’t taste the coffee directly, but it amplifies the chocolate notes, creating a more complex and intense flavor. Coffee and chocolate pair beautifully, bringing out the best in each other.
Baking Powder: Baking powder is a leavening agent that causes the cake to rise by releasing carbon dioxide as it reacts with the wet ingredients. It helps create a light, airy texture, giving the cake its soft crumb. Without it, the cake would be dense and heavy.
Vanilla Sugar or Extract: Vanilla adds a layer of warmth and depth to the cake’s flavor. It complements the chocolate and enhances the overall taste without overpowering it. If you use vanilla sugar, it brings a subtle sweetness, while extract adds a pure, aromatic note.
Salt: Salt plays a crucial role in balancing the sweetness of the cake. It enhances the other flavors, including the cocoa and vanilla, making them more pronounced. A little salt can also improve the overall texture of the cake, preventing it from becoming too sweet or one-dimensional.
Why This Chocolate Cake Stands Out:
This chocolate cake recipe delivers a rich, moist cake with a deep, indulgent chocolate flavor. The combination of cocoa powder and instant coffee gives the cake a sophisticated depth, while the oil and hot water ensure it stays tender and moist. The light crumb, achieved by the baking powder and eggs, creates a melt-in-your-mouth texture that’s sure to impress. Whether you’re making it for a birthday, a celebration, or just to satisfy a chocolate craving, this cake is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser.
Additional:
- Flour for dusting
- Oil to brush the tray
- (Using flour after brushing the tray helps prevent the cake from sticking, making it easier to remove from the tray.)
Chocolate Ganache:
- Whipping cream : 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
- Milk / semi-sweet chocolate : 270g milk or semi-sweet chocolate
White Ganache:
- White chocolate : 1/2 cup white chocolate
- Whipping cream ; 1/2 cup whipping cream
Instructions :
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Mix eggs with sugar until it’s fluffy.
- Mix hot boiling water with instant coffee.
- Add unsweetened cocoa powder to the mixture with oil, vanilla, and hot water mixed with coffee, then mix all together.
- Add flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Mix everything together until combined and smooth, but be careful not to overmix.
- Brush the baking tray with oil, then dust it with flour.
- Pour the batter into the pan.
9. Bake the cake for about 40 minutes.
- While the cake is baking, start preparing the chocolate ganache.
- Heat the whipping cream in the microwave or in a pot on top of the stove.
- Add the chocolate and mix until the chocolate is melted and the mixture becomes smooth and liquidy.
- After the cake is done, insert a toothpick or a knife into the center. If it comes out clean, the cake is done.
- Take out the cake and cover it.
- After it has cooled down, use a knife to go around the cake to make it easier to come out.
- Flip the cake onto a serving plate.
- Pour the chocolate ganache on top of the cake.
- For a presentation of a mix of both chocolate and white chocolate ganache, you can also add white chocolate ganache.
Notes & Tips For Chocolate Ganache :
- This cake can be served while it’s hot or while it’s cold.
- You can poke the cake with a knife or fork before adding the chocolate ganache; that will make the cake more moist because the chocolate will seep inside.
- Cover the cake when it comes out of the oven; that will help the cake to stay moist.
- You can use any baking tray you like. If you go with a bigger tray, the cake will be thinner, meaning less baking time, and if you go with a smaller tray, the cake will be thicker, so it will take longer to cook.
- Always preheat the oven before baking.
- You can use warm milk instead of hot water.
- You can use butter instead of oil.
- You can substitute the hot water mixed with instant coffee with hot brewed coffee.
- You can add sour cream or yogurt if you like your cake more dense and moist.
- Always dust your baking tray with flour or cocoa powder that will help the cake not to stick.
- Sifting your flour and cocoa powder will indeed help your cake batter come out smooth and without lumps
- If the chocolate ganache is too thick, just add more whipping cream and mix until you reach the desired thickness. If it’s too runny, add more chocolate, then place it in the microwave for a few seconds, take it out, and mix until the chocolate melts. Adjusting the consistency is key to getting the perfect ganache.
- If you prefer your cake to have a richer chocolate flavor, you can definitely add more cocoa powder to the batter. Adjusting the cocoa powder content allows you to tailor the taste to your liking.
