Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!
Texture: Light and fluffy cake, creamy frosting and crunchy chocolate pieces
Ease: A simple one layer cake
Appearance: Gorgeous
Pros: An easy dessert that still looks impressive
Cons: It will only feed 6-8 people
Would I make this again? ALL the time!
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Please welcome back Jess from Sweetest Menu as she shares this recipe for Easy Death By Chocolate Cake! Be sure to visit her today. -Tessa
Hi friends! It’s Jess here from Sweetest Menu and I am so excited to present you with my easy (oh so easy) Death By Chocolate Cake. Chocolate cake, chocolate frosting and a scattering of chocolate chunks and chocolate chips. It’s chocolate overload in the best kind of way.
I’ve been on a mission to bring back the one layer cake. I adore layer cakes but I know that life doesn’t always gift us with the time or patience to put together a layer cake. And if you only need to feed 2, 4, or 6 people, a one layer cake will do just fine!
I’ve made a Mint Chocolate Cake and a Peanut Butter Poke Cake but this Death by Chocolate Cake is my new favourite. It’s the perfect way to satisfy those chocolate cravings without spending too much time in the kitchen.
Both the cake and the frosting use cocoa powder for their gorgeous chocolate flavour. This means they are e-a-s-y and you probably have ALL the ingredients you need sitting in your pantry right now. It also means you have permission to go wild with your decorations. As long as they are chocolate, of course!
I like to think of it as old meets new. Growing up chocolate cake always meant cocoa-flavoured buttercream and a light but oh-so-tasty chocolate cake. It was always a favourite for birthdays or just a special treat for afternoon tea.
If you are anything like me, you’ll believe that there can never be too much chocolate. So go ahead and decorate your cake with your favourite candy bar or chocolate treat. You’ll end up with a smashing dessert that won’t take long at all to put together. It’s a win win!
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Easy Death By Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 3/4 cup (105 grams) plain flour
- 1/2 cup (40 grams) cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup (90 grams) brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) caster sugar
- 1/2 cup or 1 stick (115 grams) unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) of buttermilk
Chocolate frosting
- 1/2 cup or 1 stick (115 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 and 1/2 cups (435 grams) powdered or icing sugar
- 4 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 cup (20 grams) cocoa powder
- 2/3 cup (100 grams) milk chocolate, pieces
- 1/4 cup (40 grams) milk or dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 360 F (180 C). Grease and line a round 8 inch springform cake tin with baking or parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and then add the sugars. Pop the butter into the microwave for short bursts, 10 seconds or so at a time, until it is just melted. Give it a stir with a fork to eliminate any lumps. Whisk together the butter, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk until combined – don’t worry if it goes a little lumpy. Then add the wet mixture into the dry mixture and gently fold until just combined.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and pop into the oven. Bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middles comes out clean. Leave to cool for 10 minutes. Gently run a knife around the edge of the cake before turning out of the tin. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
- To make the chocolate frosting, add the butter to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until pale and creamy. Gently sift in the icing sugar, one cup at a time. Add a tablespoon or two of milk to help loosen up the mixture. Add the cocoa powder and beat again. Add the final two tablespoons of milk until the frosting is nice and creamy.
- Frost the top of your cake with the chocolate buttercream. Then scatter over your pieces of chocolate and chocolate chips. Cut and serve.
The chocolate cake is very easy and fast to make. It taste good ans well balances
But.. the frosting, although I put only half of the sugar of the recipe, it was waaaay too sweet, for all our guests.
Seriously, more than 500g of sugar for one only cake… you sure get diabete after eating that !)
The sponge itself was a bit dry is that supposed to be the case? But the overall combo is heavenly!! Like this is literally the most simple and easiest cake from scratch one can imagine!! Love your recipes .. and the detailed science behind it!! 🙂
PS someone in the comments asked how the icing looked as it did .. well once you make it the icing literally gets the same way as shown .. it’s creamy and perfect .. I used 6 tbsp of milk instead of 4 but I think that might vary a bit ..
this recipe is definitely a keeper ..
thanks!!
The sponge itself was a bit dry is that supposed to be the case? But the overall combo is heavenly!! Like this is literally the most simple and easiest cake from scratch one can imagine!! Love your recipes .. and the detailed science behind it!! 🙂
PS someone in the comments asked how the icing looked as it did .. well once you make it the icing literally gets the same way as shown .. it’s creamy and perfect .. I used 6 tbsp of milk instead of 4 but I think that might vary a bit ..
this recipe is definitely a keeper ..
thanks!!
Can you use the Nutella frosting on this cake? Would it go well?