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!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
Please welcome back Jess from Sweetest Menu as she shares this recipe for Easy Death By Chocolate Cake! Be sure to visit her mouthwatering blog 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!
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.
Hello there, I was wondering whether it could be made in a bundt tin? Thank you so much, looks amazing!
What is caster sugar? This cake looks so good! Thank you.
Hi there
I want to bake this cake but wonder for frosting how do I get the thick frosting look so to make it look Volumous? The frosting is usually a thin layer but how do I make it look volumeous?
Oh my goodness. Made this cake and icing for my chocolate-loving Mom’s birthday, and then I topped it with her favorite double chocolate cookies crumbled up in place of the chocolate pieces- it was literally to die for. Such good cake. Even the family members that don’t normally like cake were all over this. I’ll definitely keep this recipe!
So good and so easy! I substituted caster sugar with powdered sugar and it still came out great!
just made this and it came out great. The cake blends with the sweetness of frosting that empty every serving. The cake is soft and rich and not dull. My kids loved it.
Can I double this for a two layer or is it too soft to hold up? Could I make it ahead and freeze it?
Thanks.
Best and most popular choc cake
Its become my favourite special chocolate cake recipe – Thank You Jess
Can the cake recipe be doubled?
I just made this as my Christmas Torte and it came out wonderful!
The recipe was so easy and the frosting is perfectly flavored (not too sweet at all!)
I wish I could include a photo of mine for you to see, but THANK YOU FOR THIS RECIPE!!!
Melanie, thank you so much! I am so pleased that you made this cake for Christmas – it is one of my favourites! Merry Christmas to you and your family! x
This is one cause of death I would happily subscribe to! My mouth is watering already just looking at the pictures!
Thanks Andrew!