A few years ago, when I first heard the name ‘mud cake’, I said “Well, that’s unappetizing.” It turned out to be the most delusional statement I had ever uttered. This is a rich, chocolatey, dense, finger-licking good kind of cake. It is proof that there is a heaven and it’s not that hard to get to 🙂
The inspiration for this cake came from Citrus and Candy and it made my heart stop. Because the cake looked that stunning and sounded that dramatic. The only problem was I didn’t have any Baileys at home (which the original recipe called for) so I used Amarula liqueur instead which worked just as well. Come to think of it, why would any liqueur taste bad! Drizzled with fresh cream, this makes a great dessert and as I discovered, an even better birthday cake 😀
What you’ll need:
For the cake:
For the ganache frosting
200g dark chocolate
200 ml cream
1 tbsp butter (makes the ganache nice and glossy!)
(I made mine a little runnier and darker than called for but if you want a thicker, brownish frosting, use 100 g chocolate and 100 ml cream. And you can add liqueur to it as well!)
What to do:
1. Preheat the oven to 160 C.
2. In a small but sturdy saucepan, melt the butter, chocolate, sugars, cocoa and Amarula till there are no lumps and you have a chocolatey liquid. Let this cool till its only slightly warm.
3. Add the eggs to this cooled mixture and beat well.
4. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add this to the above chocolate mixture and fold it in till completely blended.
5. Pour into a greased tin (springform is preferable, because it makes it easier to unmold and frost the cake) and bake for about 30 minutes. My oven seems a little hyperactive and cakes get done really quick, but adjust the cooking time according to yours. The cake will be a little dense and springy but a fork poked into it should come out clean.
6. Once the cake has baked and cooled completely, make the ganache. Simply roughly chop the chocolate and heat the cream till it’s just boiled. Pour this over the chocolate and stir fast so it all blends together properly. Pour over the cooled cake and eat what’s left 🙂
P.S. If you’re making this cake in extremely hot and humid weather, refrigerate and let it set for a while before cutting.
Welcome to heaven!
Lydia says
Hi Gayatri, this cake sounds and looks fab. I’d like to try it as well. I have a question though. I do not have any liqueur on hand at the moment. What could I replace the Amarula with?
the desserted girl says
Hey Lydia! You could maybe try coffee ? Alternately if you have beer, this is my new favourite boozy cake! https://thedessertedgirl.com/2020/03/05/chocolate-stout-cake/
Simi says
Hi!
Tried the churros came out very runny so had to fry them & they looked like balloons.? Dunno what went wrong . Stuck to the measurements.
Love your recipes ,dying to try the amarulla cake.
Take care
Rangoli says
What a coincidence!!! Its May 10th tomorrow…exactly four years since you posted this…and i am hosting some ladies for tea tomo….making this yumm cake YET AGAIN. Feels like an anniversary i am celebrating with this delish cake ❤ And with you….dear Desserted Girl ❣️
the desserted girl says
Thank you soooo much Rangoli aunty, that makes me feel so special! I can’t believe I forgot this was the first birthday cake I ever made for Ashoo, and I’m continuing the tradition for his birthday tomorrow 🙂 your comment brought back fun memories! Happy baking and Thank you ❤️
Achieng says
Hey … can I bake using margarine instead of butter
The Desserted Girl says
I’ve never tried baking with margarine instead of butter. But I don’t think the results will be the same since they are both quite different. Let me know if you try it!
Corne says
Thank you very much, the mud cake was a real hit with my family, will definitely use your blog for future dessert requirements…
The Desserted Girl says
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that! Made my day 🙂
Corne' Harvey says
Please could you let me know how many servings you get out of this cake as I have a function for 16 people and wondering whether I should double recipe? Appreciate your help.
The Desserted Girl says
Hello! I used a 23cm springform tin, the larger size, and got about 10 generous slices. For 16 people I think doubling it would be a good idea 🙂
Corne' Harvey says
Thank you very much for your reply, will let you know how it turns out!
The Desserted Girl says
Please do! It’s one of my most popular posts 🙂 Happy baking!
rangolii says
…mmmmmm….yummy 😀
bakeaffairs says
Scrumptious!!!
Gayatri says
It really is!! Amarula makes everything better 🙂
Japnit says
Yes- it does! I will try baking this cake tomorrow and let you know how it turns out! I really like the other recipes on your blog as well 🙂
Gayatri says
Thank you so much! Happy baking and I can’t wait to hear how it turned out!
Japnit says
Hi- which dark chocolate brand and cocoa powder brand did you use? Could you help me with some that are easily available in india/mumbai. Don’t know of any really good ones that are easily available!
Gayatri says
Hi, thanks for writing!
I use either Cadbury or Blue Bird Cocoa. They’re both easily available in Mumbai at grocery stores or supermarkets. For the dark chocolate, I used Morde, available at Arife in Crawford Market. You’ll also find this at big supermarkets but it’s more expensive there.
Hope this helps 🙂
Liz says
This cake is a hit, and I love both Amarula and baileys, I always have some in stock. This is a cke worth trying!!!
Gayatri says
It definitely is! Let me know how it turns out 🙂 do drop by again!