This has become my go-to chocolate cake and I hope it becomes yours too! This cake is so decadent and moist, super soft and intensely chocolatey even without melted chocolate. But the BEST part is that frosting which is some sort of magical mid-way between fudge and buttercream frosting, thanks to a generous amount of cream. It’s silky, chocolatey, bittersweet and utterly perfect. Few things beat a classic chocolate and I hope you love this one, now updated with fresh photos and slight modifications to the recipe. Let’s bake!

For some reason I waited a long time to try a basic chocolate cake from Smitten Kitchen and though some of my favourite chocolate cakes are right here and here and here, you can never have too many great chocolate cakes, right? Right. I baked this in 2017 for the first time, as I recovered from two long weeks of dengue, and it worked on the spirits like nothing else did!

I baked it as a square cake instead of a loaf so it has a more ‘frostable surface’ and the whole thing is just so dreamy. It’s the same frosting as on this yellow cake, a little less sweet this time, just the way I like it. It’s the kind of frosting that may never actually make it to the cake. So good.

The cake is tender, rich, dark and has basic ingredients so you could make this right this second! The cocoa is either Dutch-process or a Super Dark variety for the best flavour and colour. For these new photos, I used Super Dark because it’s what I had on hand, and loved the results! Natural, regular cocoa works, but if you can, use one of the others!

There is something so comforting about a cake as simple as this, it needs no occasion, just a very intense craving and urge to bake. It’s quick and delicious and we need nothing more.

Please read the recipe notes before beginning.

Frosted Chocolate Cake

Classic moist, dark chocolate cake with a creamy chocolate frosting!

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 1 10

Makes: 16 pieces

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Ingredients

For the cake

1 cup whole milk (250 ml) at room temperature + 2 tsps lemon juice
115 gms butter, at room temp
1 cup soft brown sugar, light or dark (215 gms)
1/3 cup caster sugar (60 gms)
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (180 gms)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg, at room temp (see notes)
3/4 cup Dutch-process or Special Dark cocoa (60 gms; see notes)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt, if using unsalted butter

For the frosting

1 and 1/2 cups icing sugar (150 gms)
2/3 cup cocoa powder (55 gms; I used natural for a lighter colour)
85 gms unsalted butter, at room temp
8 to 10 tbsps cream, at room temp (regular or whipping cream)

Instructions

Stir together the milk and lemon juice and set aside to sour. You can also use buttermilk if you have that on hand.
Line an 8" square pan with non-stick baking paper, leaving a little overhang for easy removal. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 160 C.
In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugars with a hand mixer until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well till combined.
Sift in the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt, if using. Stir briefly to combine.
Now gradually pour in the soured milk, using the hand mixer on low speed to beat the batter as you go, or a silicone spatula which avoids splatters. A few lumps are ok, so do not over-mix the batter.
Pour into the prepared cake pan, smoothen the top and bake for 40 to 45 minutes until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean and the cake is springy to the touch. Leave to cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then using the overhang, lift the cake out and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
To make the frosting, beat the butter until smooth and creamy, then sift in the icing sugar and cocoa. Stir by hand to moisten the dry ingredients a little so they don't fly everywhere when you use the mixer, then beat again on low speed, adding the cream a tablespoon at a time to get it to your desired consistency. Feel free to add more cream or sugar to make it thinner and sweeter if you prefer. The frosting is thick and when you lift the batter out, it should form soft peaks.
Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cake, using a small spoon to make little swirly patterns on the top. I usually like cakes freshly frosted, but this one benefits from a 30 minute chill before slicing, which makes it a little fudgier and irresistible. Store in the fridge in an airtight tin for a week, leaving individual pieces at room temperature for about 30 minutes before eating. Happy baking!

Notes

Shop this recipe: Brown Sugar, Icing Sugar, Cocoa, Baking Paper

*I used Special Dark Cocoa (Hershey's or Urban Platter) while updating the photos which is a mix of Dutch-process cocoa (used with baking powder) and natural cocoa (used with baking soda) . This type of cocoa gives the end product a dark, blackish colour and a deeper chocolate flavour. I've also made this cake as originally intended with Dutch cocoa which has similar benefits. If you only have regular natural cocoa on hand (I like Hershey's), you should be able to use it with no other changes since the recipe contains both leaveners. Read more about the differences here.

*I made an eggless version of this cake which is lighter in colour and less intensely chocolatey but still yum! I used natural cocoa in that version but because there are no eggs, I also changed the leaveners and used more soda to help the cake rise. Alternately, here's a decadent eggless layer cake.

*Cake from Smitten Kitchen and frosting from this yellow cake.

*Watch this cake being frosted on Instagram!

Check out a full list of my baking essentials here!

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