Meet my new favourite layer cake. I think a moist, chocolate cake with creamy frosting is something you must definitely have in your list of go-to recipes. This one is so lovely and soft, intensely chocolatey and the cream cheese frosting is tangy and perfectly sweet. It tastes even better a day or two after, so make sure to save a piece for later!

This much loved dense chocolate loaf makes the perfect layer cake that is super super chocolatey, a little dense and fudgy and basically perfect. I updated this post with fresh photos and some changes to the recipe itself which has made it a thousand times better now.

The cream cheese frosting is tangy, light and super quick. With an almost equal amount of butter and cream cheese, a little cocoa for a nice chocolate flavour and a restrained amount of sugar like I generally do with frostings. This is certainly a cake for dark chocolate lovers!

While the cake is delicious when freshly frosted, chilling it a bit is highly recommended. This way the flavours have a chance to intensify, the frosting binds the cake, and yet, it’s not super cold and hard. I also recommend making the cake the day before because I find that as it rests overnight at room temperature, it actually becomes more moist and fudgy by the time it’s ready to be frosted. Absolute magic.

This cake disappeared before I knew what was happening so you know it’s good! I hope you love it too 🙂

Please read the recipe notes before beginning.

Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Rich dark chocolate cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 1

Total Time: 1 30

Makes: 8 large slices

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Ingredients

For the cake

200 gms dark cooking chocolate (70% to 75%), roughly chopped
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (180 gms)
1 tsp baking soda (see notes)
1/4 tsp salt, if using unsalted butter
215 gms butter, at room temp
1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar (320 gms)
1/3 cup thick plain yoghurt, at room temperature (75 gms)
2 eggs at room temperature (see notes)
1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup freshly boiled water (250 ml)

For the frosting

150 gms cream cheese, at room temp
100 gms unsalted butter, at room temp
3 tbsps cocoa powder, sifted
1 cup icing sugar, sifted (200 gms)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 175 C and grease a 9 inch springform tin.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave and set aside to cool slightly.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a hand mixer on medium speed till light and creamy. Add the yoghurt and beat on low speed to combine.
Now add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat to combine. The mixture may appear curdled but it will stabilise in the next step.
Next, add the melted chocolate, and beat briefly on low speed until just combined. It will now be smooth and thick.
Sift in the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt (if using). Fold it all in very gently till only a few streaks of flour remain. Now add the hot water, a little at a time, to prevent any lumps forming, and continue to fold the batter with a silicone spatula. I prefer doing this step by hand as a mixer could cause the hot water to splash here and there and make a mess.
If you still see lumps (I often do, despite my best efforts), beat with the hand mixer on low speed for a few seconds until smooth. The batter is slightly runny.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 50 minutes to an hour, till a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. The cake will dome and crack a bit. Let the cake cool completely at room temperature. The cake can be left out overnight, loosely covered and in fact, I recommend it because the texture and flavour both improve. Before you frost it, chill the cake for 1 hour.
To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter till smooth. Sift in the cocoa and sugar and beat again until creamy and slightly thickened. Refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes. This is not a heavily frosted cake, I prefer it this way but you can definitely double the quantity if you like.
In the meantime, even out the top of the chilled cake by slicing off the domed portion. Slice the cake horizontally in two. Lift the top half off carefully and set aside. Spread half the frosting on the bottom half, then gently place the top half back on it, and frost the top as well. Spread the frosting to the sides and smoothen it out. Decorate the top with grated chocolate!
Refrigerate for 20 minutes before slicing and digging in! Store in the fridge for 5 to 6 days. Bring individual pieces to room temperature before eating. Happy baking!

Notes

Shop this recipe: Dark Chocolate, Brown Sugar, Cocoa, Baking Paper, Mixing Bowl, Hand Mixer

*Watch this cake being assembled on Instagram!

*Cake batter from this dense chocolate loaf and an eggless version here! However, the eggless version is a little bit fragile and I have not tried layering it.

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