This the best Chocolate Ganache Cake! Indulge in the ultimate chocolate lover's dream with this irresistible recipe! This delicious cake combines the rich flavors of a soft and moist chocolate cake with the velvety and smooth chocolate ganache. With every bite, you'll experience pure chocolate bliss that will leave you craving for more.
Whether you're celebrating a special occasion or simply craving a decadent treat, this Chocolate Ganache Cake recipe is guaranteed to satisfy your chocolate cravings. It literally this best chocolate cake recipe you'll find, and you'll want to make it on repeat. This cake has a moist, tender texture that melts in your mouth. To take this cake to the next level, the chocolate cake is topped with a generous layer of chocolate ganache frosting. This velvety-smooth ganache, is the best chocolate ganache recipe and blankets the cake, creating a beautiful glossy finish.
For more chocolate cake recipes, try Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes, Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Blueberry Chocolate Cake.
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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Chocolate Cake: This cake has the most soft and moist chocolate cake, that are so easy to make. It require no mixer, just as whisk and a bowl.
- Chocolate Ganache: This velvety smooth chocolate ganache is so delicious. It never gets hard, because of the added butter, making for a perfect topping to this cake.
- Easy to make: This cake is a no-fuss kind of cake. It is super simple and easy to make, and the assembling of this cake, takes no time.
INGREDIENT NOTES
These are some of the key ingredients for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour: Gives a light and airy cake. I prefer using all-purpose flour with a protein amount that is between 10-11%
- Cornstarch: Helps give a light and soft cake
- Sugars: The granulated sugar helps sweeten, as well as give moister to the cake. The brown sugar helps add extra toffee flavor to the cake.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Help leaven and rise the cake, so it has light and fluffy texture.
- Salt: Helps enhance the flavor of the chocolate cake.
- Egg: Take it out of the fridge 1-2 hours before baking, so it comes to room temperature. (depending how warm your kitchen is).
- Coffee: Use freshly brewed coffee. The coffee helps boost the chocolate flavor. It can be replaced with hot water if you don't want to add coffee to the cake.
- Oil: Use a flavor neutral oil, such as canola oil.
- Sour cream: Sour cream gives lots of moister to the cake, as well as helps give the cake a great structure.
- Cocoa powder: I use high quality dutch process cocoa powder for the best flavor, my favorite is from Valrhona.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: Use a good quality chocolate chips or chopped chocolate for the best ganache.
- Heavy cream: Heavy cream is used to make the ganache.
- Butter: The butter is used in the ganache. It gives the ganache the most smooth and delicious texture, as well helps it not to harden over time.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS - GANACHE
Here is how to make and bake these Chocolate Ganache Cake. This recipe doesn't need an electric mixer. Just a large bowl, a whisk and a spatula.
The full recipe is down below in the recipe card.
STEP 1: Add the chocolate chips to a bowl. Heat up the heavy cream and granulated sugar in a small saucepan to a boil. Give it stir to make sure all of the granulated sugar has melted together with the heavy cream.
STEP 2: Pour the heated heavy cream and sugar over the chocolate chips. Make sure all of the chocolate is covered with the heavy cream. Then let it sit for 1 minute. Then gently stir it together until smooth.
STEP 3: Once smooth add the cold butter and gently stir it in until combined with the chocolate. Cover the ganache with some cling film, so it touches the surface of the ganache, and let it cool down to room temperature on the kitchen counter while making the chocolate cake.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS - CHOCOLATE CAKE
Preheat the oven at 170ºC/340ºF conventional oven and spray a 20 cm/ 8-inch baking pan with a non-stick cooking spray and line it with parchment paper.
STEP 1: Start by making the coffee and weigh it out so it can cool down a bit while preparing the other ingredients. In a bowl, sift all of the dry ingredients together. Give it a stir to make sure everything has been combined.
STEP 2: In another mixing bowl add all of the wet ingredients, and with a hand whisk, whisk them together until combined. Be sure to not mix the ingredients too vigorously so the eggs don’t get over mixed.
STEP 3: Slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry while gently stirring it all together. Make sure there are no lumps left in the batter.
STEP 4: Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking tin and bake it for 28-32 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let it cool down completely. Once the cake is cooled down completely, place it on a serving dish.
STEP 5: Add the ganache over the cake and even it out using and offset spatula. Optionally, decorate with some shaved chocolate.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Use a kitchen scale: My default setting for my recipes is grams. It is the most precise way of measuring out your ingredients, I therefore highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
- Don't over mix your batter: I always use a spatula after everything has mixed together, to give it one final gentle fold together. This makes sure everything in the bottom of the mixing bowl has been mixed into the batter.
- Light vs. dark baking pans: For the best result, use an aluminum baking pan, greased with butter and lined with baking paper in the bottom. Aluminum pans are light in color and therefore attract less heat. That means it bakes more gently which results in a softer cake. If you use a black baking pan it'll attract a lot more heat. That will then give a darker crust, which can result in a dryer cake.
FAQ
You can switch out the sour cream with greek yogurt 1:1.
Yes, you can make both the cake and the ganache the day before, so you only need to assemble it the next day. Store the cake on the kitchen counter wrapped in plastic wrap, out of direct sunlight. Make the ganache and covered it with plastic wrap so it touches the surface of the ganache and let it also sit at room temperature. Assemble it with when ready to serve.
I recommend using a cake tester. Once the time has passed, per the recipe, insert the cake tester in the middle of the cake and once it comes out clean, with no cake batter on it, then it's done.
I don't recommend making it into a layer cake, as the ganache isn't stable enough to hold the weight of cake layers stacked on top of each other. If wanting to make a bigger portion I suggest doubling the batch and bake it in a sheet pan.
STORAGE
Store the chocolate ganache cake at room temperature for up to 2 days, covered by plastic wrap in in an airtight container.
Other Cake Recipes To Try
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Chocolate Ganache Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- 130 g semi-sweet dark chocolate ¾ cup
- 115 g heavy cream
- 25 g sugar
- 15 g butter
CHOCOLATE CAKE
- 120 g warm coffee or water
- 120 g all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 50 g brown sugar
- 25 g unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 55 g vegetable oil
- 90 g sour cream room temperature
- 1 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- Add the chocolate chips to a bowl. Heat up the heavy cream and granulated sugar in a small saucepan to a boil. Give it stir to make sure all of the granulated sugar has melted together with the heavy cream.130 g semi-sweet dark chocolate, 115 g heavy cream, 25 g sugar
- Pour the heated heavy cream and sugar over the chocolate chips. Make sure all of the chocolate is covered with the heavy cream. Then let it sit for 1 minute. Then gently stir it together with a wisk until smooth.
- Once smooth add the cold butter and gently stir it in until combined with the chocolate. Cover the ganache with some cling film so it touches the surface of the ganache and let it cool down to room temperature on the kitchen counter while making the chocolate cake.15 g butter
CHOCOLATE CAKE
- Preheat the oven at 170ºC/340ºF conventional oven and line a 20 cm/ 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Start by making the coffee and weigh it out so it can cool down a bit while preparing the other ingredients.120 g warm coffee or water
- In a bowl, sift all of the dry ingredients together. Give it a stir to make sure everything has been combined. Alternatively, if you wish to not mix it by hand, mix it together in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment.120 g all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoon cornstarch, 100 g granulated sugar, 50 g brown sugar, 25 g unsweetened cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- In another mixing bowl add all of the wet ingredients, including coffee, and with a hand whisk, whisk them together until combined. Be sure to not mix the ingredients too vigorously so the egg don’t get over mixed.55 g vegetable oil, 90 g sour cream, 1 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry while gently stirring it all together. Make sure there are no lumps left in the batter.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and bake it for 28-32 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool on a cooling rack. After 5 minutes, gently remove the cake from the cake tin and let the cake cool down completely.
- Once the cake is cooled down completely, place it on a serving dish. Add the ganache over the cake and even it out using and offset spatula. Optionally, decorate with some shaved chocolate.
Julia Tremlett
This cake was everything I hoped it would be, rich, decadent and moist, everyone enjoyed it, most of these chocolate ganache cakes that I had been looking at have two layers but this was just right, thank you for the recipe, will be making this again and passing the recipe on
Julie Marie
Thank you so much for your sweet words! I'm so happy that you enjoyed it 😀
Lauren
Delicious recipe and easy to follow! Everyone loved it!
Afifah
The easiest, yet most delightful chocolate cake ever. The sweetness is just on point. I didn’t have any sour cream, so I used mayonnaise with 1:1 ratio. Thanks for the great recipe!
Suzie
Delicious, delicious and so easy to prepare and bake. Good cake if you have to bring a dessert you can bake ahead also make the ganache and put together when needed. I have baked many times, it’s my go to chocolate cake. Thanks
Suzie
Thilda
Absolutely best chocolate cake I’ve ever made! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Roxane
It was delicious ! One of the best chocolate cake I've made, thank you !
Seema rasul
Just wondering if this cake can b frozen. Ahead of time
Julie Marie
Yes, without the chocolate ganache. Wrap the chocolate cake well first in plastic wrap, then aluminium foil. Then let it defrost on a wire rack unwrapped 🙂
Sally
This is the best chocolate cake ever!