Make a Chocolate Ganache Cake with a moist and fluffy cake base and a thick layer of chocolate ganache icing. It is the perfect cake recipe for any celebration!
Make-ahead
Beginner-friendly
You’ll Learn: How ganache is easier than frosting
Worth It: A reliable family favorite that even picky eaters love
Bonus: Easy to tailor to common diets
A decadent cake that is easy to make
If you are craving something sweet but don’t want to spend all day baking, this chocolate ganache cake recipe is for you. It is equally tasty as it is simple.
The moist and fluffy base combines perfectly with the rich chocolate icing to make the best chocolate cake recipe. Whether you make this for your next family gathering or just to satisfy your own sweet tooth, I guarantee you it won’t disappoint.
If you are new to baking, do not fear. This ganache cake recipe is easy to follow and is a great homemade dessert for all skill levels.
Plus, you save time by making a ganache icing instead of a traditional chocolate buttercream frosting. I promise you will love how this rich icing tastes with the moist chocolate cake.
Kitchen tools
- Whisk and spatula
- Offset spatula to spread ganache frosting
- 8×8 baking pan or an 8 inch cake pan
- Parchment paper
- Saucepan
what is the difference between chocolate frosting and chocolate ganache?
So, what exactly is ganache and how is it different than frosting? While both are used as a topping for cakes and other baked goods, there are some differences.
Chocolate ganache is made up of just heavy cream and chocolate while chocolate frosting is typically made of butter, sugar, and chocolate. In addition to that, ganache is like a glaze that hardens as a shell while frosting remains fluffy and soft.
Ganache may sound fancy, but it is actually quite simple to make since it only requires two ingredients and a few simple steps. Just mix the chocolate chips in scalded milk with a whisk or electric mixer.
What type of chocolate should be used for chocolate ganache?
I find that semi sweet chocolate chips are the best for making chocolate ganache that you use for icing. They make the ganache just slightly sweet and perfectly thick and creamy.
If you don’t have semi sweet chocolate chips you can also use a semi sweet dark chocolate bar. This will infuse the perfect amount of chocolate flavor into the ganache while preserving the smooth texture.
Whichever you choose, you want to be sure you are using good quality chocolate for the ganache to have the proper flavor.
If you’re looking for another recipe with chocolate ganache, try a batch of these chocolate thumbprint cookies.
Ingredients
- Butter
- Large eggs
- Buttermilk
- Granulated sugar
- Instant coffee or instant espresso powder
- All-purpose flour
- Dutch process cocoa powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
- Baking soda and baking powder
- Salt
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
Ingredient substitutions
There are not many changes you can make to this simple chocolate cake recipe. To make this chocolate ganache cake gluten-free, use an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend instead of the standard flour.
To add extra flavor to this dark chocolate cake you can add extracts to the ganache. Use a vanilla extract to deepen the flavor or a peppermint extract for a mint chocolate cake.
You can change the flavor of the ganache slightly by using milk chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips in place of the semi sweet ones. You could also make. a white chocolate ganache by using white chocolate chips or white chopped chocolate instead of the semi sweet morsels.
To turn this into a layer cake, you can multiply the cake ingredients by 1.5 and bake the cakes in two 8″ round pans instead of one square pan. Then, double the ganache recipe and ice between the cake layers as well as on top of them.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve this rich chocolate cake as dessert after a romantic meal or at a dinner party. I would love a slice of this after a cozy meal like a spatchcock chicken.
You could also serve this as a birthday cake for anyone who loves dark chocolate. I would serve it with fresh raspberries and sliced strawberries arranged on top.
This cake is perfectly complimented by a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you ask my dad, he’d probably pair it with a strong shot of espresso!
Serve it at Christmas time on a dessert buffet alongside this Christmas chex mix and some brown butter cookies.
How to make this rich chocolate ganache cake
Step 1: Prepare cake batter
To begin, preheat the oven to 350F and line the baking pan with parchment paper. While the oven is preheating, whisk together melted butter, eggs, buttermilk, sugar, and instant coffee until smooth in a large bowl.
Then, pour flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl. Stir with the whisk again until it becomes a smooth batter.
Step 2: Bake the cake
Then, pour the batter into a greased or lined 8×8 baking pan. Smooth it into an even layer with a spatula.
Bake at 350F for 40 minutes and then remove once done and set aside.
Step 3: Make Chocolate ganache
Next, immediately prepare chocolate ganache by pouring semi-sweet chocolate chips into a mixing bowl. Heat heavy cream in a small saucepan over high heat until it just starts to boil.
Then, pour scalded cream over the chocolate chips and whisk immediately. Continue whisking until completely smooth.
Alternatively you can prepare the ganache on top of a double boiler. Wait for the chocolate chips and cream to melt together, remove from heat and mix with a whisk. Once cooled you will have a beautiful and smooth whipped chocolate ganache.
Step 4: Pour Ganache over Cake and Cool
Once smooth, pour chocolate ganache over the warm cake in the pan and smooth over top in an even layer.
Allow this chocolate ganache cake to cool to room temperature before cutting it into slices. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Storage
Allow the chocolate ganache cake to cool completely and then transfer it to a an airtight container. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.
Check out these other Chocolate Dessert recipes
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Chocolate Ganache Cake
Ingredients
- 1 stick ½ cup butter – melted
- 2 eggs – room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk – room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp instant coffee
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup dutch process cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together melted butter, eggs, buttermilk, sugar, and instant coffee until smooth.
- Pour flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the bowl. Whisk again until a smooth batter remains.
- Pour batter into a greased or lined 8×8 baking pan and smooth into an even layer. Bake at 350F for 40 minutes.
- Remove cake from the oven and set aside.
- Immediately prepare chocolate ganache. Pour semi-sweet chocolate chips into a mixing bowl. Heat heavy cream in a sauce pan over high heat until it just starts to boil. Pour scalded cream over the chocolate chips and whisk immediately. Continue whisking until completely smooth.
- Pour ganache over warm cake in the pan and smooth over top.
- Allow cake to cool completely before cutting into slices.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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