This super Moist Chocolate Cream Cake has a rich, deep chocolate flavor and is incredibly easy to make with just a few ingredients. This is the perfect recipe for you whether you are making it for a special occasion or an afternoon tea party!
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A perfectly moist chocolate cake recipe is so hard to come by, just like the amazingly fudgy Brownie recipe. This is my favorite homemade Chocolate Cake from the scratch recipe I make for special occasions, celebrations, or birthdays.
Secret For The Super Moist Chocolate Cream Cake
Oil is the secret ingredient for making a moist cake. It's an absolute must for this recipe, and shouldn't be replaced with butter.
As the oil is liquid and can stay liquid at room temperature, the cake is going to stay moist for longer. However, melted butter solidifies at room temperature, and the cake gets more crumbly.
If you want to have a moist cake for longer, don't replace the oil with melted butter as it will totally change the texture.
Adding cold milk when the cake is still hot also makes this cake extra moist and delicious.
What Type of Oil To Use?
Use fresh, newly opened vegetable oil that doesn’t have any off flavors. You can substitute it with sunflower or rapeseed oil.
Olive oil can also be used for this recipe, however, remember that olive oil has a distinctive flavor and might affect the taste of the cake.
Can I Make This Cake With Coffee?
Coffee brings out and amplifies the chocolate flavor in baked goods like cake and cupcakes. Adding a little bit of it will make this cake taste more “chocolatey” without giving a coffee flavor. You can substitute the milk with coffee for a more intense and rich chocolate flavor.
Why This Recipe Works?
- Fuss-free yet perfectly moist chocolate cake for birthdays, Christmas, Valentine's Day, or any other special occasion.
- This cake has very little oil in its batter which makes it reasonably low in calories. Only 359 calories per portion which makes it the perfect chocolate cake to indulge yourself without feeling guilty!
- It is very quick and incredibly easy to make with just a few ingredients.
- It has a rich chocolate flavor with a moist crumb, and is drizzled with chocolate sauce for even more chocolate!
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Eggs - They make the chocolate cake rich and fudgy. Bring your eggs to room temperature before using them for a smooth batter that rises easily.
- Self-raising flour - You can use plain/all-purpose flour with the addition of 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
- Vegetable oil - Oil makes the cakes moister so don't substitute it with melted butter. Use fresh vegetable oil that doesn’t have any off flavors. Substitute it with sunflower or rapeseed oil.
- Cacao Powder - I recommend using good quality unsweetened cocoa powder for a rich & bitter chocolate taste.
- Cream - You can use double cream/heavy cream or whipping cream to make the creme Chantilly. Make sure it is cold before whisking and keep it refrigerated until you need it.
Step-by-Step Instructions
It is very easy to make this delicious Chocolate Cake with whipped cream and to achieve the best results, you need to follow a few simple steps:
Bake the Cake
Heat the oven to 170° C - 340° F (fan oven). Lightly grease the base and the sides of a 23 cm (9") cake tin. Beat the eggs and the sugar in a stand mixer on medium speed until it doubles the size up and it is light & fluffy. (Make sure your eggs are at room temperature).
Alternatively, you can use a hand-held mixer and a large bowl. Add the vanilla paste, milk, and oil, and mix at low speed until combined. Add the flour, cacao powder, and salt to the bowl and gently mix until all combined.
Pour the batter into the cake tin (round, 23 cm/9" dia) and bake it in preheated oven for 25 to 27 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Let the cake cool down for 5 minutes and make a few holes on the cake with a toothpick. Pour the 350 ml milk slowly over the cake using a spoon.
Cover the cake with a cling film and let it cool down and absorb the milk in the fridge.
Prepare the Chocolate Sauce
Mix the cacao, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Put ½ cup of water in a small saucepan and add the cacao mixture. Bring it to a boil, whisking occasionally. Let it simmer for a minute and remove the pan from heat.
Add the vanilla paste, stir well and let it cool down in the fridge. The chocolate sauce should have a thick syrup consistency when cooled down. It shouldn't set like a frosting!
Make the Creme Chantilly
Place the cold double cream or whipping cream, vanilla paste, and sugar in a bowl. Beat them until stiff and hold their shape nicely. Avoid over whisking it or the cream will turn into butter. Keep it in the fridge until the cake and the chocolate sauce are cooled down.
Decorate the Cake
When the cake and the chocolate sauce are cooled down, take the cake out of the fridge and place it on a serving plate.
Pipe the creme Chantilly on the cake, or put it straight on the cake and smooth it out with a palet knife.
Pour the chocolate sauce into the center of the cake and let it drizzle gently all over it. Decorate the cake with chocolate shavings and nuts.
Top Tips From The Chef
- Don't put too much flour in the cake mixture. The cake batter is slightly runny so don't be tempted to add more flour. Always use a scale to weigh the right amount of flour.
- Take the cake out of the oven when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Your cake will be dry when over-baked.
- Creme chantilly melts and loses its structure with the heat. Therefore, make sure the cake is cooled down in the fridge before spreading the creme Chantilly on top. Also, the chocolate sauce needs to be cold before pouring on creme chantilly.
- To avoid the cake sinking in the middle, do not open the oven in the first 25 minutes while the cake is baking.
- Use the right amount of sugar stated in the recipe. Sugar makes the cake moist as it binds water to keep it tightly in the batter and avoid it evaporating excessively during baking.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can make this cake couple of days in advance, or freeze it until ready to use. Simply let the cake cool down, wrap it with cling film, and put it in a freezer bag. Defrost the cake and prepare the chocolate sauce while the cake is defrosting. Make the creme Chantilly last minute and decorate it just before serving.
They add a rich flavor to the cake as well as nutrition, color, and structure. They also help the cake batter to rise while baking which creates the overall structure of the cake.
You can keep your chocolate cake for up to four days when refrigerated. When ready to eat, take it out of the fridge and bring it to room temperature for half an hour. Do not keep it at room temperature for longer than an hour as it contains eggs and dairy!
Related Recipes
For more delicious chocolate-filled recipes why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this rich and moist Chocolate Cream Cake as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
Moist Chocolate Cream Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cake
- 4 eggs (room temperature)
- 200 g caster sugar
- 60 ml semi-skimmed or full-fat milk
- 30 ml vegetable or sunflower oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- 200 g self raising flour
- 30 g cacao powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For Soaking the Cake
- 350 ml semi-skimmed or full-fat milk
For the Chocolate Sauce
- 50 g cacao powder
- 100 g caster sugar 1 cup
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 118 ml cold water ½ cup
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
For the Creme Chantilly
- 200 ml very cold double cream or whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar (18 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
To Garnish
- dark chocolate shavings
- chopped walnuts, pistachio or hazelnuts
Instructions
Making the Chocolate Cake
- Heat the oven to 170° C - 340° F (fan oven).
- Lightly grease the base and the sides of a 23 cm (9") cake tin.
- Beat the eggs and the sugar in a stand mixer on medium speed until it doubles the size up and it is light & fluffy. Alternatively, you can use a hand-held mixer and a large bowl.
- Add the vanilla paste, milk, and oil, and mix at low speed until combined.
- Add the flour, cacao powder, and salt to the bowl and gently mix together until all combined.
- Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake it in preheated oven for 25 to 27 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool down for 5 minutes and make a few holes on the cake with a toothpick.
- Pour the 350 ml milk slowly over the cake using a spoon.
- Cover the cake with a cling film and let it cool down and absorb the milk in the fridge.
Preparing the Chocolate Sauce
- Mix together the cacao, sugar, and salt in a bowl.
- Put the water in a small saucepan and add the cacao mixture.
- Bring it to a boil, whisking occasionally.
- Let it simmer for a minute and remove the pan from heat.
- Add the vanilla paste, stir well and let it totally cool down in the fridge.
- The chocolate sauce should have a thick syrup consistency when cooled down. It shouldn't set like a frosting!
Making the Creme Chantilly
- Place the cold double cream or whipping cream, vanilla paste, and sugar in a bowl.
- Beat them until stiff and hold their shape nicely. Avoid over whisking it or the cream will turn into butter.
- Keep it in the fridge until the cake and the chocolate sauce are totally cooled down.
Decorating the Cake
- Place the cake on a serving plate and top it with the cream chantilly. You can either pipe it on or smooth it out with a knife.
- Pour the chocolate sauce into the center of the cake and let it drizzle gently all over the cake.
- Decorate it with chocolate shavings and nuts.
Notes
- Don't put too much flour in the cake mixture. The cake batter is slightly runny so don't be tempted to add more flour. Always use a scale to weigh the right amount of flour.
- When making the creme Chantilly, avoid over-whisking the cream or it will turn into butter.
- Make sure your eggs are at room temperature.
- Take the cake out of the oven when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Your cake will be dry when over-baked.
- Creme chantilly melts and loses its structure with the heat. Therefore, make sure the cake is cooled down in the fridge before spreading the creme Chantilly on top. Also, the chocolate sauce needs to be cold before pouring on creme chantilly.
- To avoid the cake sinking in the middle, do not open the oven in the first 25 minutes while the cake is baking.
- Oil is the secret ingredient for making a moist cake. It's an absolute must for this recipe, and shouldn't be replaced with butter.
- Use the right amount of sugar stated in the recipe. Sugar makes the cake moist as it binds water to keep it tightly in the batter and avoid it evaporating excessively during baking.
Nutrition
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Joseph
This is an excellent recipe, the whole family enjoyed. Thank you so much!
Ayla Clulee
Great to know Joseph! You are very welcome 🙂