This easy chocolate fudge cake has an amazing soft and moist texture (like a super moist brownie!) with a rich chocolate flavor and fudge icing. It's best served at room temperature, though it's also delicious warm! The rich chocolate snack cake goes perfectly with vanilla ice cream.
Servings 12slices
Prep Time 10 minutesmins
Cook Time 16 minutesmins
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
170 grams (1 ¼ cup + 2Tbsp)All-Purpose FlourI use Gold Medal
1 ½teaspoonBaking Powder
1teaspoonBaking Soda
¾teaspoonSalt
2 Tablespoons + 1 ½teaspoonsInstant ClearjelA bakery ingredient you can use at home--see Note #1
26 grams (¼cup)Unsweetened Cocoa PowderI use Hershey's
100 grams (½cup)Sugar
113 grams (½cup packed)Brown Sugar
Wet Ingredients
2largeEggs
¾ cup + 2tablespoonButtermilk
¼cupBrewed Coffee
½cupVegetable Oil
3tablespoonDark Corn Syrup
1 ½teaspoonVanilla Extract
Chocolate Butter Mixture
¾ stick(s) (3oz)Salted Butter
43 grams (¼ cup + 1Tbsp)Semi-Sweet Chocolate ChipsI use Nestle
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. LIe the bottom of a 9x13 2" tall baking pan with parchment paper and spray the bottom and sides of the pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Whisk the Dry Ingredients (except for the brown sugar) in a large bowl. Add the brown sugar to the bowl, then whisk everything together until well blended. If you see any large brown sugar clumps, break them up and blend them in with your fingers.
170 grams (1 ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp) All-Purpose Flour, 1 ½ teaspoon Baking Powder, 1 teaspoon Baking Soda, ¾ teaspoon Salt, 2 Tablespoons + 1 ½ teaspoons Instant Clearjel, 26 grams (¼ cup) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, 100 grams (½ cup) Sugar, 113 grams (½ cup packed) Brown Sugar
Combine Wet Ingredients in a separate large bowl and whisk until smooth and well-blended.
2 large Eggs, ¾ cup + 2 tablespoon Buttermilk, ¼ cup Brewed Coffee, ½ cup Vegetable Oil, 3 tablespoon Dark Corn Syrup, 1 ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Melt saltedbutter in the microwave (or over the stove) until just melted. Avoid overcooking. Add semi-sweetchocolate chips and whisk until melted and smooth (Whisk for 30 seconds to 1 minute--the heat from the melted butter plus the whisking will melt the chips).
Pour Wet Ingredients into Dry Ingredients and whisk until incorporated. Pour Chocolate Butter Mixture over batter and whisk until smooth and lump-free. (A few teeny brown sugar lumps are ok and will dissolve as it bakes).
Pour the batter into the prepared 9x13 cake pan. Bake in the middle or top rack (avoid bottom rack) of the preheated 325-degree oven for 25-28 minutes, or until it passes the toothpick test. This cake is often done baking before it looks done, and will continue to bake a little bit as they cool. Because the cake is so moist, it is okay to see a couple of moist crumbs on your knife when you check the finished product for doneness. But any wet-looking crumbs mean they need more time in the oven. The cake should also spring back when touched lightly instead of sinking in.
Make the Chocolate Fudge Icing
While the cake bakes, make the fudge frosting. Combine the chocolate chips, cocoa powder, dark corn syrup, and room temperature butter in a saucepan. Heat on medium-low, stirring frequently, until the butter and chocolate chips are melted and the mixture is smooth and combined.
Remove the chocolate mixture from heat, and slowly and gradually whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract until it is combined, smooth and shiny. The frosting will be thick.
Pour the fudge frosting over the hot cake after it comes out of the oven, and spread it out with a spatula until it is even. It will soak slightly into the cake. (If your frosting cools and gets too thick while waiting on the cake to come out of the oven, heat it up again slightly until it will pour easily over the cake).
Allow the cake to cool completely and the icing to set before cutting and serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!
Notes
Read my article Instant Clearjel: a Magical Bakery Ingredient to see why I think this ingredient is worth having in your pantry. Instant Clearjel must always be whisked thoroughly with other dry ingredients before added to wet ingredients to avoid clumping.