Equipment
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 190 g all-purpose flour
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 50 g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 g baking powder
- 3 g baking soda
- 3 g fine sea salt
Wet Ingredients
- 115 g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 180 ml whole milk, room temperature
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 10 ml vanilla extract
- 120 ml hot water
Quick Ganache Glaze
- 150 g dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 150 ml heavy cream
- 15 g unsalted butter, softened
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 517 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbohydrates
- 60 g
- Fat
- 29 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 36 g
- Sodium
- 290 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 17 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 106 mg
- Potassium
- 349 mg
- Calcium
- 93 mg
- Iron
- 3.0 mg
- Magnesium
- 71 mg
- Phosphorus
- 205 mg
- Zinc
- 1.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 219 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.8 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.8 mg
- Vitamin K
- 4 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.3 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.06 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.18 mg
- Niacin
- 0.6 mg
- Folate
- 16 mcg
- Water
- 62 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
- Caffeine
- 23 mg
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat your oven to 175C (350F). Grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and fine sea salt until well combined and no cocoa lumps remain.
Add the melted unsalted butter, whole milk, eggs, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Whisk until a thick, smooth batter forms.
Carefully pour the hot water into the batter. Stir gently at first, then whisk until the liquid is fully incorporated. The batter will seem very thin, which is exactly how it should be.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto a wire cooling rack, remove the parchment paper, and let it cool completely.
While the cake cools, prepare the ganache. Place the finely chopped dark chocolate and softened butter in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream until it just begins to simmer, then immediately remove from heat.
Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and butter. Let it sit undisturbed for 5 minutes, then whisk gently starting from the center and moving outward until the ganache is smooth and glossy.
Once the cake has cooled completely, pour the slightly thickened ganache over the top of the cake, using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to push it gently over the edges.
Chef's Notes
- Hot water is the secret to this recipe. It blooms the cocoa powder, releasing its full flavor potential and ensuring a rich, dark color.
- If you want to deepen the chocolate flavor even further, substitute the hot water for freshly brewed strong hot coffee. The coffee enhances the cocoa without making the cake taste like mocha.
- Ensure your eggs and milk are at room temperature. Cold ingredients will cause the melted butter to seize up and clump when they mix.
- Allowing the ganache to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before pouring will help it thicken into a perfect spreadable consistency that won't run completely off the cake.
Storage
Refrigerator: 5 days — Store in an airtight container to prevent drying out. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze unglazed cake layers wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil.
Troubleshooting
Cake is dense or rubbery
Cause: Overmixing the batter after adding the wet ingredients, which develops too much gluten in the flour.
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Mix wet and dry ingredients only until just combined, ignoring small lumps before adding the hot water.
Cake sinks in the middle
Cause: Opening the oven door too early or underbaking the center.
Fix: Fill the sunken center with extra ganache to hide the indentation.
Prevention: Do not open the oven door during the first 25 minutes of baking. Verify your oven temperature with an oven thermometer.
Ganache is grainy or split
Cause: The cream was boiled rather than simmered, scorching the chocolate, or it was agitated too vigorously.
Fix: Whisk in a splash of warm milk, one teaspoon at a time, until the emulsion comes back together.
Prevention: Heat cream only until small bubbles appear at the edges, and whisk slowly.
Cultural Context
Chocolate cake as we know it today evolved significantly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as cocoa extraction methods became refined. The addition of hot liquid to bloom the cocoa is a classic American technique often found in mid-century community cookbooks, favored for producing incredibly tender crumb structures without the need for creaming butter and sugar.
