The best ever chocolate mud cake
I know I know, another chocolate cake but before you close the page close your eyes. Actually open your eyes and read this then close your eyes and imagine this.
You pick up your cake fork
Rich chocolate mudcake
As you reach the cake layer you press a little harder and the cake crumbles and squishes a little onto the fork. You raise it to your mouth and get another whiff of intoxicating chocolate.
It hits your lips and then the icing coats your teeth and lips like lipstick
Rich chocolate mud cake
Ok back you come. I so wish that there was a way you could smell this cake through the computer
Yesterday, a friend emailed me asking for a chocolate cake recipe. ‘I know you have a lot on the blog, but which would you say is best?’
Her question couldn’t have come at a better time because this dear reader, is quite possibly the best ever chocolate mud cake. Well the best that I’ve made that’s for sure. I know it’s a big call but I can confidently say that (edit: and if you read the comments you’ll see others agree!).
Rich chocolate mudcake
Of course that is just my opinion, feel free to make it just to prove me wrong (or back me up), any excuse to bake it will do. The recipe is quite similar to one I was given by my mum’s friend. It’s a secret recipe that I’m not allowed to blog, but this one, well this one I’m allowed to share and share it I will.
Rich chocolate mudcake
I do love ganache but sometimes it can be a bit rich even to me. My most favourite chocolate icing is the one Nigella
I posted this photo on Facebook the day I made the cake with the caption ‘I may have eaten a great deal of this icing as I iced the cake. Like if you’d have done the same.’ I got a few likes that day. Sadly I wasn’t lying, I really did eat quite a lot of icing. There was a bit left over and it would have been a shame to let it go to waste right?
Valentine’s dessert
I served it for Valentine’s Day dessert with some little raspberry hearts in cream (because I forgot to whip the cream and I was too lazy to do it after dinner – bad wife!). Isn’t that cake to icing ratio wonderful?
If I still haven’t convinced you, I’m considering making my own Birthday cake this year instead of asking for my most favourite cake in the world from Jocelyn’s Provisions. If that doesn’t convince you then nothing will. Enjoy!
What about you? Do you make your own Birthday cake?
Rich chocolate mudcake
- 250g (2 sticks) butter
- 200g (7oz) dark chocolate
- 375ml (1½ cups) strong coffee (ie 375ml water with coffee dissolved - about 1 tbsp if you use instant coffee granules)
- 450g (16oz) caster sugar
- 175g (6oz) plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 free-range eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 125ml (1/2 cup) water
- 30g (1oz) dark brown sugar
- 175g (6oz) unsalted butter, cubed
- 300g (10oz) good-quality dark chocolate, finely chopped
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C fan-forced and grease and line a 25cm springform tin.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter, chocolate and coffee over low heat, stirring, until the chocolate has dissolved.
- Add the sugar to the pot and stir it in until it has dissolved too.
- Pour the mixture into a heat-proof bowl.
- Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder over the top and whisk them into the liquid then whisk in the eggs then the vanilla.
- Once everything is combined, pour the batter into the tin.
- Bake the cake for 1 hour or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin.
- Put the water, 30g dark sugar and 175g butter in a pan over a low heat to melt.
- When the mixture begins to bubble, take the pan off the heat and add the chopped chocolate, swirling the pan so all the chocolate is heated.
- Leave it for a minute or two and then whisk until the icing turns smooth and glossy.
- Leave it for 1-3 hours and whisk every 20-30 minutes until it is thick.
- When the cake has cooled spread it with the fudge icing.
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I am Claire - wife, mummy & food lover. Here you'll find my favourite recipes, tips, tricks, restaurants & plates full of frivolity with the odd crafty, homely or gardening post thrown in. 
Looks fabulous Claire and if it didn’t look so good you would certainly have convinced me!
I’m glad Chris!
Claire, this looks like a little piece of heaven. Henry’s birthday is this weekend and I just might have to make this – even tho he wanted carrot cake, ha!
Carrot cake? What a sophisticated young man you have!
Oh wow – this was so not the thing to see right before lunch. Now I’m scheming to get my hands on some chocolate. Although, I don’t think there’s any chance I’ll find somethign THIS good.
You’ll just have to make it Jess!
Yum! I’m totally craving a piece x
I could have given you a taste on Sunday!
I’m so glad you posted this because tomorrow I have to make cupcakes for Alfie’s 8th birthday – cupcakes he can take into his class to share with everyone else. However, I see this has coffee in it. Probably not the best thing for little boys? I want to do chocolate cupcakes with a meringue frosting and of course, definitely no nuts – they’re banned. Great looking cake – looks incredibly moist xx
Hmm I’m not sure Charlie. You could use coffee essence instead or just use very very weak coffee? It’s really just to add extra oomph so maybe even just add boiling water and a little extra cocoa? Meringue frosting sounds delicious! I’m sure we’ll see the cupcakes? Happy Birthday Alfie! x
Hello, I was just wondering if you we’re to add coffee escense instead of coffee how much would you add? Would you add it to the recipe the same way you would add the actual coffee?? This recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it!
Hi Jade. I would probably just use a teaspoon and yes you could add it at the same time. If you wanted to leave it out it wouldn’t be too disastrous. You could just add a little extra vanilla instead. It’s up to you. Enjoy!
This recipe sounds divine! Would I still like it even though I’m not a fan of coffee? You description was mouth watering.
Definitely Clare. I’m not a coffee drinker either. It just adds extra oomph to the chocolate but you can’t taste it.
That looks so lovely and rich! And I like how generously you’ve added the icing (usually my favourite part :P).
They’re equally as good Lorraine but I could have eaten a bowl of icing on its own!
It looks so moist, rich and delicious! I think a good chocolate cake recipe is important to every lady as owning a great LBD
and that frosting looks to die for! I’ve never made frosting like that before will have to give it a go!!
Most definitely Christine and like an LBD it doesn’t hurt to have a few.
Looks like this has to be the next offering for our guests arriving at Haven Homestay on the weekend!
Yay! You’ll have to share a pic Gill!
I don’t like coffee ! Is there any trace of it or does that choco haze just engulf you ?
Maree I don’t like coffee either but I love this cake. Definite choco haze engulfing!
I plan to make this for mothers day as my mum loves all things chocolate. I was amazed at how the chocolate icing looked in this recipe but neither me or my mum are too keen on the bitter taste dark chocolate has. Does the icing or cake taste a lot like dark chocolate or does the butter & water (in the frosting recipe) make up for that bitterness.
If it does taste a lot like dark chocolate can i use milk chocolate in the frosting instead?
Rosie I don’t see why you couldn’t use milk chocolate if you wanted to but it might be a bit too weak. I’d probably just go for the darkest chocolate that you think isn’t too bitter.
I have just made this amazing cake for tomorrow how should I store it overnight? Silly question I know but I don’t bake much. Thank you
Hi Tatum. I send you an email but I’d just keep it in an airtight container on the bench.
I just have to say Claire, this is SERIOUSLY THE BEST CHOC MUD CAKE EVER!!
I have made it twice. Most recently in the weekend for my father in laws b’day cake. He was in heaven! Seriously decadent and a recipe not to be rushed! The first time i baked it i was too impatient and removed it from the tin when it was still warm! I saved what I could and made cake pops with the rest! Excellent recipe! THANKS! Jodie NZ
So glad you like it Jodie! I think I could almost eat the whole cake in one sitting!
I love how this cake looks & am so sure its gonna taste better!! Making this for my husband’s birthday tomorrow!!
I hope he likes it Sneha. He will
I just made this cake as a surprise gift for my good friend’s birthday! I’m very excited, it seems to have turned out perfectly, the icing looks delicious too! I have yet to ice it though as the cake is still mildly warm.
As my friend has just had a baby (1 week old) I substituted the coffee with decaf espresso, and as my household is wheat intolerant I used spelt flour instead of normal flour too.
Sounds wonderful Sarah. I hope everyone liked it!
How far in advance can you make this cake?
Planning for Friday but can I make it today!?
Renae it can be made in advance and frozen. I wrap it in plastic wrap then aluminium foil and then defrost it overnight on the bench the night before.
Great! I’ve made a white choc mud cake that was required to be made a min of 7 days in advanced, wrapped in plastic wrap then foil and in a air tight container – just on the bench!
I’ve never heard of that but I guess it would be lovely and moist and rich in that time. Yum!
I’m new to your website, thankfully I stumbled across it! Your recipe looks yummy! I’ve been decorating cakes for a couple years now, I started making cakes for friends and family and it’s quickly turning into a business! Anyway, I’ve been working on expanding my scratch recipes, I’ve been looking into Mudcakes. It seems many professional decorators in Austrailia use mudcakes as the industry standard, so I’ve read, and it’s popularity is growing in the US. The one thing most decorators (that have been kind enough to share their recipes) seem to agree on is that a mudcake tastes better as it ‘ages’-most suggest waiting to eat it at least three days after baking (which would make sense why decorators use them for fondant covered cakes)!
Again, I’m still learning, so don’t quote me on that just thought I’d add my two cents
Love the blog, thanks!
You’re quite right Sharon. Mud cake usually tastes even better a few days later. Oh how I love mudcake. Thanks so much for your lovely words!
Hello!
I have this cake in the oven right now. I am making it for my boyfriend’s birthday tomorrow. But the batter was very sticky and I was wondering is this normal? I do a lot of baking but I’ve never made a mud cake before so I don’t have a clue what the consistency of the batter is meant to be like. I found it to be very sticky, thick and it kind of just glugged together… didn’t ‘pour’ into the cake tin, I had to physically scoop out every little bit of it and pat it down….
I’m hoping I didn’t rush it and ruin it, ’cause I was a little stressed while making it.
Thanks!
Hi Sophie. From memory the batter is pretty runny. I’m sure it will still be ok though as long as everything went in. Enjoy!
Hi again, I just wanted to let you know that I made this cake and it was an absolute hit! Thank you! I am using it again but will need to make such a tall cake that I will need to at least triple the ingredients – is there any way to make it cheaper to make!!
Thanks again, Renae
Glad you liked it Renae! Unfortunately it’s not an inexpensive cake to make. It’s the chocolate that does it isn’t it?! You could buy less expensive chocolate as long as it tastes good. Depending where you are, I really like the Aldi dark chocolate and it’s pretty reasonably priced.
I think this is the best chocolate cake I have ever tasted!!!
It’s my favorit chocolate cake from now on. It has everything I expected in a chocolate cake: it’s soooo moist and full of flavour and creamy …. it’s dreamy …. really really good!!
Thank you for this recipe!!
Yay I’m so glad you liked it Ana. I really think it’s the best I’ve ever had (well I’m yet to beat it).
I was able to veganise this recipe. What a success!
I have tried with about 4 other recipes but nothing compared to this one!
Many thanks
I’d love to hear how you did it Brittany?!
Hi Claire
Would just like to know if Brittany shared with you how she veganised this cake? If so, would love to try it on my family! Have made your original cake – for my daughter’s valentine birthday party – and looks divine and I’m sure will taste divine, but am slowly converting to vegan! Thanks again!
I’d love to see the vegan version what a great idea Carrie.
Hey,
It’s my birthday tomorrow and I want to make my self a dark chocolate mud-cake with raspberries.
I’m a great cook, but not so skilled with baking, so this might be a silly question
About the coffee:
In step 2, you say to mix the butter, chocolate and coffee.
Should the coffee be in liquid form? (like a cup of coffee)
Also I want to make 2 layers with a raspberry filling, is it possible to divide the cake batter in 2 or do you suggest I make twice as much. Your cake looks pretty thin based on the photo, so I don’t know if I should double it up.
Thanks a lot for your reply and it looks fantastic. (I’v looked at many recipes and yours looks best
Hi Anushka. Happy Birthday for tomorrow! There’s no such thing as a silly baking question.
Yes the coffee will be in liquid form. I usually add about 2 tbsp of instant to the water to make up the amount.
It will depend which size cake tin you are using. If you have two that are about 15cm wide then the layers won’t be too thin. If the tins are wider then I’d probably suggest doubling the recipe.
If you do use the smaller tins, just make sure you check the cake at least 15 minutes (even 30 minutes) earlier and then every 5-10 mins so it doesn’t burn.
Happy Baking!
Thank you,
The cake was delicious, I used a 24cm springform. I did try cutting it in half, but it did not work out. I ended up adding my raspberry mix on the top of the cake and then covering it all up with the chocolate icing.
The cake was really good. Rich, sinful, decadent and heavy. I just had a slice for breakfast
Oh wow how well do raspberry and chocolate go together?! Yum!!!
Claire THANK YOU!
I made this for my Step Sons 16th Birthday – I am not an experienced cook so I was scared! It turned out perfectly and everyone loved it! I was so thrilled and the two would be major critics loved it!! When everyone asked where did I buy it, you cannot imagine how proud I was to say I baked and decorated it. So thank you very much!
Yay! Steph that’s fantastic well done!
Hi Claire,
in step 3 , you say to mix untill sugar dissolves, but that seems to take forever, how long do you think this would normally take? or do you mix in thoroughly?Any way, so i did try this last night and turned the oven off and left the cake in the oven, and the next mng the cake was rock hard ): but i am going to give it another go, should the cake cake out of the oven to cool down, i am so inexperienced in baking cakes….
Hi Monica,
Thanks for trying the chocolate cake! Mixing in the sugar shouldn’t take too long. Make sure you leave it over the heat until it dissolves.
Yes the cake needs to come out of the oven to cool otherwise it will continue to cook which is why it was rock solid. Good luck!
Hi I tried your recipe and loved it! I was just wondering about adapting the recipe to make a white chocolate mud cake. Do you just swap out the dark chocolate for white? Also I wanted to layer the cake but I’m worried that it might lose some moistness if I cut it in half, what do you think?
Very good question Krystie. I think so but leave out the coffee, just use water instead. I’m not sure about the cocoa though. Perhaps use a tablespoon of brown sugar in its place. Good luck!
I’d divide it in two and bake for less time in separate pans rather than cutting it.
I plan on making this on the weekend – if I were to make it the day before would the cake AND the icing keep overnight in the fridge?
Unless it’s really hot where you are just leave them out in an airtight container. The cake actually gets better after a day or two (if that’s even possible!).
Hi Claire,
I found this recipe on google this afternoon and am half way through baking it now for my partner’s birthday today. We are going to a large dinner party tonight so I am planning on taking it along. Very easy recipe, fingers crossed for a perfect result!
Thanks for sharing this recipe
A
Thanks so much for leaving me a message Amber. I’m sure it will be perfect. Hope everyone likes it. Enjoy the party!
The cake turned out amazing! I got thumbs up from everyone who ate a slice. I covered it in grated white and dark Lindt chocolate and placed Ferraro Roches around the edge of the cake. Love, love, love! Best baking success I have had in a while!
Amber
Oh yum yum yum! So glad it was a hit Amber!
I have this in the oven as we speak…….the house smells like coffee/chocolate. Amazing
!! Can’t wait to try this mud cake 
!!
I’m a little jealous Biancka. I haven’t made it for ages but I really need to change that!
Just tasted the cake and I find it very rich………I do also wonder if you have to keep this cake in the fridge ??? The frosting wasnt as set as yours (or maybe I was too impatient ???) but it was very delicious indeed.
It is very rich Biancka. No I didn’t keep mine in the fridge. Hate to say it but yes, if it icing was runny it’s that you were a little impatient (I don’t blame you, it’s hard to resist!).
The second time I tried to be a bit more patient and the frosting was set more. I still have one piece left of my second bake so I guess I’ll be fighting over that piece with my son tonight
Mmm… quick get in first!
Have to agree, best chocolate cake ever and so easy to make. Made it for my partners birthday and was a huge success. One recommendation would be not to let your children have it just before going to bed.
Good tip Pauline!
The very best chocolate mud cake recipe I have been seeing around. I think you had me at “you meet no resistance from the thick layer of chocolate goodness”.. :). I will take your recipe with as an inspiration for my own version of this chocolaty delicacy.
Haha I had myself at that sentence! It’s a seriously good cake! Would love to see your version.
I am definitely going to make this, and I will report back on my attempt (I have been known to have some cracker failures)
However, I was wondering with the frosting, if you’re on a time limit, could you put the frosting in the fridge between whisking it to speed up the thickening process?
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I’d say you could Stacey. Sounds like a good idea actually!
Claire, would be honored. Find my version on my blog. (http://foodzeit.blogspot.com/2013/08/double-chocolate-mud-sourc-ream-ganash.html). The result was awesome
So glad you liked it and thank you for sharing!
Hi there!
I was in the supermarket this arvo and decided to make a mud cake! I googled and found this recipe. Hours later it is now in my belly! I’m definitely not a baker and not patient! So it wasn’t particularly easy for me and it definitely didn’t turn out perfect…. it sort of came out like a brownie!! It still tasted delicious! I found your recipe easy to follow, I think the faults that I had were that of my own!
Better luck next time- as least I will go to sleep sugared and happy
Yay! So glad you liked it Erika. Doesn’t matter what it looks like as long as it tastes good!
Well, not long after I made it for a second time
It was that good !! I did make a few changes. Instead of coffee I used milk and I added a layer of strawberry jam between the cake and ganache layer. Oh boy…..you have to try that !! It now is pretty much exactly like my fave dessert from my favorite restaurant 
I am a happy girl indeed !
Oh wow that sounds amazing. I’ve had so many comments on this lately I really think I’ll have to make it again for myself.
Hello Claire,
The recipe and the photos look delicious!
I am beginner to baking and I am wondering for the Dark Chocolates, should they be unsweetened or semi-sweetened. Do they have to be chocolate for baking? Or can they just be any old dark chocolate block like Cadbury?
Thank you so much!
Hi Michelle, Thank you! I just use regular good-quality dark eating chocolate from the supermarket so yep Cadbury would be perfect. Good luck!
Hi Claire
This cake looks AMAZING, I am just wondering do you have quantity amounts and cooking times for larger pans? I have an 8″ round cake tin and a 12″ round cake tin and would love to bake this in there but being a novice baker am really unsure on how to increase the quantities and cooking time. Thank you in advance
Hi Andrea. Funny you should comment I just made this cake again tonight! You can make the recipe times 1.5 or double it and I’d still bake it for 1h and then test and test every 10 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.
Hi Claire,
I had to post here as I recently made this cake (I followed the recipe down to a tee – only diff in a non fan forced oven it took about an 1.2hrs) – and it is the BEST CAKE I have ever made or eaten! And I am not usually a favourite of Chocolate Mud Cake. Thanks for the recipe – I made it as a birthday cake for one of my friends and they have all asked for the recipe. Thanks
So glad you liked it Lisa!
This cake is fabulous! Best chocolate cake ever and so easy to make. Doubled the recipe and cooked in two loaf pans, took a bit longer then recommended time on recipe. Tasted just like a proper mud cake. I used the cake to make a dump truck for birthday and it cut up really well, no crumbling (cooked cake the day before cutting and icing it). Will definitely be making this again!
So glad you liked it Andrew! If you have any pics I’d love it if you’d share them on the Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/ClaireKCreations?ref=hl.
It really is a delicious cake isn’t it? Lasts quite a while too. Well it would if it didn’t all get gobbled up!
What is the cocoa powder?
Hi Liliana. You’ll find cocoa in the baking aisle near the flour. It’s a chocolate powder I guess would be the best description.
H Claire, im about to go shopping for these yummy ingredients- when you say add coffee do you mean just the granuales or like a ready made black coffee?
cant wait to make this !- aso is it crumbly or easy to calve???? TIA!! JEM
I Jem. Just regular instant coffee powder granules. It’s sort of a cross between… I probably wouldn’t use it to carve anything fancy but it’s not too crumbly. I hope you like it!
This is the first time I have ever bothered to comment on a recipe but just had to add that this truly is the best ever mud cake! I made two big cakes in the shape of a 3 and an 0 for my fiancé’s 30th last night and they were a hit! I made the cakes the day before and just covered them in a tea towel over night (they were big cakes with double the batter in each and I didn’t have big enough Tupperware) – they were so moist and rich and everyone loved them! I have never seen cake at a party be such a hit! Plus it’s so easy to cut
thanks so much for this recipe!
You are very welcome Sarah. I’m so glad you liked them. Happy 30th to your fiance!
Hi there,
I was wanting to make a choc mud cake for one of my friends for his birthday and was wondering if i double the batter if it needs extra cooking time? Its going in a 10″ square tin. I was also wondering if peppermint flavour would work instead of the coffee? if so would i need extra o actually have it affect the taste?
Hi Sasha,
Yes you will need to increase the baking time for a bigger tin. I’d start checking on it at the usual time and then every 5-10 minutes. If it starts to look a bit brown on top cover it with foil.
With the coffee – you can’t actually taste it (trust me I don’t like coffee!) but it’s more to bring out the chocolate flavour. You could definitely add peppermint to it. Another idea might be to add some peppermint essence to the icing instead?
Hope that helps!
OMG! Saw your blog, cake is in the oven smells divine. Can’t wait until its done. My mouth is watering so bad.
Hope you like it Lyndsy!
A- m- a-z-i-n-g!
Yay! Glad you liked it!
I just wanted to say a huge thank you for this recipe, it was delicious! I made it for a friends birthday recently and it was such a hit. I wanted a taller cake so I made 1.5 times the recipe and used two 7inch pans, I messed up the icing slightly but it was fixable although not perfect and decorated it with chocolate butterflies I had made earlier. I will attach a link to the photo.
This is definitely a recipe I will be using again!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151657888341806&set=pb.503031805.-2207520000.1381705700.&type=3&src=https%3A%2F%2Ffbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net%2Fhphotos-ak-frc3%2F1378215_10151657888341806_1374574291_n.jpg&size=640%2C640
Hi Rachel. I’m so glad you liked it! Sounds like it was fabulous. Unfortunately I can’t seem to open the link. I’d love it if you’d share it on my Facebook page? https://www.facebook.com/ClaireKCreations?ref=hl
Hi Claire
I’ve just put the cake in the oven. I followed the recipe to a tee and found that the batter was very liquid. As I’m not used to cake batter having this consistency I was worried that 375ml of coffee seemed like an awful lot of liquid….did I read it right???? Well the proof will be in the pudding (or should I say cake he he he). Will repost in an hour with the result. It smells divine so fingers crossed.
Mandy you did it right. It’s a very liquid batter. The first time I made it I was rather uncertain. I hope you like it!
Hi Claire,
The cake turned out perfectly. It was a real hit with my daughter and her friends who came searching for a snack not long after the cake came out of the oven. I just did ganache for the icing because it was quick and the girls couldn’t wait,but next time I’m going to try your icing cause it looks much yummier. Thanks for a smashing recipe.
Yay! So glad it was a hit. Thanks for coming back to let me know.
Hi Claire,
I just baked this cake yest night and will do the icing today. But I just tasted a bit of it and its a bit bitter even after adding 450gms of sugar (thats a LOT).
Could it be because of the strong coffee ( i added 2 tsps of coffee powder to 375 ml of hot water) or the extra 3tbsps of cocoa powder or the dark chocolate (with 45% cocoa)? I am quite confused.
Also the batter was so liquidy that it leaked through the springform baking pan and i had to transfer it to a regular baking tin.
Though it looks great but its also too greasy because of the huge amount of butter. Is it possible to reduce the quantity of butter in it as some of family members have high cholestrol levels?
Thanks a ton
Hi Chetna.
Yes the batter is really liquid before baking. The first time I made it I was a bit worried but it turns out well. Hmm… it’s not really something I’d serve to anyone with high cholestrol. It’s more of a treat cake. I think reducing the butter would change the cake a lot. Re the bitter – I’m not sure about that. I’ve never had a problem with it being bitter but I would say the type of coffee/chocolate you use would have an impact?
Thanks a lot Claire for your reply.
I made it again for my brother’s birthday, as I really could not serve the bitter sweet cake, and this time it turned out quite well. I think it over-baked the first time (as I had used a smaller cake tin earlier) and hence the bitterness. I just modified the icing a bit and used cream instead of water to ensure that the icing was spreadable quickly due to paucity if time. The cake was loved by everyone and all my fears were proved wrong. But yes I’ll have to ensure that its only a treat cake.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Not a problem Chetna. Ahh yes that could have been the reason for the bitterness. Glad it was a hit!
Hi Claire,
I made this cake last week for my boyfriend Chris’ birthday. I followed your instructions exactly and although I was briefly worried about the liquid consistency of the batter (I’ve never made a cake with such a batter) I popped it into the oven and hoped for the best. As Chris works away from home at a gold mine I made the cake the day before he travelled and he shared it with the other guys at the mine site. I didn’t get to taste the cake but it received rave reviews! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Michelle K.
Hi Michelle. I’m so glad it was a hit although that’s no good that you didn’t get any. You’ll just have to make it again
The first time I made it I was a bit worried about the batter too.
Hi claire,
Juz wondering, how many tsps/tbsp of coffee granules did u add for your 375ml of coffee? I want to make sure that i got the right consistency of the coffee taste thickness.
Thks!
Evelyn
Hi Evelyn. I usually add a heaped tablespoon of coffee granules. Hope you like it!
This cake looks awesome but if you follow the recipe it’s like water & doesn’t cook! Looks like the amounts of ingredients are wrong or there is something missing!
Hi Leighanne. It’s a very liquid batter. The first time I made it I didn’t think it would work out. The ingredients are all correct though I promise.
Hi, looks great.. can you tell me how many cups of batter this recipe makes?
Hi Daniel. I’m not entirely sure but I’d say about 5 cups.
Wish me luck, hubby’s b’day tomorrow, his fav cake is chocolate mud! Was going to just buy one, but decided to make one instead, searched the web, found this sensationally delicious looking mud cake! Just placed it in the oven, fingers crossed!
PS: I have never baked a cake from scratch, yes I am quite nervous to make this as my first!
Good luck Paula! I’m sure it will be perfect and your husband will love it!
Baked this lip-smacking cake for my brothers birthday last night. Family, friends, neighbours all loved it and wanted the recipe!
Thanks heaps, Claire!
Yay! Glad it was a hit Mitch. You are very welcome and Happy belated Birthday to your brother.
Baked this cake tonight and im really quite concerned something went wrong, and im just not sure what. After adding the coffee with the chocolate and butter it began to go quite lumpy, and even more lumpy when i added the sugar. I used instant coffee was i meant to add water to it? Or use a different type of coffee? Im still waiting to see how it turned out, but i feel the results may be bad as it was quite lumpy when i placed it in the oven and not at all liquidly like what other people have been saying.
Hi Kim. Possibly the mixture was heated for a little too long and the chocolate seized? How was the coffee when you added it? Dissolved in the water? I hope it turned out ok!
I think I just died on the inside. I’ve been searching for the best choc mudcake recipe for ever. I was just wondering what sort of cocoa powder to use. I only have 100% natural cocoa powder (the cheap brand in au). Is that fine or what kind should I buy? And also what brand of chocolate did you use? Thanks for all your help and for posting this recipe
Zo that should be fine. Hope you like it!
Hi Claire, this looks delicious! Would you be able to give me an estimate of how high the cake part ends up in a 25cm tin (without the icing on it)? I’m wondering if I should increase ingredient quantities to get a higher cake. Hoping to bake today if you can get back to me, if not I’ll go ahead and experiment anyway
Hi Naomi. I would guestimate at about 4cm. If you’d like a higher cake then I’d recommend making two and sandwiching them together rather than adding more batter to the tin as it might not cook properly. Good luck!
Hi Claire. Live your blog! When you say “good quality dark chocolate” in your posts/recipes, can you tell me exactly what you use? Many thanks!
Hi Fleur. Thank you! I actually use the Aldi Belgium dark chocolate. I think it’s the best. Nice and rich and not bitter.
Hi Claire,
I have made this a lot and it is just deeelicious! My dads fave!!! I was just wondering, every time I’ve made it, it has ended up with an air ring round the middle when its fully cooked. It then sinks down when it’s cooling so doesnt have an evenish level!It’s also really delicate and crumbles.I’ve tried it in both a round and square tin! Is there anyway to avoid it? I’m making it as mini square cakes covered in fondant for my sisters wedding (80 in total) so just wanted to see if I can do anything differently! Thanks x
Hi Sara. Glad you like the cake! Hmm unfortunately that happens to mine sometimes too. Strangely when I’ve cooked it in a loaf tin it didn’t sink. I have read that you can get things that wrap around tins to help the cake cook evenly and nice and flat but making 80 I’m not so sure. Only thing I could think of would be to level the tops and sandwich two cut-side together although that would add a lot of extra work!
OH.MY.GOD!!! Followed to a T and best mud cake I have ever eaten!
Yay! Glad you liked it Gabrielle!
I just made this and what a flop it is! It didn’t rise at all and has an overall very strong coffee taste!
That’s no good Gina. Sorry you didn’t like it.
Hi Claire,
I’m considering making this cake for my Aunt’s 60th birthday next weekend, and I have a few questions. Firstly I am planning on making a sheet cake (probably going to cook 2 half sheets and lay side by side, and then do another layer on top – there’s a lot of people at this 60th!) so my first question is how many batches of the above recipe would I need for one half sheet pan?
My second question is after laying out the cake and covering in ganache, do you think this recipe would be suitable to then be covered in fondant? Or is it too delicate?
Thanks,
Renee
Hi Renee. It would be ok to cover in fondant no problem. Re the calculations… I’m not 100% sorry. What are the measurements of the tin?
great recipe = great cake as always
I cooked this cake. Very tasty and moist. But it didn’t cook right. The finished product was full of holes and all hollowed out.
Hmm that doesn’t sound good Kylie. I wonder what could have caused that?
Hello, I’ve just come across this recipe. I was wondering with the icing will it pipe ok onto cupcakes? Thanks
Hi Velika. It would but it’s very soft so not really that good for any sort of fancy piping.
Hi Claire
I was just wondering if I could use espresso instead of granules as I don’t have any instant?
Also if I ice the cake the day before can it still be kept on the bench in a container?
Hi Melissa. Yep no problem and the cake will be perfect iced in a container. Enjoy!
Thanks Claire
I have it in the oven and it does smell superb. Just wondering, it seems to be cracking in a circle about an inch in from the edge if the tin. Is this expected or have I over mixed it (only mixed for a couple of minutes total in a kitchenaid stand muxer)?
Thanks so much.
Oh yum Melissa I’m a bit jealous! Yes mine always cracks like that too but I cover it up with icing
Hi Claire
sorry if I sound silly but am new to baking and want to try this out.. With step 2 in regards to the coffee, do I add coffee into 375ml of water or do I just add the coffee powder straight into the butter & chocolate mixture?
Sharon there is no such thing as a silly question. The coffee needs to be dissolved in the water first. I’ve tried just adding it and I ended up with little lumps of coffee. Good luck!
Thank you so much Claire! Husband & kids loved it
You’re welcome Sharon I’m glad!
Hi Claire!
This is seriously the best ever chocolate mud cake I’ve ever had. I’ve made it twice now, once exactly how you’ve made it and the fudge icing is unbelievably good. And the other time was last week, I did a cake decorating course that required a 7inch square mud cake, I have to say this liquid like recipe doesn’t lend itself to a square tin…. I ended up having to cut the sides off because they were burnt but it was definitely salvageable! It looked amazing after doing the cake decorating course and everyone at work said it was incredible and the most delicious cake they’ve had! So thank you for posting such an amazing recipe!
Hi Amy. I’m so glad you liked it! I’ve never made it in a square tin but that’s a very good tip thank you. Do you have any photos?
I made this cake for a birthday and threw it away as there was no way I could serve it. I made it in a 20cm pan not the recommended 25cm, perhaps this is why it would not set – I had to cook it too long and so the outside burned. But even so the cooked parts of the cake I did try did not have an impressive flavour or texture, I don’t agree with so much water being in a cake – it’s more like pudding. The icing was not a great flavour or texture for me either. Very disappointing and a very expensive cake to make. Made a plain old chocolate cake after that and it was great. I am by no means an inexperienced baker. To me if a recipe is so fussy that a different size pan throws it off, it’s not a good recipe.
Hi Michelle. Sorry you didn’t have any luck with the cake. Could it have been the chocolate? I’ve tried it in a few different tins and made cupcakes with it. The chocolate is the only thing I can think of with regards to the flavour as it can make a big difference. Sorry again that it didn’t work out for you!
Hi, this cake has such great reviews I’m planning on making it for easter. I want to Beke the cake on Friday and plan to decorate and serve on Sunday. How would you recommend strong this cake ? Thank you.
Hi Erin. Sorry for the delay getting back to you! I hope you still made the cake. I just keep it in an air tight container but it can also be frozen wrapped in plastic wrap and aluminium foil.
Also…. I only have 7 inch tins… I was thinking of making 1.5 times the batter for 2 cakes….how long do you think these will need in the oven ? Would you recommend making extra icing to sandwich the cakes together ? Thank you.
Hi Erin. I’d start checking it after 40 minutes about every 5 minutes or so. Yes probably best to make a little extra icing. Enjoy!
I have made this cake twice now, it’s very yummy, however I found that it sinks really low in the middle, making the middle of the cake really thin. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong!
Hmm Justine I’m not sure. I have to say this has happened to me on occasion too. I read that if you over-mix the batter it can make it collapse? Also if the baking powder is past its prime?
This cake looks amazing Claire!!! You are a very clever lady and you give me heaps of inspiration in the kitchen. I wondered what your thoughts are on using gluten free plain flour?
Thanks Steph! I haven’t used it very much but I think it would be ok? Only one way to find out I suppose!
I will give it a go and let you know! Thanks for your super quick response.
No problem Steph! Good luck!
Just doubled this cake batter up by 2 with my daughter. Cake in oven, hope it turns out a yum as everyone elses. Quite a runny batter. Is that the correct consistency? Anyone cooked this in a Gas Oven, as have new gas oven and not sure what to expect. Thanks. Will post my result in a few hours.
Hi Lani. Yep it’s a really runny batter. I’m not sure about the gas oven. Fingers are crossed for you!
Hi Claire,
Anyway, next time I might try the batter by 1 only lol Thank you anyway.
I am the bearer of good and bad news. Though i followed this recipe down to a T, my cake burnt on the edges and was left runny in the middle for a good part of the cooking time. I suspected once the 1hour mark had come, I’d check the cake with my skewer.
Strange my skewer comes out in batter and the cake is still wobbling..
I give the cake more time to cook. I could smell the beautiful aroma of coffee-chocolatey goodness change into a burnt chocolatey badness…
Once I got up to check the cake again, total cook time 2 hours, my skewer comes out Jusst enough for me to say Enough! but not enough for me to save the bottom and sides (edges) of the cake. Approx 1cm over bottom and sides of entire cake was burnt to the point of no return. Once cooled i basically got in their with the family. We pretty much scooped out the cake and i scooped out enough into a container (as their was soo much left) Miss 8 reckons it looked like scoops of icecream whilst observing my method of transfer.
I can’t understand why. As i said I made this with my daughter. We measured things out as accurately as could be, set the oven temp on exactly (had thermometer inside oven) Could it be this cake cannot be doubled??? I also noticed a eggy taste upon first tasting of the cake once cooled, but did not notice it the next day of eating.
End result of the ACTUAL cake that was edible is: A very rich, decadent, dense, moist chocolate mud cake. Coffee definitely bought out the cocoa I used (a really good 70% chocolate block) & family loved it!! Have to have small portion as is extremely rich, high in sugar and shows on the waistline (I already knew what I was getting myself in to upon reading of the ingredients list *chuckles
Hi Lani! Oh no! Sounds like it’s not a good one for doubling unfortunately. I’m glad you liked the bits you tried. Haha yes you’re quite right, it’s not something you could have every day.
Thanks for letting me know! You have saved me from future disasters. Glad you at least got a little bit
I’m a fairly seasoned baker, and this is, by far, the BEST mud cake recipe I have EVER come across! Soooooooooo good! Definitely my go to chocolate cake from now on!
Yay Jen! So glad you like it!
first time baking a mud cake
cooking in the oven right this moment…fingers crossed ladies..
its a surprise for my neice who turns 23!!
Fingers crossed for you Fathima but I’m sure it will turn out well. Happy Birthday to your niece!
Turned out perfect…an absolute hit…
My new go to recipe for a divine ..decadent chocolaty treat
Yay! I’m so glad!
Oh MY goodness, this is the Best mudcake I have ever tasted. It was truly decadent.
Thank you so much!
Yay! Glad you like it Cristina!
Sorry if this has been asked already, but could this recipe be used to make cupcakes? Would you need to alter any ingredients? What would approx. cooking time be? Thanks!
Hi Kelly. It sure can! I would start checking them from 20 minutes and just add another 5 then check again. Good luck!
Just made this cake for a friend and it is amazing!!!! Thank you.
So glad you liked it Jess!
Holy heck this cake is delish!!
I decided I should learn to bake, as I’m now a mother & I found this recipe with its rave reviews & gave it a crack. It was easy & turned out delicious! Mine sunk in the middle, I have since read your comment about the old baking soda & think that was it, but I just filled the dip with icing & it now looks & tastes amazing!!
Thank you for this great recipe!
So glad you liked it Kelly! I always do the old fill-it-with-icing if my cakes sink. Added bonus I think because you get more icing than you expected!
Oh my god. It is even better than you promised. I doubled the recipe but think I should have cooked it as two separate cakes and layered it as it cooked a bit unevenly.
Have never enjoyed licking a cake bowl so much.
It should be a hit at my brothers 18th party.
Oh goodness I have made myself ill licking the bowl on several occasions it’s so good. Happy Birthday to your brother and I’m so glad you like it!
Hello i just want to say my goodness thankyou so very much for this beautiful recipe. I wanted a moist mud cake and it is beautiful I made your recipe for my husband for Valentines day as his favourite cake is a mud cake and he loved it. Also my 4 girls loved it as well and when it was one of my girls 21st this year i tripled your recipe and made her a beautiful cake for it, it was a winner thankyou
You’re very welcome Leanne! I’m so glad it was such a hit. I’d love to see a photo if you make it again!
WOW! It’s all I really need to say! I’ve been searching for a good mud cake for ages! I made a square one and it was a huge hit for my sons 9th birthday yesterday and today I’ve also made 22 cupcakes from the same recipe..yum yum yum! I did put in a splace of oil as I didn’t quite have enough butter but it hasn’t made a difference at all!
Thanks Claire for your wonderful recipe…it’s one of the quickest and easiest I’ve ever tried too..
Yay! So glad you like it Sue. Great idea to use a bit of oil to replace the missing butter. Now I want chocolate cake!
That was meant to say splash of oil! Lol!
I’d send you one but coming from Australia I can’t guarantee the condition it might be in…mind you they say a mud cake gets better with age, but maybe not that long! Lol!
Haha I’m in Australia too! Express post! :-p
I made it exactly as your recipe states. Where the *&^% does it say to mix the coffee with water?? Too late for me. Maybe explain things better for us retarded fathers trying to make their kids something to eat.
Thanks.
Oh no John! I’ve updated it to say (ie coffee dissolved in water) so I hope that’s clear. Sorry it wasn’t clear for you! I hope you give it another go.
Oh! I just expected you to be in the US! Lol!
Haha nope Aussie!
Hi Claire,
Don’t normally post but just have a couple of things to say/ask. Firstly I LOVED this cake, this is exactly the type of heavenly choc mudcake I’ve been looking for/dreaming about for a while, thank you, you’re a godsend. The question is, do you think this could be used as a wedding cake, and if not do you know of any recipes to recommend for that purpose? Thanks again
Thanks so much Dawn! You could definitely use it for a wedding. It’s great because you can make the cake in advance and even freeze it if you like. If you want to do the same icing I am not sure how it freezes but you could try it out. Freeze it separately in a zip-lock bag and then defrost and beat it with a mixer and see how it comes back. I can’t see why it wouldn’t work but as I said, I haven’t tried it but have frozen the cake many times and it’s just as good. It lasts quite a while unfrozen too so you could make it up to 3 days in advance and it would be perfect.
Hi Claire
Still struggling to find something of similar quality, as I’m not very good at recipe conversion 
Wish me luck! Thanks again for all your help
Thanks so much for getting back to me. I now realise I need a recipe just like yours for an 8 inch pan though
Hi Dawn. I think if you just halve the recipe it would be perfect for 8inch. You’re very welcome!
I made this for my son’s birthday and it was divine! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. Going to be making this often!
You’re welcome Jesvin. Glad it was a hit!
Hello,
I want to make this cake for a birthday party, only I need the icing to be white so I can colour it. Can I use all the ingredients besides the chocolate in the icing or will it not turn out right?
Thank you
Hi Patricia. No it wouldn’t set without the chocolate. I would use a buttercream icing which you can colour. I have made it with buttercream before and it’s delicious!
I wanted to make a choc orange mudcake so I was as looking for a mudcake recipe I could modify. Yours looked like the end result I wanted so I decided to give it a go. Can I just say – Oh Em Gee. This recipe is amazing! Thanks Claire x
You are very welcome Shannon! So glad you like it! x
I mad this cake yesterday. The cake part was no problem – rose nicely and cooked through perfectly.
The icing was another matter! i added the chocolate to the melted butter mixture and beat it vigorously – result, the whole lot split. I had in the end to pour off the fat which had separated out, and rescued it by adding some cornflour and water, plus a lot more dark sugar. It worked out ok luckily, but I’d like to know what went wrong.
That said, my improvised icing worked and the cake tasted very good next day
Hi Hugh. Oh dear. I haven’t had that happen but I’m glad the improvised icing worked out ok. Sounds like the chocolate might have over-heated but I’m not sure sorry!
I am currently making a two-tiered wedding cake, and this recipe looks practically perfect! I love that it can be made ahead, frozen, and guaranteed to be moist on the big day! A couple questions: What size springform is this recipe designed for (it just says small)? Can I stack layers of it with the icing described here, and will it hold under fondant? There looks to be an overly large ratio of sugar in this recipe- is it very sweet? Appreciate your answers very much, thank you in advance!
Hi! Ooh yes I think this would make a wonderful wedding cake. You could use this icing very thinly under the fondant. I know it could be a lot of waste (or very fun day) but I would try it out first (maybe a smaller version).
The tin it makes is about 22cm (9 inch) but I have made it in so many different tins.
Yep there is A LOT of sugar in this but it’s not all that sweet. Seriously rich but not too sweet – I think the coffee helps with that.
I hope that helps. If you’re happy to share I would love to see a photo of the cake when you make it. You can share it on my FB page. Goodluck!
Hi Claire,
Thank you for the recipe, mouthwatering photos and all your informative replies.
Did you use salted or unsalted butter for the cake? Trying it this weekend
Hi Ash. You’re very welcome! I am a bit lazy with butter and always use salted. If you use unsalted, just add 1/2 a teaspoon of salt with the flour.
Thanks Claire. Made your mudcake on the weekend. Holy moly, does it deliver!! Everything you’ve said about not it being too sweet, even better after two days, moist and heaven-smelling was true
This is officially my top-ranking mudcake recipe! And so easy!!
I highly recommend best eaten at room temperature when smidgy and gooey. Oh goodness, how yum.
A tip for other readers: if using a nespresso machine, I used one expresso pod diluted in 375ml of water.
Wanted to pick your brain Claire….if you happen to be a coffee lover and actually DO want some stronger coffee flavour, can you add in more coffee to concentrate the 375ml of water without upsetting the overall balance? Would you need to compensate for bitterness by adding more caster sugar?
Hi Ash. So glad you like it and thanks for your lovely comments! Good tip on the Nespresso. Yes I would say you can just concentrate the coffee more. If you want the coffee flavour then I don’t think you’d have to offset it with more sugar. Hope it works out!
I’m currently making this, it’s in the oven, but! It’s been an hour and 15 and it’s still runny
Oh no Rachelle that doesn’t sound good! How did it turn out?
This muc cake is absolutely AMAZING and made a huge success on New Year’s eve. Thanks a lot for the recipe! /Greetings from a snowy Stockholm
Yay! What a great way to start the year Linnea.
I have yet to bake this because I only found the receipe today, but the comments have more than convinced me!! Getting further down the comments with people putting jams and fruits in layers between the cake and then the cake and icing, it begins to sound a lot like a Sacher Torte cake. So perhaps you should call it Claire’s, Sacher mississippi mud torte!!!
Ooh I like the sound of that Kath! Let me know how it turns out!
Hi, this looks amazing but I am wanting an orange chocolate mudcake. What do you think would happen if I replaced the coffee with orange juice and orange zest please?
Hi Jacqui. I’d probably do 1 cup water with 1tbsp coffee dissolved in it and 1/2 cup orange juice and then add the zest too. Sounds like a great addition.
CAN THIS BE DONE FOR CUPCAKES? IF SO WOULD THE PROCEDURE CHANGE TO ENSURE THE TEXTURE IS THE SAME? :))))
Hi Vanessa. It sure can. I am actually making some tomorrow. Just fill them about 1/2 – 2/3 of the way.
Hi, I need to make a layered birthday cake for my son and was discovered your delicious recipe for this chocolate mud cake. do you think this recipe would work if I baked it in two layers using half the batter for each layer, then put the frosting in your recipe in between and then used one of the rolling icing type products to encase the cake as need to do as a batman theme cake? Not sure if the icing in the middle would hold another layer on top and the outside icing, or if it would squish out (if only suitable for top of cake). Please can you kindly let me know? Thank you!! Can’t wait to make this!
Hi Alesha. It definitely works for a double layer but as you said, the icing would probably squish out of the middle. I would probably make a chocolate buttercream for the middle and maybe stick a couple of skewers through the two layers just to make sure they hold. Enjoy!
Hi…. just have this cake in the oven for over an hour and it has not yet started to cook through…. i have just calculated if i did anything wrong with the ingredients. Please notethat 1.5 cups are NOT really 375 ml…themeasurements on the cups are not equal to the metric amounts as shown on them…. please amend the recipe to say cups or mls and not both as it is very very misleading…i put 375ml of water ina measuring jug with my coffee instead of using cups and it did NOT measure 1 1/2 cups!!!
I jhope thiscake will somehow cook through as it is my first ever try in covering a cake with fondant and i want it to look good
Hi Lisa. I’m sorry it’s not working out for you. That’s no good at all. 1 cup is equal to 250ml of liquid though so that measurement is correct. Could there be any other issue? Is the oven working correctly? I hope it works out for you!