The Best Homemade Chocolate Ganache Cake — This truly is the best homemade chocolate cake EVER. It’s topped with a smooth chocolate ganache frosting, and it requires just 10 minutes of hands on prep!
Table of Contents
- The Best Ever Chocolate Cake with Ganache
- What is Ganache?
- What’s in Chocolate Ganache Cake?
- How to Make Chocolate Ganache Cake
- Can I Use Another Type of Chocolate for the Ganache?
- Do I Have to Use Brewed Coffee in the Batter?
- Can I Make This Recipe as a Layer Cake?
- Can I Make This Recipe Into Cupcakes?
- Can I Make This Recipe in a 9-Inch Round Cake Pan?
- Can I Use an 8×8-Inch Baking Pan?
- Can I Double This Recipe?
- Can I Substitute the Eggs in This Recipe?
- Should I Refrigerate Homemade Chocolate Cake?
- Tips for the Best Chocolate Cake
- What Readers Are Saying
- Chocolate Ganache Cake Recipe
- More Easy Chocolate Cake Recipes:
The Best Ever Chocolate Cake with Ganache
This is the easiest, one-bowl, five-minute chocolate cake from scratch you’ll ever make. I originally posted this recipe August 27, 2012 and in that time, there have been thousands of very satisfied readers out there who swear by this cake.
If you’re addicted to cake mix, you can break free. I’ve been there. I made this chocolate ganache cake without a mixer and it was ready to go from bowl to oven in less than five minutes with just a couple turns of the whisk.
I’m the first to admit that cake mixes can be great because they’re convenient, the results are nearly guaranteed, and they produce moist and light cakes.
But this chocolate cake with chocolate ganache frosting does the same. Except it’s darker, richer, and more intensely chocolaty than a cake mix chocolate cake, which is a good thing if you like a nice dark, deeply chocolaty, chocolate cake.
One way in which I kept this homemade chocolate cake moist was by adding yogurt, which can be replaced with sour cream if that’s what you have on hand. Just don’t use light or fat-free yogurt or sour cream.
Use thicker or Greek-style full-fat yogurt. You’re making a moist chocolate cake recipe, not diet food, so forego the watery diet yogurt.
I also kept the use of baking powder to a bare minimum because I find it dries out cupcakes, muffins, and cakes. This moist chocolate ganache cake recipe uses just enough to give the cake lightness and lift so that it isn’t confused with the denser and flatter chocolate slab that we all know as a brownie.
Finally, I do love butter and will almost always choose butter over oil in baking; except when baking a cake. Oil produces a moister cake in my experience.
And since all that lovely buttery flavor is going to be masked anyway from the cocoa powder, you’re not giving up anything in the flavor department and gaining worlds in the moisture category by using oil rather than butter. A win-win for oil.
What is Ganache?
Not sold on this easy chocolate cake recipe yet? Allow me to sell you on the chocolate ganache frosting.
Ganache is made by heating cream and pouring it over chocolate and I kept this ganache super simple by heating the cream in the microwave. You could heat it over the stove, but why bother?
The beauty of the ganache frosting is that even after it sets up, it still has a juicy quality to it in comparison to, say, buttercream frosting, which can become a bit hardened around the edges after it’s been exposed to air for a few hours. Crunchy frosting is never a good thing.
What’s in Chocolate Ganache Cake?
For this easy homemade chocolate cake with ganache, you’ll need:
- Egg
- Granulated sugar
- Yogurt
- Canola oil
- Vanilla extract
- Brewed coffee
- Cocoa powder
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda and baking powder
- Salt
And for the chocolate ganache frosting, you’ll need:
- Semi-sweet chocolate
- Heavy cream
- Vanilla extract
How to Make Chocolate Ganache Cake
If making chocolate cake with chocolate ganache sounds like a hassle, it’s not! Here’s an overview of how the ganache cake is made:
- Make the cake: Whisk together the egg, sugar, yogurt, oil, and vanilla.
- Add in the cocoa powder and coffee and stir to combine.
- Then add in the rest of the ingredients and whisk until just combined.
- Pour the homemade chocolate cake batter into a greased 9×9-inch baking pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Make the ganache: Once the chocolate cake is out of the oven, make the chocolate ganache frosting. Heat the heavy cream in the microwave until just starting to boil, then pour over the chocolate chips.
- Let it stand for about a minute before whisking to combine.
- Stir in the vanilla extract, then let the chocolate ganache cool for around 10 minutes to thicken up.
- Once the homemade chocolate cake is completely cool, pour over the ganache frosting. The frosting will need about 30 minutes to set up before you can dig in.
Can I Use Another Type of Chocolate for the Ganache?
There’s no sugar added to the ganache, so it’s only as sweet as the chocolate you select, which in my case was semi-sweet chocolate chips. Go as milky or dark as you enjoy.
If you don’t have chocolate chips, you can chop a bar of chocolate instead.
Do I Have to Use Brewed Coffee in the Batter?
The coffee does not make the cake taste like a coffee-flavored cake. Rather, it brings out and enhances the flavor of the cocoa powder and adds depth of flavor.
I highly recommend using coffee in the chocolate cake batter, but use water if you must.
Can I Make This Recipe as a Layer Cake?
Many readers have asked me if they can make this easy chocolate cake recipe as a double layer cake, as a bundt cake, and so on, and the answer to all of those questions is that I’ve only made the cake exactly as the recipe is written below.
However, I have had readers write in the comments that they’ve doubled the cake recipe, baked in a 9×13-inch pan, cut the cake in half, doubled the ganache recipe, added ganache on top of the bottom layer, topped with the other half of the cake, and added more ganache on top.
Definitely give the comments section a read if you have a very specific question about turning this chocolate ganache cake recipe into anything other than a 9×9-inch square cake. And if you do switch up this recipe and are successful, please leave a comment so you can help future readers!
Can I Make This Recipe Into Cupcakes?
Yes, that will likely be fine. Cupcakes generally take about 20 minutes to bake, but some are done in 18 minutes, but baking times vary depending on how full you fill your cupcake liners, your oven and climate, and so forth.
Can I Make This Recipe in a 9-Inch Round Cake Pan?
A 9-inch round cake pan is probably okay, but just make sure when you’re filling it that it’s not getting too full.
Can I Use an 8×8-Inch Baking Pan?
No, an 8×8-inch pan will be a little small and the cake could overflow unless you discard a bit of batter. You need to use a 9×9-inch pan for this recipe, if possible.
Can I Double This Recipe?
Yes, this homemade chocolate cake recipe doubles quite easily. Just note that if you double the ingredients you’ll need to bake this homemade chocolate cake in a 9×13-inch pan.
Can I Substitute the Eggs in This Recipe?
I’ve only made the chocolate ganache cake as written, so I can’t speak to whether an egg substitute (like a flax or chia egg) would work. If you use an egg substitute, please leave me a comment so I know what does / doesn’t work!
Should I Refrigerate Homemade Chocolate Cake?
Once the chocolate ganache frosting is on the cake and it’s had 30 minutes at room temperature to set up, yes, I refrigerate the leftover cake I have.
Tips for the Best Chocolate Cake
Coffee temp: When adding the brewed coffee to the cake batter, note that it can be any temperature other than piping hot. If you add the coffee while it’s still hot, you’ll scramble the egg!
Ganache add-ins: I typically use vanilla extract in the ganache frosting, but feel free to spike your ganache with a couple tablespoons of bourbon, rum, Kahlua, or a complementary liqueur.
Freezer tip: Note that the unfrosted homemade chocolate cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or it can be frozen and thawed for later. If freezing the chocolate cake, I recommend making a fresh batch of chocolate ganache frosting just before you plan on serving it.
What Readers Are Saying
To say this chocolate cake with ganache is a reader favorite is an understatement. If you keep scrolling to the bottom of this post, you’ll find almost 700 comments from readers who have made this recipe!
Here are just a handful of 5-star reviews readers have left on this ganache cake recipe:
“I made this chocolate cake for my granddaughters 18th birthday. It was absolutely delicious!” — Jackie
“Love this cake! My go to chocolate cake recipe when it’s just my husband and myself and we NEED cake!! Also besides the size, I love it is no mixer needed.” — Sharon R.
“Best chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten. Perfectly balanced as all things should be. The ganache quality depends on the quality of the chocolate you use so pick a chocolate you love the taste of!” — GR
“This is one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve ever had. Rich, decadent, moist, chocolatey just as described. I have found my new go to recipe and I am never looking back.” — Lidia
“This recipe is AMAZING!! And so simple to make! My mom was the first to try this out and she loved it so much, she froze a piece for me for a couple of months, and when I had it, it was so moist and decadent, it felt like it had been made that very same day! Definitely a keeper, thank you so much :)” — Roshni
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Chocolate Ganache Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 ounces plain, vanilla, or chocolate yogurt (thicker Greek-style preferred, do not use diet, fat-free or light yogurt; sour cream may be substituted)
- ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup brewed coffee, room temperature or warm*
- ½ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt, optional
Chocolate Ganache
- 9 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, about 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¾ cup heavy cream or half-and-half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract**
Instructions
- Cake
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a 9-by-9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine egg, sugar, yogurt, oil, vanilla, and whisk until smooth and combined.
- Add coffee, cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s), and whisk vigorously until batter is smooth and free from lumps.
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and whisk vigorously until batter has just combined, about 1 minute.
- Pour batter, which is a loose and fairly runny batter, into prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes, or until top has set and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool in pan completely, at least 30 minutes, before adding ganache or frosting the cake, or before slicing and serving.
- Chocolate Ganache
- Place chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl and heat on high power for 1 minute to soften chocolate; set aside.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup, heat the cream (I used half-and-half) on high power just until it begins to bubble and show signs of boiling, about 60 to 75 seconds.
- Pour hot cream over chocolate and let it stand about 1 minute. Whisk vigorously until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth and velvety.
- Add vanilla or optional flavorings and stir to combine. Set bowl aside for about 10 minutes, allowing ganache to cool and thicken a bit.
- Whisk mixture briefly before pouring all of it over the cake. Lightly smooth and spread the ganache with a spatula or offset knife.
- Allow ganache to set up for at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving the cake; or speed this process up by placing pan in the refrigerator or freezer briefly.
Notes
- Unfrosted cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or store frosted cake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- *Note about the coffee: The coffee does not make the cake taste like a coffee-flavored cake. Rather, it brings out and enhances the flavor of the cocoa powder and adds depth of flavor; I highly recommend coffee but use water if you must. The coffee can be any temperature other than piping hot; you don’t want to scramble the egg.
- **Or optionally use 1 to 2 tablespoons rum, bourbon, coffee-, orange-, raspberry-, chocolate-flavored liqueur.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Hello!!
I made this cake today and it was AMAZING!! I made it in an 8×8 pan and made two cupcakes because I didn’t have the right size pan. I gave a piece of just the cake to my husband and he loved it. Usually it takes him forever to eat sweets but he ate it right up. I used half and half for my ganache and it never set. It stayed runny even in the fridge. Do you think I should use heavy whipping cream next time or do you think I did something wrong? Thanks so much! Again AMAZING!!!
So glad you loved it as well as your hubby! Ganache like this stays very soft and ‘goopy’ and never really fully sets. That’s the beauty; it doesn’t turn hard and crunchy like a buttercream or anything with powdered sugar in it. You did it just right!
You could cut back on the ratio of half and half to chocolate ratio a bit, thereby having a thicker and less runny ganache, but it will simply be thicker rather than thicker + setting up solid. It will still stay on the soft side.
If you like a solid-setting frosting, use a favorite buttercream or one you love; but this one stays drippy and oozing which I love with this cake but of course, do what you like best! Thanks for the field report and glad it was a hit!
Thanks!! I think I’ll just cut back on the half and half next time. The ganache was AMAZING even though it was runny! Thanks!
Thanks Averie. Thank you for everything that you do.
This is a question I always have. For the chocolate cake recipe, would it be possible to reduce the sugar to one half cup or don’t do it. Also, is there any substitute in the nut milk world for the heavy creme in the ganache? Thanks for everything. Great blog.
No, don’t halve the sugar. The cake is *perfect* as written, both in sweetness and in texture; playing with sugar ratios will throw other things off. This is NOT a sweet cake. It’s rich, not sweet per se. Coconut milk or cashew milk would be good substitutes, almond milk in an absolute pinch.
Averie, would substituting full fat coconut milk or Silk work in the gnache in place of the creamer/ half and half?
Thanks
Kim
Yes it will – it will impart a coconut taste (not everyone likes that) but it will work – maybe not quite as silky as cow’s milk dairy, but pretty darn close :)
I made this cake this week for my birthday. It is so moist and so delicious. I don’t like frosting, so the ganache was perfect! I sprinkled mini m&ms on top to decorate it. I generally let my husband and kids buy me a cake every year, but this year I insisted I would bake my own. It was the best birthday cake I’ve had for my own birthday in years!
Well Happy Bday to you AND I am so glad that this was a big hit for you and that you had such good success with it! Comments & stories like this just make my day and the fact that it turned out to be the best bday cake you’ve had in years…just awesome! Thanks for making it and the feedback!
Goodness gracious, this looks SO good! PS. I’m catching up on my blog reading and don’t know exactly when this happened, but your new blog design looks awesome – I love it!
Well I’ve had the current design and layout since about February 2012. I have added some images on my sidebars and rotate the recipe cubes but other than that, it’s the same! Welcome back!
Omg I made the chocolate cake that requires coco and coffee. Amazing. Eat. Cake. Ever.
So glad to hear you made it and are as thrilled with it as I am!
love the frosting!
Perfection. That’s the only word to describe this cake… I love the use of yogurt to add moisture to the cake and that there’s no butter involved. And no mixer required. So awesome… I’m featuring this post in today’s Food Fetish Friday (with a link-back and attribution as always). Thank you so much for keeping me inspired with such delicious creations…
If I don’t use the coffee should I use more cocoa in water or milk? Coffee doesn’t agree with me. Thanx for your help.
I would just replace the coffee for water. Possibly add a little extra vanilla extract and if there’s any way to use the coffee, I reallllllllly would. Even decaf, whatever – it’s a flavor thing and water is just not going to be the same but you know that going into it….
I used buttermilk instead of coffee, worked nicely. Also used some sea salt in the ganache made a 3 layer cake each layer topped with ganache and covered it with a cocoa whipped cream “icing” best cake ever!
Great feedback on the buttermilk rather than coffee. You can never go wrong w/ buttermilk in cakes, muffins, quickbreads, pancakes, etc b/c it just tenderizes everything so beautifully. And if you like a saltier vibe (which I’m guessing from the sea salted ganache), buttermilk is just perfect for you then!
The fact that you topped the ganache with cocoa whipped cream – oh I want to lick the bowl :) Thanks for the feedback!