Cake dreams do come true
When my hubby was about 10 years old, he ate the most amazing cake. It was a chocolate cake with a custard layer and covered with chocolate ganache. Since then, he’s often lamented that he’s never come across that cake again. Trust me, I’ve heard that story many, many times.
25 years later, I decided to fulfil his cake dream…on his birthday weekend. Yes we share the same birthday month…and with my wonderful birthday presents I received earlier in the month, I made him the cake of his dreams.
Hubby knows that with the birthday present he gave me this year, he was going to benefit from it. Here’s my new ‘toy’, a fire-engine red Kitchenaid mixer!!! All shiny and pretty….I lurve, lurve it!
Oh and my lovely friends from home got me this! Thanks C & C!!! I no longer have to do crazy conversions and squint at my measuring jug anymore!
So anyway, back to the cake. I’ve never baked it before and I got recipes off various websites (one for cake, one for custard filling) and with ALOT of beginner’s luck, I got the whole thing going.
The custard was made the night before so it has sufficient setting time in the fridge. Then comes cake day…I used this moist, easy chocolate cake recipe that many have sworn is the best. I was a little sceptical when the batter was done (it was so runny I thought I got it wrong and had to triple and cross check with other websites), but runny batter produced a delicious, moist chocolate cake. This will be my go to choc cake recipe from now on. Hit that save button!!
Now the tricky bit is getting all the components together. I was nervous! My hubby’s cake dreams lie in my shaky hands. First, I had to split my 9″ cake into two layers. Wooden skewers to the rescue and I got the cake evenly split in half.
See – I’m not a huge fan of chocolate cake. Sacrilege I know! I think I can hear some of you screaming in disbelief. So when I heard about this cake, I thought it was way too rich and chocolately. (again…more screaming) However, the combination of the moist cake, creamy custard and bittersweet ganache was perfect. It wasn’t overly sweet and there was that slight hint of coffee in the cake which gave it a nice, deep flavour.
Look at that! Hubby was really pleased with it and he claimed, I quote “The BEST birthday cake he’s ever had”. Awww…so sweet. Truth be told, my hubby is the easiest person to cook for and he’s been very supportive (aside from getting the results of my cooking efforts I’m sure) of my blogging. He waits patiently as I take photos of the prepared meals, and doesn’t complain when suddenly I see a potential shot mid-way through eating, and the food disappears for another few shots in my makeshift studio…heh.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE. I love you!
MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup hot brewed coffee
2 eggs
Directions:
Preheat oven to 175 degrees Centigrade and grease and flour a 9 inch cake pan. In a bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients. Create a well in the centre and add all the rest of the ingredients except coffee. Mix well until combined and then add coffee. Mix once again. Pour into greased pan and bake in the middle rack in the oven for approximately an hour or until a skewer comes out just clean. Cool on a wire rack.
CUSTARD FILLING
Ingredients:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix the sugar, flour and salt in a medium saucepan. Stir in 3/4 cup of the milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk together the egg and remaining milk, then whisk that mixture into the saucepan. Return to heat and cook just until it starts to boil, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Transfer to a bowl; cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard. Chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
Ingredients:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (can use semisweet)
1 cup heavy cream
Break up the chocolate into a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan just until it starts to boil. Pour into the chocolate and stir until the chocolate melts and becomes smooth and shiny. Let cool about 30 minutes. Stir through again before frosting the cake.
droolfactor 
This looks like the perfect cake. Maybe for Valentine’s Day? Hmmm . . . hitting ‘save’ . . .
You might think twice…………..ran all over the oven! What a mess and this was after baking 50 minutes. I am transferring to another oven at a higher temp to finish baking. The house is full of smoke!!!!!!
I agree. I had a total mess. Cleaned the oven and tried again (even used slightly less coffee and milk and oil. Had the sense to put tinfoil down to catch the mess (if any) the second go. Again, another mess. Too runny but it does eventually yield a delicious tasting cake.
When I saw how much batter it was in bowl, I used 2, pans 9″ this is what I think they failed to mention. I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I’m hoping my custard will come out the right consistency, first time making that and ganache. Signed, food dreamer 24- 7
I’ve made this about 25 times and it’s always been perfect. Just make sure your 9″ pan is 3″ in height. Batter is runny but that is not a problem.
And hour is WAY too long to bake this cake. I used a 9″ cake pan (3″ high) and it still spilled over the edges and made a huge mess. The top was slightly burned and the cake is super dry due to being over cooked. I highly recommend lowering your bake time to 35-45 mins. I cooked mine for 50 and it was way over done.
Need to have farenhight temp as well as centigrade aka cellus temp which 175 centigrade is 347 ferenhight
Definitely in the running for Valentine’s Day!
I’ve never thought of using custard as a filling to my chocolate cake. It’s brilliant!
Aww, thanks for the shout out; you’re welcome. Great to see that our pressie is useful! :)
Oooo I have been waiting and waiting and waiting for this recipe…I am still dreaming about that cake…Unfortuately, Husbands says can’t make it til after Oz…Ha ha! :D
Looks nice and yummy. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I will surely try this out.
Take the Cake Personality Test and find out which cake are you like. I have taken the test and have enjoyed a lot. Hope you too will enjoy it. Have Fun!!
[…] Cake dreams do come true « […]
This looks amazing! Its so funny how you describe your husband waiting for the food- mine does too, although he is not so patient. The Husbands should get together and start a blog support group for all the food blogger husbands waiting for their food! Thanks for a great recipe!
That would be too funny! I’m not surprised if such a support group blog for husbands exists! Ooh maybe I should google for it now :) thanks for stopping by.
I didn’t know how to start an independent conversation so had to write in reply… Nee ways.. This recipe bakes the moistesssss cake ever… Thank you for the share.. Many prayers and blessings your way :)
Glad to hear it! It is my all time favourite chocolate cake recipe! :)
Aww, so sweet!
[…] want cake? Wait, what woman in general doesn’t want cake. And the fact that it’s chocolate cake just makes it that much […]
Ok, my mouth is watering! Yummy.
OMG! thank u for sharing this recipe! I’ve been on the net for hours browsing for the perfect chocolate cake recipe with custard filling and I think I found it! THANK YOU! :))
Btw, can you tell me what kind of bittersweet chocolate did u use? Can I use any kind of store-bought chocolate? Thank you!
Oh also I just noticed u posted this recipe on my birthday. :)
I used 70% dark chocolate from Green & Blacks so if you can find any dark, semi-sweet ones in that range you’ll be fine. Happy belated birthday! Hope you enjoy the cake!!
THANKS! :)
My cake is in the oven as I type!
The batter looked a bit runny though. I’m wondering if I did anything wrong or if that’s the way it’s meant to be?
Hi Jessica, don’t worry. My batter was runny too. I’m sure by now you’ll realise it’s all ok :)
Sure enough, it turned out perfect! I’m having friends over in 15 minutes & I’m sure they’ll devour it!
Is the custard supposed to be lumpy after it’s chilled? I expected a smoother texture but I smacked it in the middle of my cake lumps and all anyway! Having company over today!
The custard shouldn’t be runny or have stiff lumps. As long as it’s spreadable and still hold its shape, you’re on the right track! Have a wonderful time!
[…] cake recipe which I’ve baked a few times now with great success, but I’m keen to try this doozy of a cake at Drool Factor. Doesn’t it look […]
I used to bake Moist Chocolate Cake using this recipe. Will definitely add Custard filling next time.
Thank You for sharing!!
This looks so amazing. I wants it. Its my birthday and I think I deserve it :P
Happy birthday!!
Can you not use the coffee and use hot water instead?
Apparently there’s just something about the coffee that brings out the flavour of the chocolate. I wouldn’t replace it with hot water as it only dilutes the cake batter. I’ve never tried using water though so I don’t really know how that will turn out.
Thanks for getting back to me :) I added the coffee and its baking in the oven as we speak :) Can’t wait to try it :)
There’s too much batter for one pan! I’m trying to divide into two… here goes nothing…
Hey Stacey, I use a 9″ pan and it’s perfect. Hope yours turn out ok!
Used one 9 inch pan as recommended…it is currently spilling all over my oven :(
Sorry to hear that :( its worked perfectly a few times for me now.
I had the same problem! I should have used two pans like my gut said. I followed recipe exact and used a 9 inch pan. Live and learn 2 pans next time.
Should this be refrigerated?
I’ve never had it around long enough to worry about it! I have had it unrefrigerated for a few days but that was during winter.
I made this, it was AMAZING!! Best chocolate cake recipe ever! Even after it is chilled (because of the custard) it is super moist! Making this again for valentines day but with strawberries added! :)
[…] Chocolate cake Recipe here […]
OMG. I was looking for some sort of treat to make for my hubby for Easter and this is perfect. Thanks so much for sharing. I cannot wait to sink my teeth into this, seriously.
So when you say 175 centigrade, I need to change that to 347 F, right? Just checking. My cake is currently running over and it’s in a 9 in pan.
I think you should mix the batter very well so it gets thickened a bit instead of runny before baking it.
I used a 9″ Pan and it spilled all over too. So I remade it with a deeper pan and it was a success. Also make sure to cook at 345-350 dregrees f.
We all have pet peeves. It spelled: a lot. Not alot. it is two words. You have gone “public” and need to set a good example for the 75% of the people who misspell that combination. Love the look of the snazzy mixer. Recipe looks good.
How deep was your pan?
Unfortunately, I lost that cake tin when I moved to Australia…I believe it was a 9 x 3″ springform tin. Now I have a slightly bigger but shallower one 12 x 2″ which works as well.
I’ve just attempted this cake = epic fail on the custard!! It’s too runny to spread and it’s lumpy *I cry!*
Proper miffed as well as I wanted to surprise my bf with it as it’s his birthday today…. :( any hints to how to make it less runny and lumpy even though I was constantly whisking, it wasn’t even on a high heat as it bubbled too quickly then within seconds, it just went to lumps :(
There could be a different factors as to why your custard didn’t work out. Don’t give up! Look for a different custard recipe if you want, but be sure that you cook the flour thoroughly (so there’s no raw flour taste) and the mixture thickens well first. If it helps, pour cooked flour mixture into a heat proof bowl before adding the egg, and cook it over a simmering pot of water (Bain marie). This way you won’t have to worry about controlling the heat under the pot and risk curdling. Good luck!
Hello,
I have made the cake and everything went well, it’s in the fridge now but I still need to make the chocolate ganache frosting. Although I have no idea what ‘heavy cream’ means. I live in Egypt and I can’t find it anywhere, can it be made at home?
Hi, heavy cream has higher fat content than regular cream, if you can find double cream that would be good.
Oh i know now, I’ve figured out it’s also called whipping cream! :)
Estoy en ello. Deliciosa pinta. ME lo llevo a Mallorca.
Thank God your hubby had the same cake dream as I do! I’m trying to make the exact same thing and I’m looking for good recipes for the cake, the filling and the ganache separately, so this is convenient! And the weird thing is, I’m not a chocolate lover at all, just like you (chocolate gives me headache, I don’t know why), but the combination of the three is so good, I’m craving for it after having some at a bakery once – it’s that magical!
Hi. I decided to be adventurous today & bake your cake for friends at a dinner get-together! Must say I really enjoyed baking it, especially given I’m not a chocolate-cake-person! It was also my first time initiation at cutting any cake in half & had to research online how to do it properly with toothpicks, which turned out pretty decent. Cake feels very moist & lovely & custard was very smooth, I used a real vanilla pod instead. For the ganache, I only had 85% dark chocolate in pantry, so I added 2 tbsp honey to it, hoping it will cut the bitterness. It is now chilling in fridge & we honestly cannot wait to taste! I’m sure it won’t disappoint. Husband just walked in kitchen & I had to shoo him away ;) I will be sprinkling coarsely roasted nuts on top for more effect later & to mask the small ganache pool which has drizzled all around cake plate (forgot had to place cake on a wire rack before pouring ganache!lol. Many thanks for sharing your special recipe, it will be passed on…Cheers :)
[…] Moist Chocolate Cake (Photo Only) […]
Made it! Love it! Thank you!
Surely the 175 degrees was a typo …
175 degrees Celsius is correct. You can use an online converter to change it to Fahrenheit.
Why you don’t just tell us what the fahrenheit is so we don’t hae to look it up?
347 Fahrenheit
Can you tell us where you got this recipe? Thanks!
As I mentioned in the blog itself i mixed and matched bits and pieces of recipes from all over.
Hi. For 1 cup of coffee – how many teaspoons / tablespoon of coffee and how much of hot water?
thanks!
Hi, for the coffee I made it as a long black. Quite strong. Not sure what kind of coffee you’re making but just make a strong cup. (I don’t drink coffee so I won’t know the specifics!) you don’t actually taste the coffee in the cake. It just brings out the flavour of the chocolate.
What can you replace the coffee with?
Coffee’s optional, you don’t have to replace with anything. It won’t affect the batter consistency much.
Oh, thanks alot l will definetly try this amazing recipe :)
I tried the custard and it didn’t look a bit yellowish like in the pics instead it looked so pale especially when l added the vanilla extract, any help?
This particular custard in itself is rather pale. The only yellow colour is from that one egg. If your egg yolk is organic and really orange, then you’ll get your colour. Otherwise it’d be pale which is okay, it won’t affect the taste. If you’re using vanilla from a pod, you’ll get the seeds showing beautifully and that’s actually what a lot of good vanilla cream, custard or creme anglaise look like.
This looks sooo amazing. I’m making it for my boyfriends birthday this week. Will add lindt chocolate balls on top as decoration.
Thank you soo much for this recipe! I kade the cake and custard filling but instead of ganache I grated chocolate on top and it looks gorgeous!
Hi,
How should I make hot coffee, If I use nestle coffee powder?
I mean how much table spoon for one cup hot boiling water?
And also should I just mix coffee powder in hot water or boil it more in gas? Ur response will help me to make the cake next week for my hubbys birthday.
Hey Sunitha
If you want to use coffee (which is optional by the way), just make a strong cup of coffee the way you normally would with your coffee powder. I don’t actually drink coffee so I can’t say many spoons for one cup. If in doubt, just leave out the coffee. It’s still be good!
HI,
Thanks for your reply. I have one more query. As the custard sets in the fridge. How did u manage to put in the cake and also after putting the other layer on chocolate cake on top of custard did u keep in the fridge and how long?
When you’re ready to construct the cake. Take the custard out of the fridge, give it a good stir to soften it so it is more spreadable. It should spread like thick peanut butter. Once it put everything together, I didn’t keep it back in the fridge. It was winter though, so it’s always cool in the house. Never made it in summer but I would assume it will be fine if you want to store in the fridge for a few hours. Best served fresh though!
Hi, I have made the cake. Ana followed each and every step as given.
It came out perfect.
Thanks for posting this unique recipe.
I’m not really a “cake person”. I will usually just pass on cake. But this cake…whoa! Oh my! I was looking up a good cake for my son’s birthday and found this. I doubled it so I wouldn’t have to split the one cake, and so there’d be enough for everyone. My son is 14, so I put whipped cream tufts and strawberries on it to make it look festive. They were a nice compliment to the rich chocolate. Your cake is delicious!! I wanted to eat the whole thing. Good grief! Thank you so much for sharing this scrumptious recipe!
This was the best chocolate cake I’ve ever tasted. Though if I may share with those of you who plan to make it, the batter does not fit in a 9-inch round cake pan. It WILL spill over. I split mine into a 9-inch and a 5-inch and it STILL spilled over the 9-inch. Use your best baking judgment when filling the cake pan! (Maybe you can make a mini-treat to have all to yourself like I did… hehe). If you want to take your chances with a 9-inch alone, my suggestion is placing a sheet of aluminum foil beneath the pan to catch the possible drippings and avoid a mess. Wonderful cake though… such a glorious recipe!
Thanks Gabby! Yeah many people have said their 9 inch pan didn’t work, yet it does for some others, myself included! Strange but wise words to follow – use your best baking judgement. Glad you love the recipe as much as I do!
I have one question. The above recipe is without butter. Why didn’t u used it?
Not all cakes require butter. This one is oil-based.
OMG! that cake and your photography looks gorgeous. Im totally drooling. And oh yeah, im not a big chocolate cake fan either. But this sounds like something I WANT!
Thanks Farah! I’m surprised to find so many other people who aren’t huge choc fans. But yes, you should try and make this cake! :)
Made this. Worth 5 stars. Very nice. I substitute coffee with hot water cause I don’t drink coffee and didn’t have at my house. Stored it directly in the fridge and it was still moist. Very moist and nice rich flavour. Excellent texture and flavour. Loved the creme idea. Thanks for sharing. Best regards from Greece
So glad you enjoyed the cake! P/s I love Greece!
can i use 2 8×2 cake pans? i will just divide the batter between them. in that case, will the temperature and timing be the same?….
thank you..and Godbless….
I’m sure you can split it. But I’m not sure about the timings. Personally I’d reduce the bake time, leaving the temp the same. Good luck and God bless!
thank u for the fast reply….
Is sugar & granulated sugar different? I’m going to bake a cake for the first time & will be following exactly.
Hi Rach, in this case I’ve use castor sugar which is a fine form of granulated sugar and is more commonly used for baking as it dissolves faster.
Also can anybody tell me how much bars of chocolate bar is 8 ounces
Rach, 8 ounces is 227 grams. Most chocolate bars have the weight in Oz and grams on the label. The ganache recipe called for 8 ounces but I used 2 bars of 100g Green & Black’s chocolate, so it was under 227g, but that’s okay.
Instead of all purpose flour can I use plain white flour?
I am baking this cake as I type. I baked it at 175 Fahrenheit for an hour. Oh dumb! I new that sounded weird when I set the oven temp. I should have read all the posts first! I’m baking now at 350 degrees and will watch it, not sure how much time it will take. The custard is pale yellow but not lumpy at all. Can’t wait to see how it turns out!!! I hope it doesn’t taste burnt, because like others, mine overflowed the 9″ pan and started burning on the bottom of the oven. I hope the cake doesn’t have a burnt taste now. :( I have a pan under catching the drippings for now. Here’s to saving it!
Oh my gosh, the overflowing cake dripping started on FIRE in my oven! Learn from me – Use two 9″ inch pans folks!
OK with all the drama above the cake turned out fine and my house didn’t burn down. The cake didn’t taste burnt and it’s all been consumed completely already!! Didn’t even make it longer than one day! The cake definitely tastes best after it’s cooled or chilled. The cake really moistens up well. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
So for those of you who are having problems
I baked this in a 10 in Springform pan and it turned out wonderful
Also note to PREHEAT YOUR OVEN FOR 345 F
I liked the recipe but the lack of info was disappointing
Hope this helps most of you
Thanks Allyson. Sorry I didn’t have a solution as it has worked so many times for me and many others. And I didn’t have a chance to try this another way. Was hoping for someone who has tried some other way and you did! Hope this helps others too. Thanks!
Droolfactor this is by far my favorite recipe! I am a baker, so I have tried this recipe several different times as a cake and as cupcakes….Actually I am currently baking this recipe right now for Superbowl cupcakes. when I bake this as a cake I separate it into two 9″ pans ( I prefer thinner layers ) and it works perfectly…Every time. When I use this recipe for cupcakes it typically yields 2 dozen cupcakes and I don’t put much batter into the paper liners. Thanks for sharing it!
Super Bowl cupcakes!!!!! Yum!
Hi Droolfactor! Thank you for sharing this great recipe! Just wondering… have you tried or heard from others about how the cake freezes? I’m hoping to make the cake layers in advance so that I only have the custard and ganache to make the day of… Thanks for your help!
I know a number of people have tried refrigerating with good results. Don’t think anyone has tried freezing it yet though – sorry. I made the custard the day before so I know that works well if that helps with timing.
Oh yes, you may freeze your cake. I have done it many times with this one, but only overnight though. But with other cakes, days. Just make sure to wrap the cake with cling wrap snuggly to avoid freeze burn.
Hey..its quite interesting to read ur recipe specially the way u started to surpris ur hubby n turned nto a huge surprs it seems…anywy em gonna try dis vry soon ,after reading all your comments i cnt no longer wait!!!
Started lookin for ingredients in my pantry..hopfully!
I have a doubt doesnt this batter requires a beater ??just mix nd fold?
I’ve just made this cake for my hubbys birthday , came out perfect , I baked in 2 22cm pans , custard also tastes yummy . Just 1 question though , does this cake have to be refrigerated due to custard and the cream used in ganache?
Thanks for a great recipe😊
Thanks prissy! Glad it turned out well. Yes it should be refrigerated.
Best chocolate cake recipe. Thank you
Amazing receipe!!! I have used two 2 pans just because I am not agile in cutting a cake in half :D but worked out just fine, the cooking time was about 50 minutes for me, the coffee gave a great taste, so delicious everyone loved it I am proud of myself hehe! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing perfect chocolate cake and please share more :*