One Layer Fudge Cake
If you happen to be looking for an easy, decadent chocolate dessert, this One Layer Fudge Cake fits the bill! It’s perfect when you need a smaller dessert. One of my friends served this exquisite chocolate cake last night for a birthday party, and it just reinforced how incredible this Homemade Chocolate Cake recipe tastes! I practically licked my plate clean.
A chocolate cake is pretty much a given on December 27. That’s the date of my oldest’s birthday. Any other day of the year a luscious Chocolate Lasagna would make the family swoon, but for a birthday, it must be cake. It doesn’t matter that we still had ¾ of a Chocolate Mousse Torte in the fridge that was leftover from Christmas. We had to honor the kid who drew the short straw as far as birthdays are concerned, so the Best Chocolate Cake Recipe was on the menu!
Why You Must Make:
- It’s only ONE layer, so it’s perfect when you need a smaller, celebratory dessert.
- The cake is moist, rich, and delicious!!
- You can easily make this Chocolate Fudge Cake gluten-free by using Cup-4-Cup Flour in place of regular flour.
It’s difficult when your special day is so close to Christmas. Mom is tired of cooking, mom is tired of shopping. Sometimes the poor guy gets a lot of IOUs, but he’s a good sport. But I did make certain there was a chocolate cake. And this rich, one-layer cake is perfect when you’ve been overindulging your way through the holidays.
Cake Ingredients
Frosting Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Kitchen Staples – Sugar, Flour, Baking Soda, Salt, Hot Water, Brown Sugar
- Semisweet Chocolate (affiliate link) – Finely chopped; I like using Ghirardelli bars.
- Heavy Cream – 36% milkfat.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (affiliate link) – Don’t use a cocoa mix that’s made for hot chocolate. Both Hershey’s and Ghiradelli brands are readily available.
- Butter – Melted and warm, salted is OK.
- Eggs – Large; at room temperature is best for baking as they will incorporate more easily.
- Vanilla Extract (affiliate link) – Use real vanilla extract, not artificially flavored. I like the Nielsen-Massey brand.
Serving Suggestions
This year, a one-layer fudge cake topped with a decadent, glossy ganache was selected for the celebration. When I showed the birthday boy this photo on the Fine Cooking website, he quickly agreed with my choice. You cannot go wrong with an Alice Medrich recipe when it comes to chocolate desserts. But besides birthdays, this single-layer cake is perfect for Valentine’s Day. Or if you’re celebrating with your favorite girlfriends, “Galentine’s Day.”
Cut into wedges and serve with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream. Or for an even more extravagant indulgence, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of hot fudge sauce. I can feel my blood sugar rising just thinking about it!
How to Make:
Dense and moist with a glossy coat of ganache, this one-layer fudge cake was so easy to put together. No worries about lining up layers, piping decorations, or fiddling with leveling. Bake, cool, and coat. It was as simple as that. And it was as superb in taste as it was a breeze to assemble.
You’ll definitely want to whip up this single-layer chocolate cake for the chocoholic in your life. We sent the leftovers home with Tom. I’m certain he and his roommates finished it for breakfast. That’s a birthday boy’s prerogative.
Recipe Tips:
This ganache chocolate cake is ideal for when you aren’t feeding a huge crowd. Fewer leftovers (if any!) and no waste, plus the flavor is out of this world!
- Adding an extra 4 ounces of chocolate will make a thicker ganache if that’s your preference. But remember that the ganache should still pour so you can get a smooth, glossy coating.
- Purchase an Oven Thermometer (affiliate link) to be sure your oven is registering the proper temperature. No one likes a dry, over-baked cake.
- One of my friends makes a gluten-free version of this one-layer fudge cake just by substituting Gluten-Free Flour (affiliate link) for the flour in equal measurements. I’ve tasted it, and you’d never know the difference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Grease your baking pan, then place a round of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan and grease it as well. I don’t add a coat of flour, since flouring the pan after greasing could leave a white residue around the edges of the cake. That would be undesirable.
When you start to smell a delicious aroma emanating from the oven, your chocolate cake is almost fully baked. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake, and if it comes out with a few to no moist crumbs when removed, the cake is done. A tapping test is another way of testing. Use an index finger to tap the top of the hot cake. If the indentation bounces back up, the cake is finished. If the indentation remains, the cake needs more time in the oven.
Your chocolate cake should cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Using hot pads if needed, gently shake the pan back and forth to loosen a bit. Then flip the cake onto the cooling rack, and invert back upright if able. If the cake is released too early, it will break apart. If it’s left in the pan too long, it will stick.
If the ganache is too runny, let it cool at room temperature a bit longer. If the kitchen is very warm, place the ganache in the refrigerator, stirring frequently until it’s the right consistency. If the ganache is too thick, microwave for about 10-15 seconds, then stir. Repeat as needed.
You May Also Like:
- German Chocolate Cake from Jo Cooks
- Triple Layer Chocolate Cake
- Death by Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate-Mayonnaise Cake
- Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake
- The Best Chocolate Cake
- Whipped Ganache Chocolate Cake
- Plus, find more Homemade Chocolate Recipes in my recipe index chocolate category.
One Layer Fudge Cake Recipe
A smaller version of the perfect chocolate cake!
Ingredients
For Ganache:
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon sugar
For Cake and Assembling:
- 1 cup flour
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces (½ cup) butter, melted and warm
- 1 ¼ cups brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup hot water
- 1 cup warm ganache (listed above)
Instructions
- Make ganache. Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. In a saucepan or via the microwave, heat cream to a simmer.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk gently until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
- Add sugar and whisk to combine. Set aside and let cool enough so it doesn't all run off the cake when you glaze.
- Preheat the oven to 350º. Grease the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan or line it with parchment.
- In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt. Sift the cocoa into the dry ingredients and whisk to combine.
- In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and brown sugar with a wooden spoon.
- Add the eggs and vanilla; stir until well blended.
- Add the flour mixture all at once and stir just until all the flour is moistened.
- Pour the hot water over the batter; stir just until it’s incorporated and the batter is smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes or till a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the cake and remove from the pan to finish cooling on the rack, removing parchment if used.
- Once cool, set the rack over a baking sheet or foil. Pour the ganache over the cake and use an offset spatula to spread it over the top of the cake and down the sides.
- Let set for about an hour before serving.
Notes
Adapted from Fine Cooking. Recipe from Alice Medrich
You may find you have extra ganache. I love to make sandwich cookies with two chocolate chip cookies and a thick layer of ganache as the filling.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 433Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 80mgSodium: 183mgCarbohydrates: 61gFiber: 2gSugar: 46gProtein: 5g
170 Comments on “One Layer Fudge Cake”
The recipe says 4 ounces (1/2 cup) of butter.
Four ounces is a 1/4 cup.
Should it be a 1/4 cup, or a 1/2 cup of butter?
Thank you~
Hi, Ilona, 4 ounces is ½ cup of butter. If you look at a stick of butter (at least my Land O Lakes brand), you’ll see each stick labeled as a ½ cup/8 tablespoons and Net Weight 4 ounces. Since butter is denser than say flour, it takes less to make 4 ounces. I hope that makes sense.
You are right.
I am sorry for posting that.
I am making your cake right now.
Thank you~
No worries! It can be confusing! It’s always best to double-check if you’re unsure. I hope you enjoy your cake!
Can’t wait to try! Can I make ahead of time? Wanted to make it on Saturday to serve on Sunday.
Yes, I’d make it the day before and keep it in the fridge until about an hour before serving to the icing firms up. Hope you enjoy, Laura!
One layer fudge cake is so yummy perfect treat. My kids approved it. I enjoyed making also.
This one-layer fudge cake is so yummy, I have tried it, and My kids wants me to make it as a birthday cake.
What a rich decadent looking chocolate cake. It is really tempting. Not sure I could ever make it but the recipe doesn’t look that difficult.
I made this for a birthday and it turned out great. The ganache really takes the cake to the next level! YUM
It definitely has to be a special cake for you to be impressed. Can’t wait to give it a try.
I’m terrible at layer cakes so gave this a try! It was perfect. Everyone wanted the recipe! We all loved how fudgy it was. And so easy, too. Thanks!
I love this cake, so easy and delicious… I don’t make the ganache though, I make a variety of buttercream frostings for it, depending on what the birthday person wants…
I plan on making this in November for te hubs, which brown sugar do you use, light or dark?
Thanks
Hi, Carol, I use light brown sugar in this recipe. Hope you and your hubby enjoy it!
Hi! I just wanted to know what type of butter i should use. SO should i use salted or unsalted.
I always use salted butter. Hope you enjoy this cake, Tessa!
Hi. I just found your great recipe. Sorry for the dumb question. If I want to make a 2 layer cake just double the recipe right? Thank you
Hi, Laura! Not a dumb question at all. I’ve never tried it with this recipe, but it should work just fine!! Let me know how it goes.
Just one more thought, Laura. Since the frosting is pourable, there won’t be much between the cake layers. You could add more chocolate to part of the ganache to thicken it for the filling. That would give you more of a visible line of frosting between the layers.
It was perfect the first time. I learn so much from you as well! Wow great post.
Chocolate on chocolate works every time for my dessert lovers. That silky smooth ganache is the perfect topper for this cake.
This is such a fantastic cake Liz! I think I’d like to double the ganache and just have extra on the side (to drink) if that ‘s ok? Well, I’d use a spoon just to be more polite!
xoxo,
Roz