This chocolate birthday cake is simple to make, tastes delicious and is perfect for decorating for a special celebration.
I hate getting questions that I can’t give a helpful answer to, so over the past few weeks I’ve been a busy bee trying to perfect my chocolate cake recipe. Now this couldn’t be just any old chocolate cake, it had to be perfect for a birthday which meant it…
I get a lot of comments on my all-in-one vanilla sponge birthday cake and the ones that always makes me smile the most are when people say that they never bake and the simplicity of the recipe has given them the confidence to do more in future. I wanted this chocolate cake to be that simple to make… a cake even the novice-est of cooks can make.
This cake is so simple… chuck it all in and mix it up. The only piece of culinary skill you need is a bit of grating!
2) Must be suitable for decorating
When I make birthday cakes for my boys I love to go to town on the decoration (you can see some on my cakes in my cake gallery). In order for the cake to work as a decorated cake it can’t dome too much on top or sink in the middle and it must be sturdy enough to be carved into various shapes for decorating without crumbling.
3) Be chocolatey
This is actually the big reason I’ve not been able to recommend chocolate cake recipes until now. All the cakes I’d made in the past with the right texture (see point 2) used just cocoa powder and they simply weren’t chocolatey enough. To give this cake some extra chocolate-iness it includes lots of actual chocolate grated into the cake mix alongside the cocoa powder.
Photographing this cake caused a lot of confusion in my house as I decided it needed to be decorated just like a birthday cake with lots of colourful fondant. Josh (who’s 3) kept asking whose birthday it was and then started getting all excited about Father Christmas coming (because apparently, he delivers presents for birthdays too). I probably didn’t help matters by deciding to light the candles – a completely unnecessary step as I really only wanted to photograph the inside of the cake after they’d been blown out – we had fun doing it together though 🙂
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Chocolate Birthday Cake
INGREDIENTS
- 200 g self-raising flour
- 40 g cocoa powder
- 230 g caster sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 230 g soft margarine - you can also use softened unsalted butter too
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 100 g milk chocolate - choose something from the baking aisle in the supermarket as it will cope well with the heat in the oven without going grainy.
- 2 tsp milk
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pre-heat your oven to 160ºC/140ºC fan.
- Line your tins (2x 20cm sandwich tins) with liners or greaseproof paper.
- Grate the milk chocolate (100g).
- Put all of the ingredients into a large bowl (200g self-raising flour, 40g cocoa powder, 230g caster sugar, 4 large eggs, 230g soft margarine, ¼ tsp vanilla extract, 2 tsp milk and the grated chocolate) mix on a low speed until fully combined.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the two tins and spread it out so it’s pretty even (it doesn’t have to be perfect as it’ll even out in the oven, but roughly flat is good).
- Put the tins in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes put a skewer in the middle and check if it comes out clean. If it does it’s done, if not pop it back in for a couple more minutes and check again.
- Once cooked, remove the cakes from the oven and leave them to cool in the tins for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, remove the cakes from their tins and pop them onto a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
NOTES
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Free From/Suitable For…
- Suitable for Vegetarians
- Nut-Free
The ingredients for this recipe are easily available free from all these allergens. However, please ensure you double-check allergen information for all ingredients.
Shelpa Shah says
21 June 2019 at 6:10 pmHi
Im looking to make a cake using 6inch x 2inch deep tin, how much ingredients will i need for chocolate cake please?
Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
24 June 2019 at 2:03 pmPut your tin measurements in the ingredient calccualtor (linked below the recipe).
Dee says
19 June 2019 at 7:47 pmSome questions for a newbie!
1. How long after cooking can I top with fondant?
Once it’s cool or should I leave it overnight?
2. Once topped with buttercream & fondant should I leave it at room temperature overnight (or should I refrigerate) ..I’ll not have time the morning of the birthday.
Thanks in advance!
Dee
Charlotte Oates says
19 June 2019 at 8:42 pmAs long as it’s fully cool then you can decorate it, no need to leave it overnight.
Unless it’s a very hot day, I usually leave mine out at room temperature (as I only have a small fridge). If you have space then refrigerate it (cover it to ensure no moisture gets onto the fondant). Make sure you allow it time to come up to room temperature before eating it as it tastes better that way.
Dee says
19 June 2019 at 9:02 pmThank you!!!!
Kim says
16 June 2019 at 1:32 pmWould this work ok with dark chocolate? My son is dairy free so I am wanting to adapt to suit for his birthday cake.
Charlotte Oates says
17 June 2019 at 10:13 amYes. This cake is easy to adapt to be dairy-free. SImply switch the milk chocolate for dark (dairy-free), switch the margarine for a dairy-free version and add a couple of tsp of a plant-based milk.
I also have a recipe for dairy-free chocolate buttercream you can use.
Kim says
17 June 2019 at 10:18 amBrilliant Thankyou x
Julie says
13 June 2019 at 1:49 pmIs this cake suitable for chocolate ganache instead of icing my kids love the sweetie cakes.
Charlotte Oates says
15 June 2019 at 2:06 pmYes. I use buttercream as that’s what I love, but you could simply use your favourite ganache recipe instead.
Amanda says
12 June 2019 at 9:03 amWhat is the white icing that goes on top please? Would the order from bottom to top be cake, buttercream, cake then a thin layer of buttercream on the top and sides then the white icing? As you can tell, I don’t make many cakes! I’m planning to make this for my grandson’s 13th birthday on Saturday.
Charlotte Oates says
12 June 2019 at 2:47 pmYes, that order is right. The white icing is fondant. I buy it ready-made. If you want to calculate how much you’ll need you can use my calculator.
Laura says
11 June 2019 at 8:25 pmJust had to say that I bake a lot of cakes, but this has become my go-to recipe for cakes. By far the most delicious, moist and flavoursome. It always get sos many compliments. Also, for me, it rises brilliantly and evenly and has become a wide range of things including a Thomas the Tank engine and a tennis court ! Thank you so much! 🙂
Hayley says
27 May 2019 at 2:02 pmI was going to use this for a hedgehog cake. Does it carve okay or is it too moist? Thanks Hayley
Ps I used your all in one for my sons birthday cake and it was delicious! Thank you! Xx
Charlotte Oates says
30 May 2019 at 6:27 pmIt should be fine to carve into a hedgehog shape.
Nessw80 says
25 May 2019 at 8:26 pmCan you freeze this cake before icing?
Charlotte Oates says
30 May 2019 at 6:30 pmYou can freeze it wrapped in clingfilm (to protect it from the frost). Defrost it thoroughly before decorating it.
Neil Franklin says
10 May 2019 at 7:57 amI have never Iced a cake before do I put butter cream on the top and sides before putting the icing on? Thank you
Charlotte Oates says
10 May 2019 at 9:28 amI always put a thin layer around the sides and on top. It helps the icing stick to the cake and also helps you to get a smoother finish.