Black Magic Cake is THE BEST Chocolate cake ever! This is my go-to chocolate cake recipe, rich, moist, delicious and perfect for birthdays and celebrations. Add my intensely chocolatey mascarpone frosting to make this the BEST chocolate cake ever!
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time35 minutesmins
Total Time50 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Black Magic Cake, Black Magic Chocolate Cake
225ml| 8 fl oz buttermilk or milk soured with 1 tsp lemon juice
100ml| 4 fl oz vegetable oilor coconut oil
1tspvanilla extract or paste
For the frosting
450g| 1lb mascarpone cheesefull fat
100g| 3 1/2 oz icing sugar
1tspground cinnamon
1tspinstant espresso coffee powder
200g| 7oz dark chocolatemelted
For the chocolate sauce
60g| 2oz dark chocolatechopped
80ml| ⅓ cup creamdouble / heavy cream
1tbspunsalted butter
1tbsprunny honey
To decorate
sprinkleschocolate shavings (optional)
Instructions
Make the cake
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Spray 3x15cm (6in) tins with cake release and line the bottoms with baking paper. Alternatively use 2x20cm (8in) tins.
Mix the eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil and vanilla together in a large bowl or a measuring jug.
Sift all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, raising agents and salt) over the wet ingredients in the bowl or pour the wet ingredients over the dry if you have used a measuring jug.
Mix well, scraping over the bottom and sides of the bowl and making sure no dry pockets of flour remain. The batter will be quite runny – this is normal.
Divide the batter between greased and lined tins and bake for 35 minutes
Cool in the tins for 10 minutes then carefully turn out onto a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting. You might need to level the tops slightly before assembling the layer cake.
Chocolate mascarpone frosting
Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl and microwave for 30 second bursts, stirring, until melted and smooth. Set aside.
Whisk icing sugar, mascarpone, ground cinnamon and instant espresso powder together in a large bowl using a hand mixer (or in your stand mixer) on low speed to combine. Increase the speed so that the frosting is well mixed.
Add the melted chocolate and whisk together until the frosting is glossy, smooth and holds peaks.
Chocolate sauce
Make this just before you assemble the cake. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and set it over a bowl of barely simmering water (double boiler method). Stir until completely melted and smooth.
Assemble the cake
Transfer the frosting into a piping bag. Pipe a generous amount of frosting over the bottom cake layer and top with the second. Repeat and top with the final layer, smooth side up.
Pipe more frosting over the top of the cake and drizzle with chocolate sauce.
Add sprinkles or chocolate shavings to decorate and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
If you don’t have any buttermilk, add 1 tsp of lemon juice to whole milk, mix and let it stand for a few minutes.
If you don't like coffee you can use coffee essence or hot water instead and leave it out of the frosting.
The unfrosted layers can be baked up to three days in advance and kept wrapped at room temperature. The cake will feel rather damp and sticky - this is as it should be - so keep the layers separated by greaseproof paper if you are stacking together.
The frosted cake will last for 2-3 days in the fridge without any ill effects, not that I have ever had any leftovers! Bring back to room temperature before serving.
Please note: Nutritional values are approximate only and will depend on serving size.