Chocolate Ganache Cake (in under one hour)

This easy Chocolate Ganache Cake is perfect for small gatherings, intimate Valentines day celebration, a date night or just when a chocolate craving hits. This cake recipe is not only super simple to put together but is very versatile too! Also did I tell you, it is ready in just under one hour, start to finish.

Try my Double Chocolate Cookies and this fluffy yet decadent Chocolate Mug Cake next! If you enjoy baking layered cakes, this perfect 3 tier Chocolate Cake ends your search!

Details of this Cake:

Taste: It is not an overly sweet cake, I would say it is just the perfect amount of sweet and chocolatey. The chocolate flavor shines through by adding just a hint of coffee. If you want to skip it, that's totally fine too. But coffee only adds to an enhanced chocolate flavor.

Texture: The cake bakes rich, soft and oh-so-moist given you don't end up over baking it. Bake till the cake its just done and you will indulge in the most scrumptious cake of your life.

Ease: As the cake is a single layer cake and is simply drenched in an easy- 2 ingredients ganache. It doesn't get easier than that. Also, this cake has a very simple and straight forward baking list.

Time and Equipment: You will be amazed by how fancy this cake looks and how easily it comes together. This batter takes less than 10 minutes. You will bake it for around 24 minutes, cool it off for a few minutes and then drizzle with the ganache and it is done! 

How this cake came to life:

I wanted to create a simpler version of this large 3 layers chocolate cake. I do have another similar cake recipe that is topped with a slightly thicker chocolate ganache.

But that recipe makes a thick chocolate cake too and needs more time to bake comparatively. I wanted a cake that bakes quickly and thus todays recipe came into being. If you want to enjoy a thick slice from a tall risen cake, definitely check this Easy Chocolate Cake out.

Ingredients and Process Overview:

Full Recipe is mentioned in the recipe card below. Here is an overview of ingredients and their possible substitutes. Also a brief description of how the cake batter comes together.

Cocoa Powder: Naturally unsweetened cocoa powder is what you will need here. I keep saying this and will say this once again that use quality cocoa whenever you are making chocolate desserts. It truly makes all the difference. I like to use Hershey's and also like Valrohna cocoa powder.

Leaveners: Both baking powder and baking soda are needed to make the batter. Make sure the leaveners are fresh before adding them as the rising of cake is solely dependent on them.

Buttermilk: You can either use store bought buttermilk or make your own at home. It is so easy and needs only tow ingredients milk and vinegar.

Coffee: I recently started using espresso powder in my cakes. It has an intense flavor and works like a charm in baking. You can also use instant coffee powder instead.

Vanilla Extract: I know the chocolate flavor is dominant here, but trust me and add a splash of pure vanilla in this batter. It definitely amps the flavor up. You can also use vanilla beans paste if you like.

One Bowl Cake Batter:

I told you, this one is a very easy cake batter. You don't need any fancy equipment to make it. If you wish you can sift your dry ingredients in a separate bowl and then add those ingredients into wet.

I like to whisk all my wet ingredients together (expect coffee and water) and then directly sift all the dry ingredients over wet and give it all a quick mix till the cake batter is formed.

You definitely need to be cautious that you don't end up over beating the batter if you are using a hand beater/mixer. This batter gets formed easily with the help of just a whisk too.

Let me in you on a secret here, you can never end up over beating this batter using a hand whisk. 😉 If making use of a hand mixer, make sure to only beat till the flour and cocoa disappears into the batter.

Make use of parchment paper:

Cut the paper by measuring the diameter of your cake pan. Now lightly grease your pan with oil or make use of an oil spray. Place the parchment paper in the pan and grease the parchment paper and whole of the pan again.

This trick will create the best environment for your baked cake to not stick to the pan or paper.

Chocolate Ganache:

I made the ganache using milk chocolate. You can use any kind of chocolate that you prefer. Just make sure to use good quality chocolate as it makes all the difference.

We are using almost 1:1 ratio of chocolate to cream for this recipe. It makes for the most prefect consistency ganache that you are absolutely going to love!

It is such a versatile cake:

You can easily double this recipe and bake it in 9 x 13 inches pan. Also double the recipe, If you wish to bake a two layered cake.

Instead of baking it as a cake, you can even opt for baking a small batch of cupcakes. You will need to adjust the baking time accordingly. Just keep an eye on your cakes and cupcakes after 20 minutes of baking time has passed.

Test the cakes/cupcakes with a cake tester or a toothpick. Once fully baked you will notice that the tester will come out clean.

But don't be tempted to overbake this can as it can easily dry out as well. When you notice only a few moist crumbs on your tester, know that your cakes are almost done. Within a minute or two they are going to finish baking!

Tips for a moist and decadent cake:

• Measure and sift dry ingredients: Always measure and sift all purpose flour and cocoa powder well to get rid of lumps. These two simple steps ensure even mixing of the batter. Don't skip those.
• Measure liquid ingredients too: Measuring liquids correctly is also an unavoidable requirement of this batter. If you end up adding too much liquid, cake will turn out dense and not well risen. I suggest to either employ a weighing scale to measure your liquids or using liquid measuring cups. 
• Do not over bake the cake: Bake your cake only till it passes toothpick test. Over baking the cake can result in a dry bake and we certainly don't want that.
• To cool the cake quickly: We need to allow the cake to cool down completely before we can drizzle it with ganache. To speed up this process you can keep the cake in refrigerator while in pan, covered with a plate/wrap for 15-20 minutes if desired.
• What chocolate to add in the Ganache: This cake tastes so good on its own even without any ganache on it. But I am not saying you shouldn't add it! Drizzling ganache over it makes it even more rich and scrumptious. If you aren't a fan of sweet ganache, you can substitute milk chocolate with a semi sweet or dark chocolate bar.

Dietary Substitutions:

Gluten Free: You can make this cake gluten free by adding any gluten free flour of choice. I like Bob's Red Mill Flour.

Dairy Free: To make it dairy free add soy milk, almond milk or cashew milk instead of regular full fat milk. They all work well here.

Vegan: For an eggless cake, replace the egg used in the recipe with 4 tablespoons of buttermilk. It works beautifully in this batter. Flax egg also works.

More Chocolate Desserts that you will love:

Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe

Swiss Chocolate Roll

Chocolate Pancakes Recipe

Easy Chocolate Cake Pops

Chocolate Bundt Cake

Recipe

Chocolate Ganache Cake

This easy Chocolate Ganache Cake is perfect for small gatherings, intimate Valentines day celebration, a date night or just when a chocolate craving hits. This cake recipe is not only super simple to put together but is very versatile too!

5 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

US Customary - Metric

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cooling time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Servings 8 Slices

1x2x3x

Calories: 262kcal

Author: Neha

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ ⅓ Cup oil (any flavorless oil like canola, vegetable or Avacado oil)
• ▢ ½ cup buttermilk (or use ½ cup milk + ½ tablespoon vinegar to make your own)
• ▢ ¾ Cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 Cup all purpose flour
• ▢ ¼ Cup cocoa powder 
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ Cup boiling water
• ▢ 1 teaspoon instant coffee

Chocolate Ganache:

• ▢ ¼ cup heavy cream
• ▢ 75 gms good quality chocolate (I like to use milk chocolate, semi sweet or dark chocolate works too)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350 deg F and prepare a 9 inch round/square pan with parchment paper by spraying the cake pan first with cooking spray. Then line the pan with parchment paper and lightly spray the parchment paper and entire pan again.
• In a medium bowl mix all the liquid ingredients together except coffee powder and water. Next add in sugar and whisk it in too. A hand whisk works just fine for this step since this is a small cake and has very less batter to be handled.
  1 large egg, ⅓ Cup oil, ½ cup buttermilk, ¾ Cup granulated sugar
• Now sift in all the dry ingredients over wet ingredients directly and mix lightly until combined.

  If you desire you can use another bowl to sift your dry ingredients, I make use of the same bowl that I used for wet ingredients. Also, I find adding dry ingredients into wet or wet to dry, it doesn't make much of a difference. So I always pour dry ingredients into wet, saves a bowl! 😉
  1 Cup all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ Cup cocoa powder , ¼ teaspoon salt
• Pour in hot brewed coffee and whisk just till the batter is formed. Batter will be thin. Pour batter in the prepared pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
  ¼ Cup boiling water, 1 teaspoon instant coffee
• Allow the cake to cool down for 5-10 mins in the pan and then loosen the edges of pan with a knife for easy removal. Allow the cake to cool down completely before drizzling the ganache.

For the Ganache:

• Heat cream in microwave using a microwave safe bowl or over stovetop in a sauce pan. Add chopped chocolate in it and allow it to rest for 4-5 minutes keeping it covered. After 5 minutes, once the chocolate has melted, whisk to form a smooth and shiny ganache.
  ¼ cup heavy cream, 75 gms good quality chocolate
• Allow the ganache to set for another 2-3 minutes, it will thicken slightly during this time. Now drizzle the ganache over cooled cake and enjoy!

Notes

Making ahead and Storage Information:

Both Cake and ganache can be made a day ahead. You can store cake at room temperature, covered tightly and the ganache can be store in refrigerator.

Warm the ganache slightly in microwave before pouring on cake.

You can make this cake ahead and easily store it for a month or two in the freezer section. Make sure to wrap the cake with plastic wrap and then store it in a freeze proof container.

Thaw it overnight on the counter top before drizzling with ganache.

This cake will stay good at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Tips for Cake Success:

If for some reason, you don't want to add coffee to your cake batter, you can totally skip it. But if you add coffee, it will only add up to enhancing the flavor of chocolate in your cake. You won't taste any coffee in the cake.

If you want to make a bigger batch of this cake you can double this recipe and bake it in 9 x 13 inches cake pan at same oven temperature. Bake till cake passes toothpick test.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Slice | Calories: 262kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Sodium: 169mg | Sugar: 20g

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