The Best Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe – Baked from scratch
If you looking for a rich, dense and easy chocolate mud cake? This is it! Three layers of dense chocolate cake layered with wonderful caramel buttercream that’s finger-licking good. Perfect for any birthday, celebration or just went you are in a chocolate mood. A treat on its own with or without frosting.
I always thought the chocolate mud cake was an Australian origin recipe because that’s where I first ate the best chocolate mud cake. For a very long time, I use to call it the Australian chocolate mud cake. Plus, almost all my Australian friends will insist that Australians make the best chocolate mud cake.
But, apparently, the mud cake first made its appearance in the 1970s and in American and was a combination of the chocolate fudge and chocolate brownie. What’s also interesting is that the American chocolate mud cake back then contained marshmallows!! I do like marshmallows but not sure I like them in my mud cake.
Well, whether you call it Australian chocolate mud cake or American chocolate mud cake. There is no denying that its absolute chocolate heaven
About this chocolate mud cake (Save)
If you know anyone that loves chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate? You MUST make this for them. You will score some really big bonus points with them.
It’s delicious on its own. If I make it for our home it never gets frosted. NEVER!! You can eat it just as is, without any frosting or decorate it as I have here for a celebration cake.
My absolute favorite frosting with this cake is Ganache and I shared that combination with you when I shared the chocolate ganache cake.
But if too much chocolate is not what you want then try my Velvet Chocolate Buttercream instead. Today, I have frosted this with my caramel buttercream.
Caramel Buttercream with Chocolate Flakes
The caramel buttercream also has chocolate flakes in it. This is done very simply but pouring still warm chocolate over cold buttercream. Let the chocolate just lay on the buttercream without mixing it. The chocolate will cool over the buttercream and set. Then mix it vigorously and the chocolate will shatter into small tiny pieces. I love this method better than adding chocolate chips. The difference is that now the chocolate is much thinner and softer so it almost melts in the mouth.
Let’s talk ingredients and substitutes (Save/Pin)
- Chocolate – This is the star of the cake here. The chocolate you use will determine the ultimate experience you get from this cake.
Technically you can use any chocolate but the better the quality of chocolate the better the taste!! Always use good quality chocolate that you can eat on its own. You can use any percentage you want really. If you use dark the cake will have a more strong chocolate taste. Similarly, if you use semi-sweet or milk so will the flavor the cake. Personally; I like to use at least 60% chocolate for my cakes. Often I indulge in 70% and love it. - Brown Sugar – I prefer dark brown as compared to light brown for this recipe. The molasses in the dark brown intensifies the flavor so much more. But you certainly can use any brown sugar you have on hand.
- White sugar – this adds sweetness and texture to the cake, giving it a bit of stability. Mud cakes, though dense can fall apart very easily.
- Buttermilk – often you get water in a mud cake, I prefer to use buttermilk. It softens the crumb a tad and gives a wonderful softness to the crumb. Buttermilk can be easily made at home in as little as five minutes – you can find it here – Homemade buttermilk in 5 minutes.
Useful Tips and Tools
- If you bake often, it would be a good idea to invest in a cake mixer. Because often we try to mix by hand and then we are too tired to give it enough creaming or mixing. So, if you are making this cake go ahead and remove that K-Mix or Kitchen Aid from your kitchen cabinet.
- Personally, I believe in weighing ingredients by weight, which makes my kitchen scaleone of the most valuable items when baking.
- The same goes for mymeasuring cups and measuring spoons. It’s always a good idea to have these handy and use them when baking rather than trying to guess measurements.
- For most of my layer cake recipes on this blog I use 3 x 6-inch round pans or 2 x 8-inch round pans.
- Once baked always invert your cakes on a cooling rack. This encourages air circulation and prevents the steam from pooling at the bottom of the pan.
- Every oven works differently. So the baking times are just guidelines. In the case of cakes, a skewer inserted in the center is a great indication. If the cake bakes too quick or too slow compared to the time given it might be a good idea to check if your oven needs calibration. An oven thermometer is a great little gadget to help keep the oven temperature in check. All you need to do then is adjust the temperature accordingly
How to Make The Best Ever Chocolate Mud Cake (Save/Pin)
Mud cake
- Grease and line an 8-inch round baking pan/pans
- Preheat oven at 160 C / 320 F
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, Cocoa powder, and salt.
- Melt butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Add the sugars and stir until almost melted
- Next, add the vanilla followed by the eggs one at a time.
- Then add the buttermilk – combine well.
- Lastly, add the flour and mix until you have a smooth batter. A whisk works well for this.
- Pour the batter into your baking pan.
- Bake in a preheated oven for about 60 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool and decorate with your favorite frosting.
Caramel Buttercream
- Place the butter and salt in the mixer bowl.
- Using the paddle attachment – mix the butter until light and creamy.
- Add caramel sauce – combine well.
- Then powdered sugar – combine well.
- Once all the ingredients have been added – whip for three minutes until the caramel buttercream is light and fluffy
- Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl.
- While still hot – pour chocolate over the caramel buttercream.
- Wait for two minutes so the chocolate will set.
- Then mix vigorously so the chocolate will shatter into tiny pieces.
- This leaves tiny pieces of chocolate in the caramel buttercream.
Decorate
- Prepare simple syrup – cool completely before using.
- Once cooled, cut the dome off the cake
- Split the cake layer into three horizontally so you have three layers.
- Brush each layer with the cooled, simple syrup.
- Place a cake layer on the cake board or cake stand.
- Top with a big dollop of caramel frosting – spread evenly.
- Then top the second cake layer on top followed by more frosting.
- Continue until you have used all three later.
- Place the cake in the fridge if necessary, so the layers hold together.
- Spread the remaining frosting around and top of the cake.
- Create a rustic buttercream look by simply swirling the spatula around the side of the cake.
- Or use an icing comb to create a pattern on the buttercream as I have done in the video.
Frequently asked questions
Oh, they are very different. Chocolate cake is usually a light and airy sponge while a chocolate mud cake would be dense, moist almost fudgy.
In a cake, you would cream ingredients to add as much air as possible while in mud cakes you usually melt the butter, chocolate and aim at keeping it dense.
If properly stored, this mud cake will last for 2 to 3 days at room temperature. It can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 or 6 days.
Yes. Freeze it on a tray for a few hours then wrap well in cling/plastic wrap, followed by a parchment paper and then aluminum foil. Thaw wrapped in the fridge for 24 hours so the condensation will stay on the papers, not the cake.
No, I have not replaced the egg in this cake so not sure how it will work. But, I do have an eggless chocolate Fudge cake recipe that is moist and fudgy similar to a mud cake.
yes, if you prefer you can also use 1/4 cup brewed espresso or coffee and reduce the liquid (buttermilk) by that much.
If you don’t want to make a layer cake like this,
You can make this into a sheet cake – a ‘Chocolate Mud Sheet Cake’.
You can also pour the batter into a well-greased and dusted bundt pan for a ‘Chocolate Mud Bundt Cake’.
This recipe can also be baked into 24 beautiful Mud cupcakes
There are so many other choices for frosting. Such as:
Swiss or Italian Meringue Buttercream
French or German Buttercream Frosting
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
I have over 30 plus frosting recipes on this blog. And I highly recommend checking them out.
Troubleshooting
My chocolate cake is very dense not light and fluffy?
That is correct this cake is dense, moist and very chocolatey. If you want a light and fluffy cake please use my simple moist chocolate cake recipe instead.
My caramel buttercream is very soft and won’t hold peaks
You need to whip the buttercream for a good few minutes so the cream in the caramel sauce whips up and builds volume. Additionally, make sure you are using a thick caramel sauce.
The top of my mud cake is very hard
This mud cake will have a crust on the top when baked. However, if you bake too long that top can become hard and the cake will be dry. Use the time given below as a guide but make sure to check often.
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BEST Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe
Print Pin RateDescription
Equipment /Tools
- 8" Round baking pan
- Kitchen Scale
Ingredients
For the cake
- 200 grams Chocolate
- 228 grams Unsalted butter
- 256 grams All-purpose flour
- 50 grams Cocoa Powder
- 200 grams Brown sugar
- 100 grams White sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 250 ml Buttermilk
For the caramel buttercream with chocolate flakes
- 228 grams Butter unsalted
- 250 grams Powdered sugar
- 250 ml Caramel sauce
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 100 grams Melted chocolate
Extra
- 1/2 cup Simple Syrup
Conversions – Switch between Metric & US for other measurement options
Instructions
For the cake
- Grease and line and 8-inch round baking pan/pans
- Preheat oven at 160 C / 320 F
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt.
- Melt butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Add the sugars and stir until almost melted
- Next, add the vanilla followed by the eggs one at a time.
- Then add the buttermilk – combine well.
- Lastly, add the flour and mix until you have a smooth batter. A whisk works well for this.
- Pour the batter into your baking pan.
- Bake in a preheated oven for about 60 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool and decorate with your favorite frosting.
Caramel Buttercream with chocolate flakes
- Mix the caramel into the velvet American buttercream until well combined.
- Pour the melted still warm chocolate over the buttercream and leave it alone.
- After 10 minutes stir it vigorously. (read note above)
Recipe Video
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Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
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Hafsa
Hey veena mam. Today I tried your devils food cupcakes and they were so damn yummy. I was so happy witj the results I was literally jumping! It was fluffy and perfectly domed and the taste was ahhhmazing! Your one statement which forced me to try these cupcake was that one of you client re ordered these cupcakes in 200 quantity.. I told myself I have to try this and man I am blown off! Thanks once again mam. Mam which cake do you prefer personally? Mud cake or fudge cake? What your clients like more?
Veena Azmanov
Thanks, Hafsa. So happy you enjoyed my Devil’s food cupcakes so much. They are very popular with my customers too.
Personally, for me, I am a cake person so I love all kinds of cakes. Both the mud and fudge are absolutely delicious.
The chocolate fudge cake is more popular with my customers too.
julie
Hi Veena,
Thank you so much for sharing all your recipes and tips and tricks of the trade. I’ve recently made this cake for my work collegues and these were the comments received
” Wow, this is the cake you want to sit and eat after you’ve spit up with your boyfried, you could sit and eat the whole thing”
” This is the sort of chocolate fix I look for when I’m pre menstrual but can never find it anywhere, until this cake”
” Best cake i’ve ever had”
I’ve also made your caramel apple cake with your american caramel buttercream. This also received amazing comments fro my work collegues.
I’m now all excited about trying out more of your recipes, but i’m specifically looking for those that would be sturdy enough for a 5 tier wedding cake. Are all your butter based recipes sturdy enough for a tiered wedding cake?
I’ve also read that you like to make your cakes at least 4 inches high, poss 6, do you bake in 2inch high cakes tins?
Sorry, one just more question…… i’m planning on making the bottom tier a 14inch vanilla cake, and have looked at your serving chart for wedding cakes and it says this will serve approx. 78 people, but when I type 56 in the “adjust Servings” setting on the recipe card it doesnt seem right. Please can you help.
One last thing, your expertize is invaluable and if i lived in Isreal i would be more than happy to pay for you to teach me what you know. You are amazing, an inspiration and selfless. Thankyou xx
Veena Azmanov
Hey Julie.
Thank you so much for your lovely comments and compliments. Made my day.
Yes, all my butter-based cakes work great for tiered cake unless stated in the recipe.
Some recipes do bake tall, some will have to be doubled. Most recipes have the details.
What do you mean when you say it does not seem right? The recipe calculator will calculate the recipe per the servings.
However, you wont’ be making one recipe in a large pan and I’m sure you don’t have an oven to bake all of them at once.
So I highly recommend breaking those 76 servings into different pans or even different recipes for more variations.
Keeping batter out too long while the others are baking is not such a good idea.
I hope this helps. Thanks for your kind words.
If you do come to Israel it would be my pleasure to teach you
XXX
Veer
Please can you tell me any substitute for the brown sugar? Can i replace it with white instead? Also, is that possible to use this cake as a base for my barbie cake? will this get messed and fall apart or can it hold? My barbie upper part will be around 18cm x 2cm
Veena Azmanov
Veer, you can use white sugar but it will have a different texture to the cake. Do you have molasses, you can add the white sugar and 2 tbsp of molasses. Yes, this will work in a barbie cake. Mud cakes are quite good but dense as well so will hold well.
Veer
Thank you very much for the reply!! Your reply gives us a boost to browse your site more and more and to be the regular reader. Thanks a ton!
Veena Azmanov
You are very welcome Veer. Have a great day
Stephanie
In the video, something dark is added to the flour before you start melting the chocolate and butter together. Is this cocoa or something? It’s not in the recipe. Can’t wait to try this one.
Veena Azmanov
Yes, Stephanie, It’s the cocoa powder. Sorry, I must have missed it in the new recipe card.. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. Just corrected.
Denise
This cake looks fantastic! I especially love that caramel butter cream. I am so hungry for sweets right now so you are driving my crazy with your photos. Also love lazy versions for people like me that are not as great of a baker as you!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Denise. You will enjoy this very much. It’s so super easy too.
Jolina
Just look at those perfectly even layers! I also love how chocolatey this is. I’m partial to lemony things myself but hard to say no to chocolate cake 🙂 Especially this one!
Veena Azmanov
Thanks, Jolina. You will love this one.
Gloria
This looks like a chocolate lovers dream cake. I know my daughter and husband would LOVE this as a birthday cake. I like the colour of the icing. Now, if I could only make my cakes look like yours.
Veena Azmanov
Absolutely, Gloria. You MUST love chocolate to enjoy this cake. If you see my video, the cake is real simple.
Mirlene
I have got to try this cake. I’m sure my daughter and I will enjoy it as we are chocolate lovers. Pinning to try later!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Mirlene. You will love this. Try it.
Tatiana
Honestly never tried chocolate mud cake before but now I am intrigued! And agree that high quality chocolate is the key for a delicious cake recipe
Veena Azmanov
Thanks Tatiana. You must try this one.
Nicolas Hortense
Wow that has got to be one of the sexiest recipes ever. And watching that video made me drool. You have a real cake baking talent. This is perfect for special occasions, well done and keep up the fantastic work!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you so much, Nicolas for your kind words. Yes, definitely perfect for a special occasion.
Alexis
There is a big birthday party coming up in our family soon. This looks like the perfect cake to make for the birthday boy.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Alexis. yes, this is perfect for a birthday celebration
Heather
Oh my!! This looks so moist and that frosting!!! Love that you use caramel sauce and this is truly a mouthwatering cake! Great recipe and great combination of flavors
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Heather. It’s very delish. I hope you try it.
Marisa Franca
You have an amazing repertoire of cakes and frostings — each one better than the other. I wouldn’t know which one I’d want to make first. This dense chocolate cake/brownie sounds like a chocolate lovers dream.Your frosting sets off the deep chocolate of the cake. We do have chocolate lovers in the family. This dessert would be a huge hit.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you so much, Marisa. This is definitely a chocolate lovers dream cake. Lots of chocolate in there.
Jyothi (Jo)
Omg, it is amazing how detailed this recipe is! Also, cake looks absolutely delicious!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Jyothi. Glad you like the details.
Adriana Lopez Martin
Yummo you got me at chocolate, I always enjoy a nice slice of a good chocolate cake but have never tried a chocolate mud cake looks so good. You always have the best cakes!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Adriana. Yes, this one is really delicious. You will love it.
Joanna
YUM! I love chocolate cake, and it’s my usual go to flavor when it comes to baking. However, I’ve never made caramel frosting! Gotta try!
Veena Azmanov
Thanks, Joanna. You will love this one
Claudia Lamascolo
I love the caramel color and fudgy look to this chocolate cake it sure is calling my name and I would love a slice right now. Fabulous photo by the way,
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Claudia. This is a really easy recipe
Denay DeGuzman
What a delicious-looking chocolate mud cake! I’m looking forwarding to trying this recipe. And that beautiful white cake stand also caught my eye! What a great presentation.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Denay. Let me know if you try this recipe. You will love it.
Valerie
I don’t think I’ve ever had a mud cake, or maybe it was called something else. Your cake looks great, chocolate and caramel go so well together.
Veena Azmanov
Oh, you must try a mud cake if you love chocolate. Unlike regular cake, this one is dense and loaded with chocolate.
Tammy
Such a gorgeous cake, Veena! That buttercream is absolutely beautiful and oh my goodness how I wish I had a slice of this stunner right this very moment 😀
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Tammy, Yes I really wanted that color for my caramel with this cake.
Kim
Caramel Buttercream with Chocolate Flakes – sounds amazing. This cake is just extraordinary and so doable!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you Kim, Yes, very easy and so doable
Tina
I love that beautiful color of the frosting! I am craving a piece of this cake now.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Tina. It’s really a simple and easy recipe
Rashmi
Thank you so much for this recipe.. We loved it. Was so easy to make too. Love all your recipes.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you Rashmi. SO happy to hear that you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the trouble to write this feedback.
Sue Doyle
What temperature do you bake choc cake at. This is a wonderful recipe. Can’t wait to try it.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you Sue.Its really delicious. The temperature is 160 C just as the recipe indicates.
Richa
What kind of Chocolate do you use for this recipes?
Veena Azmanov
Thanks Richa. I use Callebaut – mostly 70% for such chocolate cakes.
Anonymous
Can i skip the baking soda?
Veena Azmanov
NO unfortunately you cannot skip the baking soda. It is the leavening agent in cakes.
Anonymous
Hi, I am a vegetarian, what do I substitute eggs with?
Veena Azmanov
NO do not substitue the eggs in this recipe. If you want an eggless cake recipe try my eggless chocolate cake recipe. Thanks
Anonymous
After trying your banana cake recipe last weekend, gave this one a try today. Needless to say it's another winner. Will have to try this with the chocolate ganache next, but simple to make and totally delicious. Many thanks for sharing! Look forward to trying some more in the coming days.
Veena Azmanov
You are welcome. Thank you so much for your feedback. I love when people have success with my recipes and enjoy them. Thanks so much for coming back to leave a feedback. Appreciate it.
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Harley Brake Pads
Nobody like go for Lazy method. I only believe that whatever we bake, when we serve it on our dinning table, family will like it and appreciate our efforts. I have baked tons of cake using different Ingredients. Love your recipe.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you Harley. Happy to hear you like my recipes. I do love having easy simple methods sometimes. Enjoy!
Andrea
I tried this recipe. I had run out of cake mix and was too lazy to go shopping. I saw your post baking a cake from scratch. Then I noticed this recipe with the lazy version.
Tried it, was perfect! Love the way my house smelt.
I also tried the ganache recipe. It turned out Yum. I could never pipe ganache before. This was perfect.
Thanks so much, think I will try baking from
Veena Azmanov
Thank you so much Andrea. Love that you had success with this recipe. Appreciate that you took the trouble to come give me feedback. Thank you.