Veena Azmanov

Cake Artist and Food Enthusiast

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The Best Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe with Caramel Buttercream

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The Best Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe – Baked from scratch

If you looking for the most chocolaty, rich, dense and easy chocolate mud cake? This is it! Perfect for any birthday, celebration or just went you are in a chocolate mood. A treat on its own and needs no frosting but try it with dark chocolate ganache frosting or try what I have for you today, a chocolate mud cake with caramel buttercream.

The BEST Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe - An image optimized for social sharing for this mud cake recipe, rich, dense and perfect for any chocoholic who loves chocolate chocolate and more chocolate.

How to make a chocolate mud cake, Best Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe, Chocolate Mud Cake by Veena Azmanov

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 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.

The BEST Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe - An image optimized for social sharing for this mud cake recipe, rich, dense and perfect for any chocoholic who loves chocolate chocolate and more chocolate.

How to make a chocolate mud cake, Best Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe, Chocolate Mud Cake by Veena Azmanov

About this chocolate mud cake (Save)

For a start, let’s just call this Veena’s Chocolate Mud Cake. Shall we?

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.

Its delicious on its own is one and if I make it for our home?  Never gets frosted. NEVER!!  You can eat it just as is, without any frosting or decorate it like I have here for a celebration cake.

My absolute favorite frosting usually is a good dark chocolate Ganache.  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 which uses my American Buttercream recipes as a base.

You must know by now that I have a whole list of buttercream recipes for you that you can make from one single buttercream recipe? This one comes from there. You can find that list recipe here – How to make many different buttercream flavors from one basic recipe. 

The BEST Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe - An image optimized for social sharing for this mud cake recipe, rich, dense and perfect for any chocoholic who loves chocolate chocolate and more chocolate.

How to make a chocolate mud cake, Best Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe, Chocolate Mud Cake by Veena Azmanov

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.

 
The BEST Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe - An image optimized for social sharing for this mud cake recipe, rich, dense and perfect for any chocoholic who loves chocolate chocolate and more chocolate.

How to make a chocolate mud cake, Best Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe, Chocolate Mud Cake by Veena Azmanov

 

Baking from scratch cakes.

As you can see from my recipes, all my cakes are baked from scratch. No box mixes or such. In fact, you will be surprised that I have never ever used a box mix. Nothing against a box mix it’s just that I grew up with a baker mom who baked from scratch and didn’t know there was any other way to bake than from scratch.

Having said that, I am very conscious of what goes into my food and what I give my kids and my customers. So, all my cakes for home and my orders are from scratch. And I have been on a mission to get as many people to bake from scratch because I think baking from scratch is simple and easy. Plus, nothing is better than homemade from scratch! right?
Anyhow, in my attempt to encourage baking from scratch I’ve created a few recipes that are literally one bowl kinda recipes. This one is very similar. Look at the video and you will be surprised at how easy this cake mixes and bakes.

The BEST Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe - An image optimized for social sharing for this mud cake recipe, rich, dense and perfect for any chocoholic who loves chocolate chocolate and more chocolate.

How to make a chocolate mud cake, Best Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe, Chocolate Mud Cake by Veena Azmanov

 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.
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This Zesty Lemon Cake frosted with Lemon Swiss Meringue Buttercream can be filled with Lemon curd take 10 minutes to mix.Lemon Cake with LSMBC
A butter-based light and airy orange cake with orange Swiss meringue buttercream take 10 minutes to mix and 25 minutes to bake.Orange Cake Recipe with Orange Swiss Meringue

Recipe – The Best Ever Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe (Save/Pin)

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.You don’t have to buy an expensive stand mixer, a simple hand mixer works great too.
  • Having said that, a simple Bowl, whisk and Spatula with a little extra effort will do the trick too. 
  • 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.
  • I think one set of baking pans is a must for anyone a home baker. Personally, I like to bake three layers rather than torte my cakes and it bakes faster too. 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
The BEST Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe - An image optimized for social sharing for this mud cake recipe, rich, dense and perfect for any chocoholic who loves chocolate chocolate and more chocolate.

How to make a chocolate mud cake, Best Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe, Chocolate Mud Cake by Veena Azmanov

Makes 7 x 2 layers

Ingredients

For the cake

  • Chocolate – 200 grams  (7 oz.) chocolate (see note)
  • Unsalted butter – 228 grams (2 sticks or 1 cup)
  • All-purpose flour – 256 grams  (2 cups)
  • Cocoa powder – 60 grams (1/4 cup)
  • Brown sugar – 200 grams (1 cup)
  • White sugar – 100 grams (1/2 cup)
  • Eggs – 2 large
  • Baking powder – 1 1/2 Tsp
  • Baking soda 1/2 Tsp.
  • Salt – 1/2 Tsp
  • Vanilla extract  – 2 Tsp
  • Buttermilk – 320 ml (1 1/4 cups)

For the Caramel buttercream with chocolate flakes

Over 30 homemade buttercream frosting recipes by Veena Azmanov all in one place.
30 Plus Homemade Buttercream Frosting Recipes
Need a buttercream recipe in 5 minutes? Have a buttercream related question? Wondering what buttercream to use for your cake? It's all here in one place. 30 plus homemade buttercream frosting recipes for you to explore. With recipes, tips, trick, and troubleshooting, as well as popular questions, answered.

 

Method

Mud 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

  • 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)
10 tips on how to bake a cake from scratch with recipes included.
10 Tips to Successfully Baking a Cake from Scratch (Recipe included)
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Don’t forget to save this recipe on Pinterest for later.
You can find a collection of my tutorials and recipes here on Pinterest.

The BEST Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe - An image optimized for social sharing for this mud cake recipe, rich, dense and perfect for any chocoholic who loves chocolate chocolate and more chocolate.

How to make a chocolate mud cake, Best Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe, Chocolate Mud Cake by Veena Azmanov

The BEST Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe - An image optimized for social sharing for this mud cake recipe, rich, dense and perfect for any chocoholic who loves chocolate chocolate and more chocolate.

BEST Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe

Author: Veena Azmanov
If you looking for the most chocolaty, rich, dense and easy chocolate mud cake? This is it! Perfect for any birthday, celebration or just went you are in a chocolate mood. A treat on its own and needs no frosting but try it with dark chocolate ganache frosting or try what I have for you today, a chocolate mud cake with caramel buttercream.
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Chocolate Mud Cake, Mud cake Recipe
Adjust Servings Here: 18 servings
Calories: 194kcal
Prep Time: 40 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 200 grams Chocolate 7 oz.
  • 228 grams Unsalted butter (2 sticks)
  • 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
  • 320 ml Buttermilk

For the caramel buttercream with chocolate flakes

Metric - US customary

Conversions - Please switch between Metric & US for more 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
Serving: 61grams per serving | Calories: 194kcal | Carbohydrates: 29.4g | Protein: 2.7g | Fat: 7.5g | Saturated Fat: 4.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 137mg | Potassium: 0mg | Fiber: 0.6g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 0% | Vitamin C: 0% | Calcium: 0% | Iron: 0%

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

Did you make this recipe? I'd love to hear how it was.Mention @veenaazmanov or tag me on Instagram #veenaazmanov

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About Veena Azmanov

Veena Azmanov is a professional Cake Artist and Food Enthusiast. The Founder, Editor, Creator and Recipe Developer on this blog. Follow her cake and food journey on this blog as she explores new and classic recipes with a twist.

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Comments

  1. 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

    Reply

  2. 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.

    Reply

  3. 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!

    Reply

  4. 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!

    Reply

  5. 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.

    Reply

  6. 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!

    Reply

  7. 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

    Reply

  8. 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!

    Reply

  9. 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.

    Reply

  10. 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

    Reply

  11. 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.

    Reply

  13. 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!

    Reply

  14. 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!

    Reply

  15. 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,

    Reply

  16. 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.

    Reply

  17. 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.

    Reply

  18. 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 😀

    Reply

  26. 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.

    Reply

    • 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.

      Reply

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  28. 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.

    Reply

  29. 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

    Reply

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