Drop everything and make this show-stopping dark chocolate mud cake right now!
Haigh’s Chocolate Mud Cake
One of the things I love about food blogging, besides eating things like dark chocolate mud cake, is checking the post. Occasionally there are interesting-looking parcels waiting for me that I wasn’t expecting. If the parcel contains chocolate, well – my day is made. Last week an intriguingly large box with a Haigh’s label arrived for me and inside I found what for me was absolute gold – three different packs of chocolate, a temptingly photographed recipe booklet and a smart new Haigh’s apron to keep me clean should the urge to bake overtake me. It did.
Haigh’s Chocolate Mud Cake
I seldom publish recipes that aren’t my own, but I’m more than happy to make an exception this week with this dark chocolate mud cake recipe. Haigh’s are Australia’s oldest family owned chocolate makers, a proud South Australian food icon and responsible for several of the inches around my hips. They’ve also just produced what may be the best dark chocolate mud cake recipe I’ve ever used. Poorly tested recipes are the bane of my life and far more prevalent than you’d expect, so when I find one that works exactly right and produces something which looks just like the picture I’m thrilled. This recipe is just that and they’ve very kindly allowed me to share it with you.
Haigh’s Dark Chocolate Mud Cake
I’m no food stylist, so my cake decorating style is a little er – relaxed, but I know my stuff when it comes to chocolate and baking. I followed this recipe to the letter, including preparing the pan properly and using Haigh’s chocolate and it was just perfect. Always trying to improve on perfection, I think I just might tweak this next time I make it and add a little bourbon instead of the coffee – that worked out very well for me last time I tried it.
Haigh’s Chocolate Mud Cake
Honestly, this recipe is simple, fast, bullet-proof and show-stopping and that’s all I ask for my cooking. If a perfect dark chocolate cake makes your heart beat a little faster then this recipe is for you – and don’t despair if you want to make this, but don’t have a Haigh’s store handy – their products are all available on their website!
Haigh's Dark Chocolate Mud Cake
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup 100g self raising flour, sifted
- 1 1/3 cup 200g plain flour, sifted
- 1/2 cup 50g cocoa, sifted
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda sifted
- 1 double espresso shot
- 250 g unsalted butter diced into 1cm cubes
- 250 g Haigh's 70% Cocoa Dark Chocolate Pastilles
- 2 1/2 cups 550g caster sugar
- 4 extra large eggs lightly beaten
- 2 Tbsp 40ml oil
- 1/2 cup 125ml buttermilk
- GANACHE
- 200 gms Haigh's Dark Chocolate Couverture finely chopped
- 200 ml thickened cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160C (140C fan-forced). Lightly grease a deep 23cm round cake pan and line with baking paper, making sure the paper extends 10cm above the top of the pan.
- Sift the flours, cocoa and bicarb together in a large mixing bowl, stirring until well combined.
- Place coffee into a jug and top up with boiling water to 180mls.
- Pour coffee into a large saucepan over very low heat, add butter, sugar and chocolate, stirring to combine. Continue stirring until chocolate and butter have melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool slightly. Add eggs, oil and milk to the chocolate mixture, whisking until well combined.
- Create a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour the chocolate mixture into the centre, stirring until well combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan. Place pan on an oven tray and bake in oven for 2 hours or until a skewer comes out of the centre cleanly. Remove from oven, place on a wire rack and allow cake to cool completely in the pan.
- GANACHE
- Place cream in small saucepan and heat over low heat until just below boiling point. Remove from heat, add chocolate and stir gently. Leave to stand for several minutes, then stir gently again. Do not stir too much. Repeat process until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth and shiny.
- Allow to cool until thick enough to spread, then apply to top and sides of cake with a spatula.
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Brilliant and bulletproof are two words that are very important when making cake. This looks amazing and should be in my kitchen. 🙂
This cake looks amazing! Do I have to share? Love Haigh’s chocolate and though you can’t get it up here in Queensland, I love stocking up when I go to Melbourne 🙂
Of course I couldn’t resist looking and all I can say is oh wow! And good thinking re the bourbon.
There’s nothing wrong with your food styling, Amanda and you’ve done Haigh’s proud. Can I have a slice now please!
I’m so jealous! That’s a gorgeous parcel to receive in the post. I’d be thrilled. I do love the look of your chocolate cake. It looks very moist and perfect for enjoying when friends pop in for the afternoon xx
Any tips for a coffee free version? Can I risk just leaving it out or should I make up by adding a bit more buttermilk?
I’m not a coffee drinker at all Mel, but I found it adds depth to the flavour, rather than any flavour of it’s own. Next time I’m going to add some bourbon instead as I think that would be very nice. You would need to make up the liquid content with an alternative.
Yummo, dark chocolate- my favourite! Haigh’s chocolate is delicious, I went to their factory and spent up big time 🙂
A guaranteed good mud cake is exciting news indeed!
That’s one sexy looking cake. Love the inclusion of a double espresso shot in there too!
I am going to try this using equivalent ingredients if I can locate them in my local supermarket here in Marrakech, I have not found any cocoa as yet – that might be a challenge.
I cooked this last week! My son and husband said it was the ‘best’ cake they’ve ever had! It also stayed moist for 7 days. It’s quite rich so big serves weren’t really required. I’m making another tonight! So easy to make. Definitely my new favourite!
Also, should have added, I used 2/3’s of the amount of sugar and actually popped in some chopped up medjool dates – about 1/2 a cup. This time I’ll probably try a little less sugar again – just because I’m trying to cut out a bit of extra sugar from our diets.
Thankyou!
I made this wonderful cake for a friend’s birthday Amanda and it was absolutely perfect. A great recipe. Thankyou.
Please tell me how long when you say “leave it to cool slighly”? I am at my wits end with choc mud cake!! Mine are sinking in the middle before coming out of the oven. What am I doing wrong???
Merissa – In this instance you want to cool the mixture a little otherwise the eggs will scramble when you add them. Honestly, I followed this recipe to the letter and it was perfect. I wonder if it might be worth your while buying an oven thermometer to check your oven temp? Perhaps it is a little cool?
Amanda – I have an egg allergy and want to make this cake without egg. Do you think I can just leave the eggs out??????
No Jane – the recipe will not work if you leave the eggs out. Maybe try an egg substitute, but then it will not be the recipe I have written & I can’t vouch for the results.
This is beautiful cake great as a special occasion cake. I followed recipe exactly and it was a great success for my daughters birthday
I’m so pleased you were happy with this, Daphne. It is a beautiful recipe.
Could you help me please ,would this recipe work if i doubled it and made a larger cake ? I hope you can help me ,thankyou .it looks delicious and moist ,just what im looking for Jenna .
I’m not at all sure that would work with this recipe, Jenna. It makes quite a large cake as it is, but if you want something even bigger you might be better off looking for a sheet cake recipe.
I will never again look for another mud cake recipe! I used Cadbury 70% dark chocolate for both the cake and the ganache (instead of Haigh’s) and it still tasted divine! I took the cake out the oven about 5-10 mins early as I felt nervous that it might be too dry, but it was perfectly dense, moist and incredibly delicious. My husband has demanded I remake this for his birthday cake next month! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
Hi! This looks great & I am just about to make it – what is the alternative to an espresso shot? I dont have an espresso machine unfortunately.
I’d suggest making a very short cup of strong instant coffee, Ellie.
Hey I am going to make this for my son birthday bit do you think it will go OK with fondant? Was just worried fondant would be to heavy??
I guess you could use fondant, but I think a simple ganache would be better.
Hi, I will be making this as my birthday cake and want to make 2 8″ cakes, how much cake batter do you think I will need for this?
I wouldn’t double this mixture. Rather, make two separate lots for two cakes.
This is such a great cake, I used less sugar, it doesnt need heaps, and I also didnt have it in the oven for the whole time as I made 3/4 of the recipe, which made a large 8″ cake. Goes so well with raspberries and chocolate ganache.
Hi, I am not clear with the volume and amount of coffee? Can you explain the double expresso shot step a bit? My friend recommended me this recipe as the best ever for mud cake. Waiting for reply so I can try. Thanks.
Hi Saima, according to Google a double espresso shot is 60mls with 14gms of coffee, if using a coffee machine. If you don’t have one, try 60 mls boiling water with 1 tsp of really good instant coffee. The success of this cake rests on using excellent ingredients, so don’t stint.
This cake looks like my kind of cake! I was wondering if you think it would be possible to layer and fill it after it’s baked or would it not be stable enough? Or would it be better to bake in separate tins and put together after they’re cooled? Thanks!
I made the cake today and forgot to add sugar until the last minute, I added a dash of milk to the sugar and the remaining 60g of choc and microwaved to melt the choc and warm the milk. Furious stirring later and it was a success! I added it to the batter in the cake pan and stirred through well and it was perfect! Super moist and a deliciously decadent mudcake – amazing!! Can’t taste through coffee but imagine it ads a depth 🙂
Karen – yes, it would be fine layered.
Samantha – thank goodness you saved it! And yes, the coffee adds depth, no real flavour.
I have made this cake a couple of times. It has been delicious each time and is now my ‘go-to’ recipe. I froze the last one and it was even better than the others !!!
Also, do you have an equivalent white choc mud cake recipe ??
No – sorry, I can’t help with that, but I’m sure there will be plenty on the interwebz if you hunt around!
Most moist mud cake I’ve ever made! Everyone loved it! I needed to make a bigger cake measuring a square 10 inch so I just added an extra half of each ingredient to make more and baking time was only 10min longer in my oven
Hello Amanda,
Just wondering what sort of oil to use?
Thanks,
Carol
A neutral vegetable oil is best.
Hi thank you for the recipe. I was wondering how far in advance I could make the cake as they want a mud cake for a baby shower.
Delicious and dense mud cake!
I split the batter in to 2 20cm cake tins and it turned out to be a pretty big cake. Cooked it in the oven for 1 hr, might take it out 10 mins earlier next time.