This recipe has been tried & tested by the masses. The cake is perfect for a celebration & can be made ahead of time & frozen. So simple to make, it’s as easy as melting butter, adding the rest of the ingredients, pouring into a pan & baking. The cake is moist with the consistency of a really good, basic chocolate cake but then it has this thick, fudgy icing that is good enough to eat on its own. Together they’re become chocolate cake heaven.
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The fudge icing is thick & for me, it’s this icing that makes the cake. I’ve doubled the icing in the past. It’s worth it, especially if you want the sides covered – nice to do if you’re making this for a birthday & want to adhere berries, sweets or more chocolates to the sides. For this version I showed restraint, just made one quantity of icing & only covered the top, ensuring a nice, thick layer.
I first tried this recipe back in 1995 when I was working at the Australian Women’s Weekly in the test kitchen & studio. It was sent to the magazine as a reader’s favorite: each month we’d try recipes from our readers & we’d pick the best one – the recipe, called “Jackie’s Chocolate Cake” was our pick one month & the reader won a prize. Since then my family & I have made it numerous times. The recipe became so popular it made it into the ‘All-time Favourites’ cookbook published by the Women’s Weekly in 1997. My publication of the cookbook is dogeared & falling apart, the page with the chocolate cake is crusty & stained – just how good cookbooks should be.
I imagine I’m not the only person from those test kitchen days that still likes to bake the cake. And 24 years later I’m still making it. I’ve tweaked & altered the recipe a little over the years: more fudge icing; sour cream to ensure a moist crumb & to this version, I’ve added coffee.
My favorite way to enjoy this fabulous cake is with a dollop of cream. Ice cream works in a pinch, but unsweetened cream balances the sweetness of the cake. Give it a dust of cocoa for a little decoration or add some berries. Really, it needs nothing – it’s just perfect on its own.
So perfect in fact that it wasn’t able to live in my house a second longer than it had to once I’d taken its picture. I have little self control. So it was whisked away to a neighbor’s house for that family to enjoy – my hubby doesn’t eat chocolate or it’d gone to work with him. If you’ve got a birthday coming up, or any occasion, you have got to try this recipe. I’m certain it’ll become a family favorite of yours too.
Cheers, Lovoni
If you’re wanting a gluten-free chocolate cake recipe then try this Flourless Chocolate Fudge Cake with similar fudge icing but no flour in the cake.
chocolate slab cake with fudge icing
Ingredients
- 2 cups strong black coffee (or water)
- 3 cups granulated sugar (white sugar)
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, cut into pieces (250g)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoons baking soda (soda bicarbonate)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 4 large eggs
- 2 3/4 cups self-rising flour (self-raising flour)
FUDGY ICING
- 1 stick butter, cut into pieces (125g)
- 1/2 cup strong black cold coffee (or water)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (white sugar)
- 2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar (icing sugar)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder plus extra for dusting, optional
- Grease a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33cm) deep, baking pan & line base & sides with parchment paper, bringing the paper up over the sides.
- Combine the coffee, sugar, butter, cocoa & baking soda in a large saucepan or pot. Stir over medium heat until the butter is melted & sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat to medium-high & bring to a boil, taking care the mixture doesn’t boil over. Remove from the heat, pour into a large bowl (or you can mix it all up on one saucepan if it’s big enough to allow stirring & whisking) & let cool – about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).
- Once the mixture is cooled, add the sour cream & eggs; whisk until well combined. Add the flour & whisk until there are no lumps. Pour the mixture into prepared pan & gently bang the pan on the counter to remove some of the large air bubbles. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cake stand for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool. Or cool in the pan if time permits.
To make the icing:
- Combine the butter, coffee & sugar in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Sift confectioner’s sugar & cocoa into the butter mixture. Use a whisk to remove any lumps. Pour into a bowl; cover & chill for 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick & spreadable. If you make this ahead of time, leave out of the fridge for it to soften before you spread it on the cake, it needs to be a bit thicker than peanut butter.
- Spread the cold cake with the icing. Cuts into about 20 or so pieces.
Welcome to Fresh Hunger – rustic, globally inspired food, peppered with Aussie style. I’m Lovoni – food creative, greedy guts & a lover of all things whimsical.
This is absolutely beautiful. And I was shocked to see that I already have everything on hand!
Thank you & yes, it uses pantry staples. It’s so easy to make. I made it last night for a friend’s birthday.