Quick Chocolate Fudge Cake

This satisfying, moist chocolate fudge cake is made in less than 20 minutes and only takes 25 minutes to bake. Topped with a rich chocolate ganache this one bowl, one layer cake will fit any occasion!

I decided to bake this chocolate fudge cake cake in Zoe’s honor.

After all, it’s not every day that someone runs a half marathon. 

Zoe has always loved chocolate cake, so I decided even if she wasn’t here to eat it, we could still celebrate her success without her!

Actually it was a double duty cake.

Confession. I really made it for a friend having a 60th birthday. That’s a big one, just like running a half marathon, if you ask me.

This is Alice Medrich’s recipe, of Cocolat fame, who came up with this easy chocolate cake recipe. 

You know, the guru of chocolate, the First Lady of Chocolate, the designer of truffles, cookbook author and well, let’s just let this cake speak for itself!

This chocolate fudge cake has a soft crumb, and a moist interior with a rich, decadent chocolate ganache frosting  swirled lovingly on its surface.

It is perfect for small gatherings if you don’t want many leftovers. Manservant was a bit disappointed by that thought, because when it comes to cake, he likes it to last a few days.

But never before have I seen such a perfect one layer, one bowl cake. No mixer necessary.

To me this means a lovely chocolate cake that can be made at the last minute, for whenever a dessert is needed.

And trust me, with this fabulous one pan cake recipe under your belt, you will invent opportunities when dessert is needed!

You could double this and split it into two cake pans, but if I’m making a real celebratory cake, I usually bake my triple layer fudge cake.

Just four simple steps are needed to make this chocolate fudge cake.

Begin by combining your dry ingredients. I do this in a 4 cup measuring cup. Much easier than a bowl! 

Use cocoa that is not Dutch processed…it usually costs more anyway!

My favorite brand? Hersheys. I love it!

In a bowl combine the brown sugar with the melted butter. Don’t you just love that this cake has brown sugar?

Then stir in the eggs, and vanilla. Now mix in your dry ingredients.

Add the coffee or water and Whammo! You are ready to spread this in your 9″ cake pan. I told you this was easy!

While your cake is baking, make the ganache by heating the cream in the microwave and then stirring in the chocolate.

It becomes smooth and glossy-just like my hair on a good day!

So that wraps up the cake portion of this segment. But if you want to read about Zoe running the Nike half marathon continue on or skip down to the recipe!

It appears that Zoe now has her sites set on running a marathon. Only 1% of the population has ever run a marathon and my daughter likes to be in the top! So, looks like I’ll have to bake another cake!

(This post was originally published in May of 2013. Since then she has run a marathon!)

Race Day is now behind us and surely the next race is yet to come. It appears recovering from tendonitis needs to happen before she can think about San Francisco. My daughter, the runner. Who ever would have thought? Not me.

But competitive she is. Not only did she surpass the goal of raising $2500 per runner, she had her PBR or personal best record, as those in the know call it.

Good thing she told me because that just makes me think Pabst Blue Ribbon and I couldn’t figure out what beer had to do with running. 

Her race began in the dark. See the Capitol in the back? And purple is Team in Training’s color.

15,000 women half marathoners raced around D. C.. 2500 of them ran for Team in Training.