I don't recommend having mudcake too often. Sinfully rich? Yes. Deadly on the waistline? Yes. Momentary bliss? Yes, yes, yes!
My son made one request for his birthday last week. A mudcake. I've made quite a few in my time and at a guess I would say we'd average one mudcake a year. The last mudcake I made was for my 50th, which was December 2009. I do receive an order from time to time, but that doesn't count.
For this particular mudcake I used a good quality chocolate containing 70% cocoa. I also used for the very first time a high baking tin, lined inside and outside too. I poured the mixture into the tin only to discover it reached the top of the tin. There was no allowance for the cake to rise and I didn't think one lining of baking paper would be able to support heavy mudcake mixture. No panic. I lined the outside of the tin a few times and tied with twine. The cake rose beautifully and the lining did it's job.The cake stood tall and high. I iced it with the ganache until it set. It took about fifteen minutes of swirling and twirling with a steel spatula and a serrated knife. The weather was humid which didn't help. It did however help to produce a beautiful gloss. Mitch was tickled when he saw it. Philomena thought I bought if from the shops. I finished it the day before his birthday.
Mitch cut into it and a piece came out beautifully dark, rich, intact and oh so moist. Evenly all the way through. The trick is to enjoy wafer thin slices. It can keep for ages. Ten days later and we still have some left. I've had four visitors at different times this week who all sampled the cake. Serve with some cream and fresh raspberries soaked in Cointreau. I simply can't describe it. The silence at the table whilst eating was a good indication. At least I hope! Take it slow, enjoy every mouthful and make sure your piece is thin. Pure indulgence.
If you'd fancy a go; here is my chocolate mudcake recipe.
My tip: enjoy it long, enjoy it slow, enjoy it once a year.
I am sure you all think this looks fantastic .......well I saw it for real and it looks amazing but my goodness it just tastes devine!!!! Yum is all I can think of when this mudcake comes into my head.
ReplyDeleteSo lucky to be able to share it thank you my friend xx
It proved to be Very helpful to me and I am sure to all the commentators here! holiday cakes
DeleteThe pleasure was all mine dear. We were lucky to have you over here at the right time. So wonderful to catch up and laugh.
ReplyDeleteI know you live nearer to Auckland but I am wondering if you have any friends or contacts in Christchurch. Awful times lately in NZ and Australia. Hope you are well.
Mariana xxxx
oh my oh my! that is a beautiful cake Mariana! Lucky Mitch. He must have been so pleased. Happy birthday to Mitch.
ReplyDeletewhat a good idea to line the outside of the cake tin as well. I would never have thought of that.i would have messed up many tins... LOL. I must try the recipe. It sounds too sinful not to!
Thanks Zurin - yes he was so pleased that he said we should have mudcake more often! And here I am professing to only eat it once a year. The difference is that he can get away with it - I can't. And if I see the blessed cake sitting there in all it's glossy glory, I know I wouldn't be able to resist. I know. I'll make it the next time I am due to leave town again. That way I won't be around to be tempted. Hehe. Thanks for dropping by dear. Mariana xxx
ReplyDeleteMariana ... all the mud cake recipes I have tried have failed miserably. The texture of yours is what I'm after so off I go to try your recipe. I will post when I have made it to let you know how it goes. I'm crossing my fingers!... cheers, Karen
ReplyDeleteI'm crossing my fingers too! Good luck Karen.
ReplyDeleteWhat a recipe!! This is unbelievably devine, dense and rich!! This is the cake that exceeds expectations and what every other mudcake recipe promises but doesn't deliver! I'm in love!
ReplyDeleteHigh praise indeed! Almost a year to the day when I wrote this post and my son's birthday has just come and gone; and the requested cake by the birthday boy was this mud cake! Again. And is he a happy lad! Thanks Rachel - nice to hear you're not the only one 'in love' with this cake. Mariana.
ReplyDeleteI made this mud cake today and it was realllly nice. Very moist, we had it with runny cream, nobody wanted seconds and that's a first. It didnt raise as high as the one in the picture but I would say it's better than any I've had in cafe's. I didnt have any string so just put double baking paper around the inside and that worked. Great recipe for chocolate lovers.
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting me know Robyn. The centre of the cake can sink sometimes, but that's okay. I simply slice the top off to make it even and it's fine. One of the recipe's redeeming features is the ability to remain moist for a long time. I made a mud cake ten days ago for my son's birthday and it's still moist which is amazing given that he is working in a dry environment in a Qld country town.
DeleteI hope you keep this one in your recipe repertoire. Mariana.
LOVE this recipe. I made it for my sister's wedding yesterday. I practised a few times prior to the wedding. My sister wanted a two tiered chocolate mud cake for her wedding. I searched and tested quite a few chocolate mud cake recipes and this was the best. I doubled the ingredients to make the bottom tier. To combat the sinking bit, I made two cakes with double the ingredients and sliced the top layer off both cakes and put the two bottom halves together. For the top tier I used the normal amount of ingredients but used a smaller cake tin to achieve the height. I layered the two tiers on top of each other, covered it with ganache so it looked like the ganache was drizzled on to create texture (I couldn't get the smooth effect), decorated it with white hydrangeas cascading down the cake and greenery on the side. The final result was AWESOME. Everyone loved the cake, it was dense, moist and very chocolatey. Everyone was shocked when they found out I made it. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Here's a pic - http://instagram.com/p/WWF2VjAqBZ/
ReplyDeleteWow; I just checked out the photo. You achieved such impressive height with your tall cakes standing proud. Congrats on a job well done. I rather like the cascading ganache - so rustic and individual - your cake has 'attitude'!
DeleteI'm so very pleased to hear your positive reviews regarding this recipe. It's wonderful to receive such a glowing response and it feels great to share and to see others enjoy success in making this cake. Thanks for sharing your happy outcome. May there be many more just like it. Mariana
Hi Mariana, I would like to try your recipe for hubby's bday tomorrow as requested. Can I make it ahead today and just leave it at room temp? We're inviting friends over so no room in the fridge since we're cooking too. Thanks in advance for quick response :-) Btw, it's autum now in Sydney so quite cool. Bless you, Thesa
ReplyDeleteHi Thesa - oh I do fear you may be pressed with time. I make this cake in advance up to two weeks and find that it actually gets better with a little time. You will have no problem not storing it in the fridge. I never do. I keep it in a well sealed airtight container in the hall cupboard which is dark and dry. I can't say how long it will keep because I've never had it last for more than two weeks and for that amount of time I can vouch (as long as you store it correctly). Hope this helps. Cheers Mariana
DeleteThanks for quick response Mariana! Just wondering if I put filling made of whipped ganache using cream and chocolate (slicing cake in between) if it will still be safe out of fridge for about 12 hrs? Or is having filling be too much? Thanks so much xoxo Thesa
DeleteIt depends on the ratio of chocolate to cream. I made a chocolate ganache on the weekend that used 300gm chocolate to 125ml cream (also 30gm butter), decorated the cake and I had it out for most of the day. The weather was nice, not too hot not too cold and it was fine. If you're worried, put it into an esky with ice bricks. I'm really not too sure about the keeping time for ganache made with cream, but I'd certainly be refrigerating it when you get some room.
ReplyDeleteohhhh, I just put a massive mud cake in the oven - but hadn't found your recipe and was trying another and yours seems so perfect :( Well, I might have to do a second attempt if that one fails so.... your recipe looks amazing. I'm definitely bookmarking this one!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the one in the oven Mel!
ReplyDeleteI am going to bake this cake today and was just wondering is the oven temperature for fan forced oven or no fan.
ReplyDeleteHi Sherie - I made this cake two days ago and baked it in fanforced oven at 140/150 degrees celcius for 1-3/4 hours. Turned out brilliantly; remember to cut the top off to level the cake; invert and the bottom is the part of the cake that you will be icing. Don't overcook the ganache; just bring most of it to melting point; take off the heat; the residual heat will be enough to melt the remainder; mix with spoon till all melted and it'll be remarkably shiny and glossy. Good luck.
DeleteEvery oven is different which is so annoying; 150degrees may be a tad high; best to stick with a lower temp and go for longer if need be- hope this helps Sherie.
DeleteI used the traditional song on my oven rather than fan forced and it didn't sink at all. I kept the temp at 140 and it did take longer (2 hours and 10 mins) but i still have the height and moisture without any sinking
DeleteI used the traditional song on my oven rather than fan forced and it didn't sink at all. I kept the temp at 140 and it did take longer (2 hours and 10 mins) but i still have the height and moisture without any sinking
DeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteI've been looking for a chocolate mud cake to make for my dad for his birthday and this looks fantastic! The only thing i'm worried about is the coffee, he doesn't like it. Is the coffee taste strong or can you barely taste it?
Kate :)
Honestly Kate - you can barely taste it - in fact you may be flat out tasting it - the amount of chocolate really dominates all else. Having said that I use Nescafe which isn't really that strong. A concentrated brew may well be more noticeable. Hope this helps.
DeleteI used a 30ml espresso shot and then added 155ml water to make it 185ml. When i tasted the batter (because i couldn't resist) it tasted quite strong but once cooked and cooled it is not noticeable.
DeleteHi marianna, I was drawn to your page because the images looked so divine n perfect. And then, Reading through your blog made the experience even better.
ReplyDeleteI have one quick question though. I'm planning on making this for a friend's birthday n she loves rum cakes. You think I could add rum into this cake. If yes, what substitutions would I have to make?
Hi Marsha
DeleteYou could reduce the milk by two tablespoons and in place add two tablespoons of rum. It's such a heavy cake, not too sure how well the flavour of the rum will come through; you may even need a little more; however 2tbspns is a safe bet.
Sometimes I brush my cold cake with Tia Maria (a good tablespoon or two) before icing. It's not that noticeable but it's adds a wonderful complexity. You could try the same with rum. Allow to soak in a little and then ice with the ganache.
If you're going to serve with whipped cream, consider adding 1tablespoon icing sugar and 1tablespoon rum to 300mls cream. Whisk together till nice soft peaks.
Alternatively, macerate some berries in a little icing sugar and rum to accentuate the rum flavour.
I can't seem to locate your recipe for the mud cake, may I please have your recipe, I need to bake a cake for my nephew for his engagement this Saturday. Any further tips you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance
ReplyDeleteHi mariana its such a great cake. May i know if the total water you use is 185 ml?reason why i m asking is the recipe sort of mention the disolved coffee (185 ml) with water.kinda confuse.. hope to receive your reply. Thx
ReplyDeleteTake 2 tablespoons instant coffee and 185mls hot water and mix them together - you need 185mls before adding the coffee.
DeleteHi Mariana, I chose your recipe as I required a large cake for a 50th birthday party (and it looked wicked). After seeing the height of your cake I decided to try it in a larger cake tin 10" as I didn't need it as high as yours. I also used "Wilton bake-even strips", for anyone who has not used them before, you soak the strips in water and wrap them around the outside of your cake tin which helps the cake cook even (the outside will not dry out before the middle is cooked) My cake did not sink in the middle, I did not have to trim my cake at all, I will be using them all the time now. Your recipe was amazing and I thank you for sharing it. Regards Jan
ReplyDeleteWow - thanks jans for sharing your success with the Wilton bake-even strips. I haven't heard of those - sounds interesting. Glad the recipe worked out well for you.
ReplyDeleteHi Mariana, i chanced upon your blog as i googled 'best mudcake recipe' and i tried your recipe. it was decadent and rich and rly tasty- something i have been looking for in a chocolate for the longest time. however, my cake turned out to be a little grainy. why?
ReplyDeleteSounds like your sugar may not have fully dissolved during the melting chocolate, butter and coffee process.
DeleteYou must be sure to incorporate the flour and eggs to a fully cooled down chocolate mixture. If you add it while there is any warmth, it will change the structure of the cake which could lend itself to 'grainy-ness'.
hi mariana, how do we tell if the cake is completely cooked?
ReplyDeleteThe cake will have certainly pulled away from the sides; the centre may be slightly sunken suggesting it has risen, fallen and is now fully baked. Putting the skewer in is tricky as it may come out with mixture attached and yet the cake could well be baked. A very crusty top suggests its well and truly baked. Welcome to the unpredictable world of mud cakes - they are sure to test your patience and resolve.
DeleteOh my goodness...what an incredible project and your final Wedding Chocolate appearance FANTASTIC! Well done :) therefore glad to possess discovered your site!When meeting your cake decorator for the primary time, bring the maximum amount data as possible; theme of the marriage, color of your dress, woman dress and inspiration from the area and flowers. it'll create the choice easier.
ReplyDeleteI just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I'll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon.A fantastic presentation. Very open and informative.You have beautifully presented your thought in this blog post
You say you really enjoyed reading my blog posts. Really??How is it that you have inferred I've made this cake for a WEDDING - I have never made a mud cake for anyone's wedding.
DeleteActually. Don't reply. I'm not interested. In anything you have to say or sell or promote or whatever it is that you do. Thanks in advance.
Hi! If I'm planning to make cupcakes, would this recipe be suitable? I'd love to try it! Thanks in advance.
ReplyDeleteI haven't made cupcakes using this recipe Megan so I don't know if it'd be suitable. I guess you could halve or quarter the recipe to have a try and see if it works....that way you haven't wasted a heap of cake batter.
DeleteHi, I am making your mud cake for my wedding cake. I am using 12,10,8,6 inch tins. With the 12'' do I use double the mixture or do 2 12'' cakes and stack them on top of each other. Thanks
ReplyDeleteI used this recipe to make a triple layer wedding cake (for my now wife and I). Our wedding was sensational and, for me, if the cake wasn't the highlight it was right up there. We received more positive comments regarding the cake than we could possibly count. Thank you so much for contributing to the success of our wedding..
ReplyDeleteHello there, Mariana. My name is Lauren - I stumbled across your blog last week as I was searching for mud cake recipes. Thought I would give yours a try and AMAZING - it worked and has been declared the best mudcake my husband has ever eaten. I'm so glad I discovered your little corner of the web and I will be following you from now on. I have my own blog about cookies, but it's nice to branch into other areas of baking and food. Thanks again for this divine recipe. Kind regards, L
ReplyDeleteHello, Marianna
ReplyDeleteMay I substitute milk with hot water? will it last in the room temp in a hot summer for three days before decorating? I am making cupcakes, will the top be risen, sunk or flat?
Many thanks
This is just what I am looking for. How can I find the recipe? Thanks for sharing, Kristel.
ReplyDeleteThis recipe for mud cake recipe is truly awesome. Thanks for putting it on.
ReplyDeleteRecipes for Mud Cake
Hi Marianna I'm making this cake for hens night. Just wondering if this cake would suit with fondant decoration?
ReplyDeleteHi this looks amazing. Need to make a cake foe next weekend. Where can I get the recipe? Thanks
ReplyDeleteHi this looks amazing. Need to make a cake foe next weekend. Where can I get the recipe? Thanks
ReplyDeleteHi Colin I just saw your message and thought I would let you know that under one of the cake images up above there is a link to the recipe. It's hard to spot at first just check under the cake photos up above I hope this helps
DeleteHi I am wanting to know if this cake can be frozen thanks
ReplyDeleteHi! Your cake looks devine.. May I know if I can omit the cofee or use other substitute as it is for a toddler's party? Thanks in advance!
ReplyDeleteRich Belgian Chocolate Cake - Light in texture, this cake is created with 70% dark chocolate and layered with a choice of buttercreams and conserves.
ReplyDeleteI have a fan forced oven what temperature would i set to bake the cake in??
ReplyDeletenice post.Homemade 1st Birthday Cakes
ReplyDeleteBirthday Cake Design
You must sample Anthara belgian chocolate truffle cake. It's the ideal balance of decadence and sweetness—a dessert to remember.
ReplyDelete