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Welcome to the 2023 Gbbo Bake-Along! We’re kicking off this season with THE TECHNICAL BAKE! It’s the classic quintessential GBBO Cake. When they announced it as the “Iconic Bake-Off Cake” I thought OMG it’s a Victoria Sandwich Cake! But no, it’s THE double-decker ganache-filled Chocolate Fudge Cake!
Now, don’t get me wrong, you KNOW I love the Victoria Sponge Cake! We’ve made them in the Bake-Along several times. So while I inwardly groaned at the “Iconic Bake Off Cake”, I was resigned to baking another one.
I was absolutely DELIGHTED to hear it was the Chocolate Fudge Cake. I am so bad at making cakes though, so you know my heart was also pounding.
What I thought was really funny is that in the intro to the GBBO they show this cake. And very obviously, ONE raspberry is missing from the top, like they didn’t have quite enough room to put it on the cake.
I figured I was the ONLY one who noticed. BUT NO. Everyone on the show laughed and said things like “oh, the cake with the missing raspberry!” So, has anyone noticed the missing raspberry? YOU’RE MY PEOPLE!
The Bakes for Cake Week 2023
- Signature Bake: Vertical Rolled Sponge Cakes
- Technical Bake: Chocolate Fudge Cake
- Showstopper Bake: Animal Shaped Cake
What you need to Bake the Chocolate Fudge Cake
Hit the grocery store if you need to stock up on heavy cream, sour cream or dark chocolate bars for this cake.
- dark chocolate, I used Bakers 56%
- water
- butter
- cocoa powder, I used Hershey’s
- eggs
- self-raising flour, NOT SELF RISING, see notes on making it for yourself below
- sour cream
- sugar
- brown sugar
- baking soda
- salt
- vanilla extract
- vegetable oil
- fresh raspberries
- 2 8-inch cake pan
- cake plate
- spatula
- heat proof bowls
- spoon
- pallete knife
To Make Your Own Self-Raising Flour
It’s not the same as self-rising flour so don’t make that mistake. Self-Raising Flour can be made by adding 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt to each cup of flour. This recipe uses 2 1/4 cups flour so
Is this an easy cake to make?
Yes, it is. I followed the directions to a tee. I never substituted or cut corners on this recipe. If you follow me, or know me, or are in my baking group you know, cakes scare the daylights out of me. Like more often than not, they fail, collapse, or never even rise.
I typically shift over to making cupcakes, like these Chocolate Orange Cupcakes. But seeing as I am the baking group’s LEADER, I must make the cake. *SIGH* Because like I said, cakes and I don’t mix!
BUT NOT THIS CAKE. This is the easiest nicest cake I’ve ever made!
So if I can do it, you can do it. I promise!
And I translated the recipe into cups and teaspoons for everyone who needs it. Ii do this so if anyone doesn’t have a scale they can still make the recipe. Yes I understand that weights and measures work best for baking but we don’t all have scales. I used the King Arthur Website to translate the recipe as best as a person could. You can find the whole recipe on the GBBO website.
About the Ganache
They don’t tell you how long to let the ganache cool. Mine was cool enough to fill cakes after about 2 hours at room temp. The cakes must also be cool, you can’t fill warm cakes with the ganache.
I made the ganache right after the cakes came out of the oven and were set out to cool. I didn’t want the cakes to be warm when the ganache was cool.
Both the cakes AND the ganache were cool enough to use together after 2 hours.
To Store
As the ganache cools, it gets stiffer but never rock hard. So store it at room temperature. After 24 hours, it’s fairly well set up on the cake. But still malleable. I don’t know if you could still add berries at this point.
I think this cake is best made, put together, and then served in 24 hours or so. Use the best fresh berries you can find so they hold up until you’re ready to serve.
Store the chocolate fudge cake covered with saran wrap OR under a cake dome. This cake dome comes without a plate, so you can use it on your own plate, no worries!
Chocolate Fudge Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 6 1/4 ounces dark chocolate semi-sweet, using bars is an easy way to measure baking chocolate
- 10 TBSP unsalted butter diced
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream at room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 1/4 cups self-raising flour Don't confuse this with self-rising flour, this was calculated using the King Arthur Website
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder this was calculated using the King Arthur Website
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Ganache Filling/Frosting
- 10.5 ounces dark chocolate chips or chunks 54% cocoa, using bars is an easy way to measure baking chocolate
- 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter diced
- 1 7/8 cups heavy cream
Decoration
- 14 ounces about 2 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350° F
- Grease and line the bottoms of two 8-inch round cake pans with butter
- In a heatproof bowl, combine the dark chocolate, diced butter, and hot water. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until everything is melted and well combined. Remove from heat and let it cool slightly.
- Meanwhile in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Add both granulated sugar and brown sugar to the wet mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Pour in the melted chocolate mixture and whisk again until smooth.
- Sift the self-raising flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into the same bowl. Whisk until the mixture is thoroughly combined.
- Divide the cake batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and use a palette knife to level the tops.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes, then carefully remove them from the pans and place them on a wire rack to cool completely
- In a heatproof bowl, combine the dark chocolate chips and diced butter.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the double cream until it’s just about to boil.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and butter in the bowl. Let it sit for 1 minute without stirring, then stir until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
- Allow the ganache to cool and thicken before using.
- Place one of the cooled cake layers on a cake stand.
- Spread approximately 6 tablespoons of the ganache evenly over the top using a palette knife or a spoon.
- Carefully place the second cake layer on top, with the flat side facing up.
- Cover the top and sides of the cake with the remaining ganache, and roughly smooth the sides.
- Decorate the top of the cake with fresh raspberries.
