Chocolate Ganache Cake

Fluffy and moist chocolate cake filled with creamy chocolate ganache, frosted with whipped chocolate ganache and topped with a chocolate drip. This cake is dark and rich and not for the faint of heart!

Why you’ll love this chocolate ganache cake

• It’s rich and indulgent but not to the point where you can’t eat more than one or two bites.
• The frosting, filling and drip all use the same TWO ingredients.
• The chocolate cake recipe is very forgiving and allows for many substitutions and dietary restrictions. 

For more chocolate heavy recipes, make sure to check out my chocolate mousse cake for something lighter, double chocolate cookies, triple chocolate macarons, and double chocolate banana bread.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Flour: I use all purpose flour in most of my recipes and I HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale, as flour (and cocoa) is so often over measured. 
• Cocoa Powder: make sure to use unsweetened cocoa powder. I use dutch process but natural cocoa powder also works. The color and flavor will be slightly less intense with natural cocoa powder. 
• Baking Powder: I used just baking powder here. If you only have baking soda, you can just use 1 tsp of that instead. 
• Sugar: I used granulated sugar and I don’t recommend cutting any out as it affects the texture and the flavor. The ganache is dark and not super sweet so it balances well.
• Butter: I like to use salted butter in my cakes but you can also use unsalted butter. Dairy free butter also works well. 
• Oil: I usually use a neutral oil like sunflower, vegetable or canola oil but olive oil also works well here as it pairs well with chocolate and is hardly noticeable. 
• Eggs: make sure to use room temperature, large eggs.
  • Pop them in hot water for a few minutes if they’re cold.
• Sour cream: I love the combination of sour cream and milk for cakes. The sour cream can be replaced with plain yogurt or greek yogurt. Make sure they are unsweetened.
• Milk: I use whole milk or 2% milk but any milk works fine, even dairy free milk. 
• Chocolate: I used dark chocolate for all the components in this recipe. My favorite chocolate is the pound chocolate from Trader Joes but any high quality chocolate chip or chocolate baking bar will work here.
  • If you’re not a fan of dark chocolate, you can make this with semi-sweet chocolate as well.
  • I don’t recommend making this with milk chocolate or white chocolate as the ratio of chocolate to cream will be significantly off and will result in a ganache that is too soft (my Tuxedo cake has a white chocolate ganache). You can refer to my cookbook, Frosted, for more on types of ganache and the appropriate ratios.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Make the cake first. Start by creaming the butter with the sugar for 1-2 minutes. Then add the oil and beat at full speed until it’s pale and fluffy. 

Step 2: Add the eggs one at a time. Make sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next egg. Then add the vanilla and sour cream, mixing just until they’re combined. 

Step 3: Add half of the dry ingredients, followed by the milk and the other half of the dry ingredients. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl well so it’s evenly mixed. 

Step 4: Distribute the batter evenly. You should get about 18oz in three 8 inch cake pans. 

Step 5: Bake for about 30-35 minutes. When the cake is done baking, it will release itself from the edge of the pan and spring back when you press on the center. Flip the cakes over onto a cooling rack or a tea towel right away. Allow them to cool completely to room temperature. 

Step 6: Make the chocolate ganache by chopping up the chocolate and placing it in a large bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan and pour it over the chocolate. Cover the bowl for 3-5 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt.

Step 7: Stir the chocolate ganache gently until it’s completely melted and smooth. Allow it to cool to room temperature. You can also refrigerate it but make sure to stir it every 10 minutes or so, so that it cools evenly and doesn’t harden around the edge. 

Step 8: Once the chocolate has cooled, split it in half, reserving plain chocolate ganache for the filling. 

Step 9: Use a mixer to beat the other half of the chocolate ganache at full speed, until it lightens in color and resembles more of a frosting. 

Step 10: Use the whipped chocolate ganache to pipe a border around the edge of the cake. Then fill it in with the plain chocolate ganache. Repeat with the second layer and then place the third layer on top.

I use a similar method to assemble my chocolate caramel cake, chocolate chip cake, chocolate blueberry cake, biscoff cake and ferrero rocher cake. 

Step 11: Frost the cake with the rest of the whipped chocolate ganache and refrigerate the cake.

Step12: For the chocolate drip, repeat the steps for the chocolate ganache (but with a smaller amount of ingredients). Let it cool for about 15-30 minutes, until it’s no longer warm and has thickened just slightly. Spread it on top of the chilled cake, allowing it to run off the edge a little. 

How to make a chocolate drip

Chocolate drips are simple to make. Just follow the same process as making chocolate ganache with a few differences in how it’s used:

• You want the ganache to be runny but not hot.
• Make sure the cake is chilled when you pour the chocolate drip on top. 
• Work quickly so it doesn’t set before it’s done dripping off the edge.
• For a waterfall drip, pour the chocolate on top of the cake and use an offset spatula or a spoon to spread it out to the edges, allowing it to fall off of the cake naturally.
• For a more uniform drip, allow the chocolate to cool slightly more so it’s not quite as runny. Then place it in a piping bag with a small tip and pipe the drips along the edge of the cake. Then spread the rest on top, being careful not to ruin the drips on the side of the cake.

How to make the cake ahead of time

To make the cake ahead of time you can make the cakes even a month in advance. When you remove them from the oven, let them cool for about half an hour and then wrap them individually  in plastic wrap. Then place them in a freezer bag, squeezing out all the excess air. 

Bring back to room temperature before frosting. If you frost them while they’re frozen, the whipped ganache will set way too quickly from the cold cake and make it difficult to spread. 

To make the ganache ahead of time just follow the instructions until it’s done, place it in an airtight container and refrigerate for a few days. Bring back to room temperature before assembling the cake. 

Ganache can be sensitive to temperature sometimes so I prefer to use it fresh as I don’t like to refrigerate it. To save time, make it the night before and allow it to cool overnight at room temperature. Then assemble the cake in the morning. 

How to store finished cake

I usually just cover it with a cake dome or place it in an airtight container and store it at room temperature for 1-2 days. 

Refrigerate for an additional up to a week but I recommend freezing it to keep it more fresh.

To freeze the whole cake, refrigerate it until it’s firm. Then wrap it in plastic wrap so it’s completely covered. Then wrap it in aluminum foil and freeze. 

To freeze slices, place the slices in an airtight container and then place the container in a freezer bag, squeezing out all the excess air. 

Bring it back to room temperature by thawing at room temperature for a few hours before serving. 

Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below. Make sure to leave it in the comment section because I can’t answer in the rating section.

If you make this, I’d love it if you left a star rating for me. If it’s less than five stars, please leave a comment with the rating so I know why! 🙂

As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!

Love, B