Chocolate Fudge Cake

Moist, rich chocolate fudge cake recipe. Check out the tips, step-by-step photos, and frosting suggestions above the recipe.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 337kcal

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour 2 9-inch round cake pans.** Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the oil and sugars together until combined. It will look like wet sand.
½ cup vegetable oil, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup brown sugar
Whisk in the eggs one at a time.
3 large eggs
Add the sour cream and vanilla, and whisk until combined.
½ cup sour cream, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt, and stir until just combined. Batter will be thick.
2 cups all-purpose flour, ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Stir in the warm water just until combined.
1 cup warm water
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out with a few fudgy crumbs attached.
Place the pans on a wire cooling rack and let cool for 20 minutes.
Run a thin knife around the edge of each cake to loosen it from the pan, and then invert the cakes onto the rack. I like to lightly spray the cooling rack with nonstick spray to keep the cake from sticking.
Let cool completely before frosting. I recommend frosting with chocolate buttercream frosting.

Oil: Feel free to use another type of neutral oil, like olive oil, instead of vegetable oil.
Brown sugar: Light brown sugar or dark brown sugar will work.
Sour cream: I recommend using full-fat sour cream for the moistest cake. Whole milk Greek yogurt also works well.
Kosher salt: Or 1/2 teaspoon of table salt.
Warm water: The water can be tap warm. There's no need to heat it.
Frosting: I used chocolate buttercream frosting on this cake. I have several other frosting suggestions above the recipe.
Nutrition values are estimates.