Chocolate Cake Lab357 recipes
← All chocolate cake recipes

Ultimate chocolate cake

Angela Nilsen · bbcgoodfood.com · 2025 · Cuts into 14 slices

Against 357 chocolate cake recipes

More sugar than 96% of recipes and more chocolate than 94%.

See how all 357 chocolate cake recipes compare →

Get the method at bbcgoodfood.com →This page has the ingredients and the numbers. The instructions and photos are on the original recipe, which Recipe Lab does not republish.

How it compares

Against the typical cake: the median of 357 chocolate cake recipes, per 100 g of flour.

  • More sugar than 96% of recipes: 235% of the flour weight against the typical recipe's 142%.
  • More chocolate than 94% of recipes: 118% of the flour weight against the typical recipe's 0%.
  • Less liquid than 98% of recipes: 46% of the flour weight against the typical recipe's 138%, about half as much.
  • More fat than 87% of recipes: 118% of the flour weight against the typical recipe's 62%, about twice as much.
Cocoa: 15%, 33rd percentileChocolate: 118%, 94th percentileSugar: 235%, 96th percentileFat: 118%, 87th percentileEgg: 78%, 83rd percentileLiquid: 46%, 2nd percentileLeavening: 3.4%, 23rd percentileSalt: 0%, 15th percentileCocoaChocolateSugarFatEggLiquidLeaveningSalt
Percentile on each ingredient. Shaded ring: the middle half of recipes.

Ingredients (15)

  • 200g dark chocolate (about 60% cocoa solids), chopped200 g
  • 200g butter cubed200 g
  • 1 tbsp instant coffee granules≈ 7 g
  • 85g self-raising flour85 g
  • 85g plain flour85 g
  • ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda≈ 1.5 g
  • 200g light muscovado sugar200 g
  • 200g golden caster sugar200 g
  • 25g cocoa powder25 g
  • 3 medium eggs≈ 132 g
  • 75ml buttermilk≈ 77 g

Toppings and extras

Listed, but not counted in the percentages below.

  • 50g grated chocolate or 100g curls, to decorate50 g
  • 300ml double cream≈ 302 g
  • 2 tbsp golden caster sugar≈ 25 g
  • golden caster sugarn/a

flour 170 gbatter 1213 g

≈ marks grams converted from cups and spoons with standard densities; the rest are weights the source printed.

Baker's percentages

Grams per 100 g of flour, and where that falls among all 357 recipes. Shaded: the middle half. Tick: the median. Leavening includes the baking powder in the self-rising flour, counted as 5% of its weight.

  • Cocoa15% · 33rd percentile
  • Chocolate118% · 94th percentile
  • Sugar235% · 96th percentile
  • Fat118% · 87th percentile
  • Egg78% · 83rd percentile
  • Liquid46% · 2nd percentile
  • Leavening3.4% · 23rd percentile
  • Salt0% · 15th percentile

Oven

Temperature
325°F / 165°C
median 350°F
Time
30 minutes
median 33 minutes

Keep exploring

Recipes most like this one

Nearest by baker's percentages: cocoa, chocolate, sugar, fat, egg, liquid, leavening, salt.

Do something with it

Or browse all 357 chocolate cake recipes.