Black Magic Cake

This black magic cake is a chocolate lover’s dream—a luscious chocolate flavor in a spongy and soft two-layer cake covered in a smooth ganache frosting.

Jump to Recipe

This divine black magic cake is bursting with decadent and rich chocolate flavor and it is absolutely sublime and SO moist. The coffee undertones enhance the deep chocolate taste for a sinful treat you will want to make again and again. 

Black Magic Cake Ingredients

Don't want to lose this recipe? Get it emailed to you directly! Enter your email below. Plus you'll get a free e-cookbook and amazing recipes sent to you daily.

Email *

Save This Recipe

You’ll need:

For The Cake:

• 1¾ cups of all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups of granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup buttermilk or milk
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup of black coffee (or 2 shots of espresso with water added to make 1 cup)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• ½ cup of vegetable oil

For The Ganache:

• 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
• 12 ounces of dark chocolate chips 

Substitutions And Additions

BUTTERMILK: You can make your own buttermilk using whole or 2% milk and lemon juice or distilled white vinegar. For every 1 cup of regular milk, stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar.

CAKE FROSTING: While this cake is traditionally iced with chocolate ganache frosting, you could choose your favorite frosting flavor to frost the cake. Vanilla frosting or even a cream cheese frosting would work well. Add a few drops of food coloring to a white frosting for a fun color if this cake is for a child’s birthday.

DRIED CHERRIES: Cherry is such a fantastic combination with chocolate. Add 1 cup of dried cherries to the cake batter for a hint of cherry in every bite.

How To Make This Black Magic Cake Recipe

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F.

STEP TWO: Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.

STEP THREE: Add the milk, eggs, coffee, vanilla extract, and oil into the bowl with the dry ingredients.

Turn the electric mixer on to medium speed and beat for two minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl halfway through mixing.

STEP FOUR: Divide the batter between the two 8-inch round cake pans lined on the bottom with parchment paper and sprayed around the sides with non-stick cooking spray.

STEP FIVE: Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cakes comes out with just a few crumbs.

STEP SIX: Cool the cakes for 10 to 15 minutes in their pans and then remove them from the pans to cool the rest of the way on wire racks.

STEP SEVEN: When the cake is cooled, prepare the ganache. Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan or a microwave-safe container until steaming.

Pour the cream over the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Cover with a plate for two to three minutes to contain the heat and allow the chocolate chips to soften.

Whisk the melted chocolate until the mixture forms a smooth, glossy ganache.

STEP EIGHT: Level the tops of the cakes with a serrated knife.

STEP NINE: Pour about ½ cup of the ganache over the top of one cake layer and spread just to the edges to form the filling.

STEP TEN: Stack the second cake layer, top-down, onto the ganache layer. Pour the extra ganache over the top of the cake.

STEP ELEVEN: Use an offset spatula to smooth the ganache down and around the sides.

For an extra smooth ganache, allow the ganache to cool for about 15 minutes and then smooth out with the offset spatula.

How To Serve

Serve this heavenly cake for dessert for a special occasion or for no reason at all.

Top your piece of cake with whipped cream and serve a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

Chocolate cake is such an indulgent treat, and we have a few for you to test out.

Try our German chocolate cake or chocolate mayonnaise cake for an easy chocolate cake recipe.

MORE CAKE RECIPES

Cake Recipes

Red Wine Chocolate Cake

Cake Recipes

Chocolate Cake Recipe

Storage

IN THE FRIDGE: Cover this black magic cake with chocolate ganache using plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator for up to seven days.

IN THE FREEZER: This rich cake freezes well for up to three months. Seal in an airtight container or wrap with plastic wrap before freezing.

Originally a Hershey’s cake recipe, this is the best chocolate cake recipe ever. The buttermilk gives the cake a moist texture every time, and the inclusion of coffee enhances the flavor of the chocolate. Throw this black magic cake recipe together the next time you are looking for a delicious dessert to whip up.

More Recipes You’ll Love

• Chocolate Brownie Cake
• 7 Minute Frosting
• Pumpkin Magic Cake
• Mint Chocolate Cheesecake
• Reese’s Cheesecake
• Instant Pot Chocolate Cake
• Air Fryer Chocolate Cake
• Chocolate Mug Cake
• Blueberry Coffee Cake
• Coffee Cake
• Crockpot Chocolate Caramel Cake
• Magic Custard Cake
• Applesauce Cake
• Chocolate Chip Cake
• Kentucky Butter Cake
• Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
• Watermelon Cake
• Blueberry Dump Cake
• Smash Cake
• Hawaiian Wedding Cake
• Cherry Dump Cake
• Lunchbox Cake
• Tiramisu Cake
• Hot Fudge Sundae Cake
• 7Up Cake
• Icebox Cake (Chocolate)
• Homemade Coffee Creamer with Condensed Milk

Get Recipes on Pinterest

Follow Us

Black Magic Cake

5 from 4 votes

This black magic cake is a chocolate lover’s dream—a luscious chocolate flavor in a spongy and soft two-layer cake covered in a smooth ganache frosting.

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 55 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Print RecipePin RecipeReview Recipe

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Cake

• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk or buttermilk
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup black coffee or 2 shots of espresso with water added to make 1 cup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup vegetable oil

Ganache

• 12 ounces dark chocolate chips
• 1½ cups heavy whipping cream

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and spray the bottom and sides with non-stick cooking spray.
• Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer.
• Add the milk, eggs, coffee, vanilla, and oil into the bowl with the dry ingredients.
• Turn the mixer on to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl halfway through mixing.
• Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans.
• Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cakes comes out with just a few crumbs.
• Cool the cakes for 10 to 15 minutes and then remove from pans to cool the rest of the way on a cooling rack.
• When the cake is cooled, prepare the ganache.
• Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan or a microwave-safe container until steaming. Pour the cream over the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Cover with a plate for 2 to 3 minutes to contain the heat and allow the chocolate chips to soften.
• Whisk until the mixture forms a smooth, glossy ganache.
• Level the tops of the cakes with a serrated knife.
• Pour about ½ cup of the ganache over the top of one cake layer and spread just to the edges to form the filling. Stack the second cake layer, top-down, onto the ganache layer.
• Pour the extra ganache over the top of the cake. Use an offset spatula to smooth the ganache down and around the sides. For the extra smooth ganache, allow the ganache to cool for about 15 minutes and then smooth out with the offset spatula.

Video

Notes

• Ideally, you should use shiny pans rather than dark pans for this recipe, as the dark pans can cause your chocolate cake to brown too early around the edges.
• You can buy pre-cut parchment paper rounds to make lining the round pans easier.
• Place the cake on a cooling rack over a baking sheet when pouring the ganache so that the drips are caught on the cookie sheet for easy cleanup.
• Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to keep a close eye on your cake as the suggested baking time approaches.

Nutrition

Calories: 567kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 441mg | Potassium: 386mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 44g | Vitamin A: 518IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 158mg | Iron: 2mg

Have You Tried This Recipe?Follow me on Pinterest @spaceshipslb

Get Recipes on Facebook

Follow Us

Even More Recipes You’ll Love

• cherry bread recipe
• Christmas vanilla roll cake recipe
• recipes for Coke cake
• Sugar Free Pumpkin Pie
• chocolate lasagna recipe with oreos
• old fashioned apple crisp