Why we love it!
What’s better than the best chocolate cake? This black magic cake takes only mere minutes to throw together, it’s rich in chocolate flavour, soft and moist.
I’m not sure when it came about but this black magic cake is actually a Hershey’s recipe that’s been floating around for a good few years. When I first came across it while scouring the internet for the best chocolate cake one day, this one came up. While I generally create my recipes from scratch, I knew I had to share this with you too. It’s too good not to.
The cake layers themselves have a really interesting method which means no special equipment and no creaming butter and sugar. It’s just so easy! You can fill and top those layers with whatever you like. I use a chocolate buttercream and chocolate ganache.
This cake inspired this Black Velvet Cake and this Chocolate salted caramel cake – both gorgeous celebration chocolate cakes.
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What is Black Magic Cake?
Black magic cake is a simple moist chocolate cake, made totally from scratch. Originally a Hershey’s recipe, it’s moist, has a soft and fluffy texture and is big on chocolate flavour. It also has a secret ingredient.
Please don’t let the secret ingredient stop you. The coffee added to the batter is purely there to bring out the chocolate flavour and is not noticeable in the finished cake. My hubby detests coffee but he loves this chocolate cake so I promise it’s worth a try even if you aren’t a coffee fan.
What makes this chocolate cake moist?
You’ll notice when you make it, this is quite a runny batter. Not only is there a whole cup of water that goes into this but also 1 cup of buttermilk and ½ a cup of oil. While all of these contribute to making this a moist chocolate cake, it’s the latter two that do most of the work. They also help to keep the texture tender.
How to make black magic cake
What I love most about this moist chocolate cake, aside from its amazing flavour and texture, of course, is how easy this is to make! This cake is literally a dump, mix, bake and done style cake.
Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.
- The dry ingredients are mixed together in one bowl, then the wet ingredients in another (photo 1). As there is no butter in this cake, there is no creaming of butter and sugar, saving time.
- Mix together the wet and dry ingredients with a handheld beater on medium speed for about 90 seconds (photo 2) and the batter is done.
- Now pour this evenly between 2 greased and lined 8-inch round baking tins. You can use kitchen scales like I do if you want to get perfect layers otherwise just eyeball it.
- The cakes bake for around 35 minutes. When you take them out of the oven and after they’ve cooled for just a couple of minutes, very gently, press down on the top of the cakes just to flatten them out a little. Don’t press down too hard or they may collapse.
- The last 2 photos above (photos 3 & 4) show frosting the cake.
How to make the chocolate ganache buttercream
I fill and top my cake with a chocolate ganache buttercream, followed by a little more ganache. To make this, I use the recipe from my chocolate fudge cupcakes recipe. The only difference is that I reserve some of the ganache to pour over the top of the cake.
This stuff should be illegal, it’s so good. An already chocolate buttercream (given flavour using cocoa) is intensified by adding a dark chocolate ganache. This is rich, indulgent, smooth and creamy and your friends will be begging you for this recipe.
- After making a simple ganache (which takes around 5 minutes of very little effort), beat together some butter with a little cocoa and icing sugar until it’s lightened and whipped up (photo 1).
- Now, add the cooled ganache and beat it all together (photo 2). You’ll be rewarded with this glorious fluffy but thick and intensely chocolate flavoured ganache frosting (photo 3).
How to frost the chocolate cake
This couldn’t be simpler. No fussing with coating the entire sides of the cake and trying to get it perfectly smooth.
- Just spread half the buttercream on top of the first layer and sit the second layer on top. Now spread the remaining buttercream over that.
- The last step is to spread the remaining ganache over the top letting some drip down the sides. I like to use a squeeze bottle to add drips the whole way around the cake first, then pour the rest of the ganache into the middle and spread it out.
Can chocolate cake be frozen?
Absolutely. This chocolate cake freezes well. I find it best freezing it in pre-cut slices. The best way to freeze this cake – and any baked goods – is to first cut the cake into slices and place it in the freezer on the cake plate until firm. Now, individually wrap the slices and place them into an airtight container.
What are you waiting for? If you like a moist chocolate cake, a simple chocolate cake and a chocolate cake thats overflowing with flavour, you will love this. Get baking 🙂
More chocolate cake recipes you’ll love
- Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
- Chocolate mini cakes
- Chocolate salted caramel cake
- Chocolate Mud Cake
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake
- Flourless Chocolate Pear Upside Down Cake
- Chocolate Meringue Brownie Cake
- Chocolate Mousse Mud Cake
- Blackberry Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake with Cheesecake Filling
Did you try this black magic cake recipe? Please take a moment to leave a rating and comment below. I love hearing from you, and it helps other readers too!
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Ingredients
FOR THE BLACK MAGIC CAKE
- 230 g plain flour (all-purpose flour) (1 ¾ cups / 8oz)
- 70 g unsweetened cocoa powder (2.5oz / ¾ cup)
- 2 cups caster sugar (superfine sugar) (400g / 14oz)
- 2 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 1 cup buttermilk (250ml)
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee dissolved in 1 cup hot water (250ml water)
- ½ cup vegetable oil (125ml)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR THE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM AND GANACHE
- 140 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), finely chopped (5oz)
- ½ cup thickened cream (heavy cream) (125ml)
- 170 g unsalted butter (6oz / 1 ½ sticks / ¾ cup)
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (30g / 1oz)
- 1 ½ cups icing sugar (powdered sugar) (195g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch salt
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- A electric mixer or stand mixer
- A silicone spatula so nothing gets left behind.
- A squeezee bottle or piping bag for adding the ganache drips
Instructions
- FOR THE BLACK MAGIC CAKE:Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / 160C fan forced. Grease then line two 8 inch cake tins with baking paper.
- Boil the kettle and mix 1 cup of boiling water with the coffee. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift the flour and cocoa together, then add the sugar, baking powder, baking powder and salt and whisk to combine well.
- Make a well in the centre and add all of the wet ingredients – eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, coffee.
- Use a handheld beater and mix on low for 90 seconds.
- Pour evenly into the 2 prepared baking pans. Place in the oven and cook for around 35-38 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre, comes out with just a crumb or two.
- Use a small dish with a flat base to very gently press down on the top on top of each cake just to level them out a little. Don’t press down too hard. Cool the cakes in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool. Cool completely before frosting.
- FOR THE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM AND GANACHE:Start by making the chocolate ganache. Place the finely chopped chocolate in a small heatproof dish.
- Heat the cream in a small saucepan over low heat until its steaming, then pour it over the chocolate. Give the dish a gentle shake so all the chocolate is submerged. Leave for 30 seconds to soften, then stir to a smooth glossy ganache. Make sure the ganache is about room temperature before proceeding.
- Beat the butter, cocoa and half the sugar on medium for about 5 minutes or until very light and creamy – scrape down the sides of the bowl every so often.
- Add the remaining sugar, salt, vanilla and beat until well combined.
- Set aside roughly half of the ganache for the top of the cake. Add the other half to the buttercream mixture and beat until combined and smooth (only about 1 minute).
- Spread half the buttercream over the bottom layer of the cake. Place the second layer on top (flattest side up), press down gently to stick them together well. Spread the remaining buttercream over the top.
- Transfer the reserved ganache to a squeezee bottle or piping bag and pipe around the edge forcing some of the ganache to drip down. Fill in the centre with the remaining ganache and spread out into an even layer.
- Place in the fridge to set a little (it will only need 15 minutes or so) before serving.
- Please take a moment to rate this recipe. I helps me to keep creating free recipes and helps other readers too.
Notes
- Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (= 4 teaspoons worldwide). Many countries use a 15ml tablespoon so check yours before measuring.
- For best results, you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).
- All ovens vary – always check 2-3 minutes before the recipe suggests.
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66 Comments on “Black Magic Cake”
The absolute best chocolate cake I have ever had…and so easy to make!
It’s the best isn’t it?! So happy you love it, Mark.
Can’t wait to make this! One question, do you think this cake would be best eaten same day, or survive just fine one night in the fridge, taking out a few hours before serving? Thanks so much.
Hi Lucy. It’s absolutely fine in the fridge overnight.
I am baking this cake for someone and they dont want a large cake – I would make 2 cakes by making the layers thinner but unsure how long to bakes – Can you advise
I could end up with maybe 5 thinker layers
I’m sorry, Karen. I haven’t tested it so couldn’t say. Maybe 15 mins. It really depends if you’re still using an 8 inch pan as well. You’ll just need to give it a go and check it early.
This recipe is always a “go to” when my family wants a good chocolate cake. Very chocolatey and not too sweet. We love it!!
I have used buttermilk in the past and we loved it, but couldn’t find any this time, so I used whole milk and the cake is still phenomenal.
So happy you love it, Toni. Thanks so much for dropping back with a review 🙂
Didn’t hold out a lot of hope for this recipe when I poured the very runny cake mix into the pans
However a complete winner, looks like it will be a very rich cake but found it to be relatively light
Very impressive cake to share with family and friends!
Yes, it really is a runny batter but bakes up beautifully. I’m so happy you love it, Jan.
From one Australian to a Tasmanian, your recipes are perfect, this cake turned out perfect, I have shared with friends and family in Tasmania, they are going to make this weekend, I love all of your recipes, so now all my friends and family can make your recipes. I have lived in the UK now for over 35 years, but Aussie recipes are the best.
I did not change a thing, your muffins are also perfect.
I’m so happy you love this, Margaret and thanks so much for sharing with everyone 🙂 Which muffins did you try?
The muffins I baked are the chocolate chip, raspberry, blueberry, chocolate, chocolate are the favourites, made for my aunt and uncle who are in theirs 80’s and 90’s, for charity functions, plus apple tray bake many favourites, white chocolate cookies, 10 out of 10, only thing I changed was less sugar, I am making them once a week for a charity, so I say it everyone about your website, I say Marie she’s magic, the magic cake lasted 1 hour, everyone raved about it at my husband’s work, I used a deep tray bake pan, 13”x 9” depth of 2”, cooked same amount of time 35 mins @ 160c, perfect, cut cake in half, creamed, did top and iced, used a fork, got about 40 slices from cake.
Thank you Marie, you are making me a better baker, love the challenge every week of trying a new recipe. Will try to attach a photo.
Thanks so much for your support, Margaret
Do you use Natural Cocoa, or Dutch Cocoa?
Hello Julie. Just regular unsweetened cocoa for this.
I’m super excited to make this for my husband’s birthday tomorrow! Do you happen to know what adjustments need to be made for high altitude?
Hi Pam. I don’t have experience baking at altitude but King Arthur flour has a great article about making adjustments to suit.
Really fabulous cake. My 6 year old grandson loved it. Loved that I could put all the ingredients in bowl, whisk and then put in the oven. What’s not to love.
Q: could you advise how can I slice and freeze what’s left. I don’t want to waste a crumb.
A family member is gluten intolerant. What changes should I make if I use almond flour or a gl free white?
So happy you love it, Elizabeth. I haven’t tested with almond flour and it’s not a straight swap for flour. With GF flour, I also haven’t tested it – you could try but I find different GF flour brands have varying degrees of success.
Amazing! Thank you!
So happy you love it. Thanks for leaving a review.
This recipe is already a favorite of mine as-is, and I just adapted it the other day to a birthday celebration including a guest who cannot have gluten or dairy, and also a very picky guest who will not eat anything he knows is made with substitutions. I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Flour, Pacific Cashewmilk and 2 tbsp red wine vinegar in place of the buttermilk, 1 block Miyoko’s European Style Cultured Vegan Butter, and Nut Pods hazelnut creamer. While it didn’t taste identical because of the added nut flavors, those work well enough in combination to taste intentional, and the texture was spot-on. I would only make two changes:
1) I’d omit the red wine vinegar and use all baking powder in place of the powder/soda combo
2) I’d look for a cream or creamer that doesn’t taste like coconut, since my mother was able to pick out that flavor (she knew what I was up to, though), and coconut flavor is a very obvious giveaway for a recipe made with vegan dairy. Any other nut flavor will do, for this and for the milk (though maybe I’d steer clear of almond milk, since that’s lower in fat).
Thank you, Ellery for such a thorough comment. This will be helpful to so many readers!
Hi there,
I’m eager to make this recipe. Just one question though please.
Is this cake kid friendly. Being that there’s coffee in the cake?
Cheers!
There are a few options here. Instant coffee is lower in caffeine than that of freshly blended beans. With just a tablespoon of granules in the whole cake it should be fine for kids. If you don’t like the idea of the kids having any caffeine, you could use decaffeinated as it will still intensify the chocolate flavour, or leave out the coffee but still add the boiling water!
I’ve been making this recipe since I was a child and I’m 48 now. I hate coffee and when the kids were born I didn’t want them having that much caffeine. I found a good alternative is to use a cup of hot chocolate. ❤️
Great idea, Julia. Thanks for giving us your tip 🙂
Hello! This looks delicious! I feel a little confused when I get to the buttercream icing and ganache. Do I need to refer to the other recipe you cited earlier on or just start with step 1? If you just start with step 1, where it says to pour over finely chopped chocolate, do I need to first finely chop all 200g of the 70% chocolate? Thank you!!!
Yes, all the 200g should be finely chopped. I’ll amend the recipe card to be more clear. Thanks for letting me know
My grandmother made this cake my family back in the early 70’s. The cake tastes like a dream and a walk down memory lane.
It really is a wonderful recipe. So glad it brings you fond memories
Heyy! So I’d like to make these for a birthday but make them into cupcakes instead would it work ? I’ve seen your caramel chocolate cupcakes but it yeilds 12 only and I’d like for it to be abit more than that so will this cake for cupcakes too?
I haven’t tested this cake as cupcakes. You’d be better off just increasing the cupcake recipe by however much you need. Double the ingredients to get 24 cupcakes. It’s a great cupcake recipe and you won’t regret it 🙂
I have made this twice, it turns out wonderfully. It fills your house with the best smell too! Absolutely delightful.
So happy you love it Annie
Hi Marie, just to clarify the unsweetened cocoa refers to cocoa powder instead of the chocolate baking bar, right? Also, if I would like to add some Baileys to the cake for an extra kick, how would you advise to go about it? And one more thing, would it be possible to reduce the amount of icing sugar to make the ganache?
Really looking forward to baking this cake! 🙂
Hello Jia, Yes it’s cocoa powder. To add Baileys, I would remove the equivalent amount of water from the recipe up to 1/3 a cup, however, I haven’t tested this so I’m not exactly sure of the amount that would work. The icing sugar helps with stability in the frosting but add it until you get the consistency you like.
Hi Marie, thanks for your prompt reply! I was wondering whether it I can bake in batches? I only have one 8-inch springform pan, so I don’t have any alternative way but to bake one at a time. However, was concerned about whether it would be discouraged to let the batter sit too long outside while waiting for the first layer to bake (some cake batters have to be in the oven immediately right after mixing, not sure if this batter is “sensitive” as well?).
Hello Jia, I haven’t tried this but I think it would work fine.
Hello Marie, the cakes turned out perfect! Thank you for sharing such a lovely recipe!
Is it possible to bake them in cupcake pans too? How would the baking time differ from the original?
So happy you liked it Jia. I haven’t tried this as cupcakes but I do have a wonderful chocolate cupcake recipe that works perfectly every time too.
Hi, I want to make this cake into a 4 layer cake using 6 inch pan. Can you please suggest if I should double the recipe. Also, would it be difficult to cut into 2 cakes to make 4 layers as the cake is so moist? If yes, I would bake 4 individual cakes. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks.
Hi Roshini, it depends on how tall you want it. If you stick to the recipe as is, the layers will be thinner or you could do 1.5x the recipe but they would be quite thick, making the entire cake of 4 layers quite tall. It can be sliced if chilled or frozen first, but if you don’t want to do that, I’d bake the 4 layers separately.
Hello! Can I use powder sugar instead of caster sugar?
No. Caster sugar is like superfine sugar. The best substitute is granulated white sugar
So moist and easy to make, recommend!
Thanks Marie 🤙🏼
Thanks so much Dave, so happy you loved it
hello! this came out superb. do you think I can use black cocoa powder (super dutch) for the cake batter? many thanks
Yes, I think that would be perfect. So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Hi, Marie …I made this cake and you have to believe me that the cake was awesome …everyone freaked out on the cake ..including me as I could believe that I can bake such a cake at home . It was delicious , tasty , decadent …just a little observation..after baking the cake I had put the cake inside the fridge to make it little firm before spreading out the buttercream.it helped me in arranging the layers ..my picture weren’t clear otherwise I would have sent those too. Iam. Baking the same cake for my daughters birthday next week ….now you can imagine how GOOOD it was 😀
Thanks so much, Neha. Great tip too 🙂
Hello Marie,
This looks wonderful. However, I don’t do a lot of baking, so I was just wondering if a 9″ round baking tray would work (that’s what I have).
Thank you!
Hello Natasha. It will work but the layers will be thinner and you may not need to cook it for the full time so make sure to test the cake 5 minutes before the time suggests in the recipe. You could also use 8 inch square tins and make it a square cake. Happy baking 🙂
Greetings from Pakistan! This cake came out superb! I made two changes. I reduced sugar by 20% and substituted half of the white sugar with coconut sugar.
Great, so happy you enjoyed it 🙂
It say in the recipe to disolve 1 tablespoon of coffee into 1 cup of water is that correct ? If so do you add all of that to the dry ingredients
Yes that’s correct. A full cup of water and add it with all the wet ingredients int9 the dry ingredients ?
I made it! it was so easy and glorious. I lower the heat of my oven because usually is very potent oven so it took more time to bake but it worked perfectly and every went very well and delicious smooth :D.
Excellent, I’m so happy you loved it 🙂
I’ve been dreaming about this cake ever since you posted it on IG. Chocolate cake is one of my favorite treats ever so I HAVE to try this one!
You definitely need to try it. It’s moist, fluffy and absolutely perfect 🙂 Happy Baking Kelsie
This is a cake to swoon over! The Hershey’s cake recipe is amazing and always a winner. I love the ganache poured over, so decadent and absolutely divine! Pinned! Take care. 🙂
It sure is. Definitely one of my favourites. Thanks Stacey 🙂
Marie, this cake looks absolutely heavenly! So moist and so tender! Can’t believe how easy it is. Love your tip about using a squeeze bottle for getting the perfect drips on the sides. Brilliant!
Thanks so much Kelly 🙂