BBC's Best chocolate cakes

Whether you like yours rich and dark, fudgy or light and fluffy, we've got the perfect chocolate cake recipe for you…

The internet is swamped with recipes claiming to be THE BEST, but here at BBC Food we think perfection is a very personal thing.

Your best chocolate cake might be super rich and dark, but someone else will want a light, fluffy sponge with subtle milk chocolate flavours. There are so many delicious, but utterly different, chocolate cakes to choose from so why limit yourself to one?

With that in mind we've pulled together nine fabulous chocolate cake recipes and highlighted what is brilliant about each one – making it easy for you pick the recipe that will result in your own idea of perfection.

Easy chocolate cake

Our easy chocolate cake is foolproof and very forgiving – so you can expect moist, fudgy and very chocolately results with little skill. There's no creaming or folding required here, just mix everything together then add hot water at the end.

It's the perfect birthday cake because, unlike many cakes, it keeps fresh for four to five days so you can make it well in advance. A boon for novice bakers who want to try cake decorating.

The cake mixture is very runny, so you do need to use leakproof cake tins (it's not a good choice if all your tins have a loose base). Standard sandwich tins are a thumbs up though.

Chocolate fudge cake

Using melted chocolate (instead of cocoa powder) and brown sugar gives this sponge a wonderfully fudgy texture with gentle caramel flavour notes. Topped with a rich and glossy chocolate ganache, this is a decadent bake that you could enjoy simply with a cuppa or reheat to serve as a dessert.

This chocolate fudge cake isn't difficult to make, but it is a step up from the 'easy one' above. However, there's nothing that will intimidate occasional bakers and there's a step-by-step video where food writer Benjamina Ebuehi talks you through the process if you do want reassurance.

Mary Berry's chocolate sponge

Looking for a basic chocolate cake from a trusted source? Mary Berry has entered the room! Her chocolate sponge is light and not overly chocolately: a good one if you don’t enjoy very rich cakes.

As you'd expect with a recipe from Mary Berry, this cake is a doddle to make and uses the all-in-one method that she favours. She suggests a filling of cream and jam, but anything goes (it's great with chocolate buttercream if you are making a kid's birthday cake).

If you want to use different cake tins or toppings, our handy cake calculator will help you work out how to adjust the recipe.

This cake is best eaten on the day it's made, but freezes well, unfilled and well-wrapped in cling film.

Gluten-free chocolate cake

Chocolate cakes are one of the easiest cakes to make gluten-free. Ground nuts act as a good replacement for flour and their flavour sits very comfortably beside chocolate.

This gluten-free cake is in the Italian style of rich dessert cakes. It's not a light fluffy affair, but something richer and more gooey (if you like brownies, you'll love this). With only five ingredients it's made in one tin with no filling or decorations to worry about, so this is an extremely easy cake to make.

If you need a gluten-free cake for a special occasion try Becky Excell's chocolate cake. It's a more traditional sponge cake, but with a surprise filling to make it extra special.

Nigella's vegan chocolate cake

Even if you're not vegan, this is an undeniably great chocolate cake. Nigella Lawson knows her way around a cake recipe and this one is a corker. It's fabulously chocolatey without being overly sweet or heavy.

Espresso powder adds depth of flavour to the cake, but it can be omitted if you are baking for children or anyone with an aversion to coffee.

This is easy to cook and lasts well. Some of the ingredients for the icing and decoration can be tricky to find, but everything for the cake itself is easily sorted, plus Nigella has helpfully provided lots of ideas for ingredient substitutions in the recipe tips.

Chocolate mug cake

Mug cakes are so quick and easy to make and you don't need an oven or cake tins. In fact, this recipe was developed for kids, so, even if you're not the best baker, you can be sure this is well within your capabilities.

All cooked in less than 5 minutes, using a microwave and mixed straight in the mug (so there's hardly any washing up either). If you're in a real rush, you'll also be pleased to know this chocolate mug cake is best eaten when still slightly warm, though you will need to let it cool for a few minutes.

As with all microwave cakes, it's important not to overcook it as it will make the cake rubbery.

Chocolate traybake

If you've been roped into baking for a cake sale or party, this chocolate traybake is exactly what you need as it serves lots of people without a lot of effort.

Don't own cake tins? Traybakes are ideal as they cook in roasting tins. Something with high-ish straight sides and 30x23cm dimensions is ideal, but they are pretty forgiving. Just bear in mind that if your tin is slightly smaller, the cake will be deeper and need a few extra minutes in the oven, and the opposite is true if you use a larger tin.

Mary's milk chocolate ganache is utterly delicious when poured over the cooled cake, but, for a thicker icing, it can be cooled until it spreads like a fudge topping. If you want to swap in a buttercream icing, our cake calculator will help.

It keeps for a week in an air-tight tin, but, if you prefer, the cake can be iced and frozen in slices for up to three months (the icing won’t be quite as shiny once it has thawed though).

Chocolate orange cake

Chocolate orange isn't just for Christmas as this easy bake shows. Our chocolate orange cake gets a citrus hit by adding fresh orange zest to a basic cake batter.

The icing is made with dark chocolate, but you can use a mixture of dark and milk chocolate, if preferred. If you want the icing to have lots of orange flavour, a handy tip is to add a few drops of orange extract (available from most large supermarkets) or use orange-flavoured chocolate.

To make this cake easier to decorate, just fill the middle and cover the top with swirly patterns – rather than going for the time-consuming smooth effect shown in the image.

White chocolate and raspberry cake

A simple one-tin white chocolate and raspberry cake, this will put a smile on the face of anyone with a sweet tooth.

It's a cake you can happily serve as a dessert and, because it's already rich and moist, it's a lovely cake to eat without icing (a dusting of icing sugar on the cooled cake will give a pretty finish). For special occasions, the indulgent cream cheese and white chocolate frosting is such a treat.

If you need this cake to last a few days, don't decorate it with fresh raspberries as they have a very short shelf life.

Finishing touches

Any layered cakes can be filled with whipped cream, ganache (melted chocolate mixed with cream), or chocolate buttercream (if you are vegan or need a dairy-free frosting this vegan chocolate fudge icing is a good option).

Covering a cake in a perfectly smooth layer of buttercream makes a great base for decorations, but it can be tricky to get a professional finish, so watch our technique video to make sure you are prepared. If you really want to go to town, try adding a drip finish like in our chocolate drip cake or a mirror-finish chocolate glaze.

Decorations can easily be made from chocolate; just pipe melted chocolate onto baking paper and leave to set. Or use shop-bought chocolates to decorate the top like Mary Berry does on her chocolate birthday traybake.

Easy (and cheap) options include topping with a layer of chocolate spread or shop-bought icing. Finish with chocolate buttons, chocolate beans or sprinkles on top.

Originally published June 2024