Layers of fudgy moist chocolate cake separated by a delicious chocolate frosting and topped with fresh cherries, this Chocolate Naked Cake is a must-try!
I love making this cake as a quick birthday cake for those chocolate lovers, or for a real celebrational treat when having people over for a special occasion.
Naked cakes are so simple to decorate, so don’t let this cake intimidate you - even if this is your first attempt at the naked cake trend!
If you love chocolate cake recipes, have a look at this recipe for a Mini Chocolate Cake, or this recipe for a Chocolate Bundt Cake.
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Ingredients
To make this Naked Chocolate Cake you will need the simple ingredients listed below. Remember to always use fresh room temperature ingredients when baking.
- Unsalted butter
- Sunflower oil
- Extra-large eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Self-raising flour
- Cocoa powder
- Salt
- Strong brewed coffee
- Sour cream
- Whole milk
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
- Melted chocolate
- Cherries
Unsalted butter – for this recipe use room-temperature unsalted butter.
Sunflower oil – using vegetable oil in cakes helps ensure a moist cake that lasts longer! Use neutral-tasting oil like sunflower oil or canola oil.
Extra large eggs – if you don’t have extra large eggs, work out how many eggs you will need by cracking and weighing them. My eggs weigh 56 grams each out of their shell.
Self-raising flour – if you don’t have self-raising flour, use a combination of all-purpose cake flour, baking powder, and baking soda. See below for quantities.
Cocoa powder – make sure you use quality unsweetened cocoa powder for this recipe.
Strong brewed coffee – I make a cup of strong coffee using ground espresso beans and a French press, do the same to ensure you have a great quality coffee to add to your cake batter.
Sour cream – this is used in the batter and can be substituted with Greek yogurt if needed.
Milk chocolate – the frosting is made with real milk chocolate rather than cocoa powder, so make sure you are choosing a great-tasting quality chocolate bar or chocolate chips for this recipe.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
To make this delicious cake recipe, follow the steps below. First, you will be making the chocolate cake layers, then the chocolate buttercream, then you will assemble and decorate the cake.
Instructions for cake
STEP 1: Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) and oil and line two 15cm (6 inches) round cake pans with parchment paper.
STEP 2: Beat sugar, oil, and butter. Add the butter, oil, and sugar to a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until light and fluffy.
STEP 3: Add the eggs. Add the eggs to the sugar and butter mixture one at a time. Beat well between each addition and scrape down the sides of the bowl often.
STEP 4: Sift dry ingredients. In a large bowl sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder.
STEP 5: Combine wet ingredients. In a jug mix together the cooled coffee, sour cream, milk, and vanilla.
STEP 6: Add the wet and dry ingredients. With the mixer’s motor running at medium-low speed, add the wet ingredients and the flour mixture to the egg and sugar mixture. Do this by alternating between the two. Starting with the flour and ending with the wet ingredients.
STEP 7: Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Using a rubber spatula scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix the cake batter again. Ensuring that it is well-mixed and lump free.
STEP 8: Bake. Pour the chocolate cake batter into the prepared cake pans and bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in its tin for 30 minutes before turning it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Instructions for frosting
STEP 1: Beat butter, cocoa powder, and icing sugar. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the butter and icing sugar. Beat until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
STEP 2: Add the milk. In a jug combine the milk and vanilla extract. With the mixer running at medium speed slowly add the milk mixture. Once it has all been added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat the frosting at medium-high speed for about 3 minutes.
STEP 3: Melt chocolate. In a heat-proof bowl melt the chocolate in the microwave at increments of 20 seconds ensuring to stir the chocolate often.
STEP 4: Add the chocolate to the frosting. With the mixer running at medium speed add the chocolate to the frosting in a steady stream. Once it has all been added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again until well combined.
Instructions for decorating
STEP 1: Level cakes. Using a bread knife or cake leveler, level the tops of each cake and then slice them in half to create 4 even layers of cake.
STEP 2: Assemble. Secure the first layer of cake onto a serving plate with a little frosting. Use an offset spatula to cover the top of the layer with a third of the frosting and smooth it out. Continue in the same way with the next three layers.
STEP 3: Decorate. Decorate the top of the cake with fresh cherries and broken chocolate pieces, serve, and enjoy!
Substitutions
Self-rasing flour – if you can't find self-raising flour, for this recipe use 340 grams of all-purpose flour sifted together with 2 tablespoons of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Continue with the recipe as usual.
Sour cream – if you can't find sour cream, replace it with the same quantity of crème fraiche or Greek yogurt.
Equipment
To make this cake you will need an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer, a cake plate, and two 15cm (6 inches) round cake tins.
Storage
Store any leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. If it is very hot, choose to store the cake in the fridge.
This cake can be frozen. Do this by slicing the cake and wrapping each piece of cake in cling film and placing them in the freezer. Store for up to three months, and defrost before consuming.
Top tips
For the best results follow the tips below
- Ensure your ingredients are at room temperature.
- Always test the temperature of your oven with an oven thermometer.
- Check if your cake is done baking with a skewer before taking it out of the oven.
- Allow the cakes to cool completely before decorating them.
- For a well-constructed cake, level the tops of the cakes before cutting them in half.
FAQ
Yes, you can use the tins you have and adjust the baking time. Larger tins will need less time to bake. You can also choose to only have two cake layers instead of 4 if using a bigger tin.
If you don’t have extra large eggs, work out how many eggs you will need by cracking and weighing them. My eggs weigh 56 grams each out of their shell.
Yes, you can, for this recipe use 340 grams of all-purpose flour sifted together with 2 tablespoons of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Continue with the recipe as normal.
This cake is not only gorgeous but tastes incredible and is perfect for any chocolate lover! If you make this chocolate cake recipe, please leave a comment and star review below, I would love to hear from you!
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Happy Baking
With Love,
Kitty
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Naked Cake
Equipment
- 2x 15cm (6-inch) round cake tin
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 100 ml sunflower oil
- 340 g sugar
- 4 eggs extra-large
- 340 g self-raising flour
- 40 g cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 160 ml coffee strong brewed
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 100 g sour cream
- 150 ml milk
Chocolate Buttercream
- 400 g powdered sugar
- 140 g unsalted butter
- 30 ml milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 160 g milk chocolate
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and oil and line two 15cm (6 inches) round cake pans with parchment paper.
- Add the butter, oil, and sugar to a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs to the sugar and butter mixture one at a time. Beat well between each addition and scrape down the sides of the bowl often.
- In a large bowl sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder.
- In a jug mix together the cooled coffee, sour cream, milk, and vanilla.
- With the mixer’s motor running at medium-low speed, add the wet ingredients and the flour mixture to the egg and sugar mixture. Do this by alternating between the two. Starting with the flour and ending with the wet ingredients.
- Using a rubber spatula scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix the cake batter again. Ensuring that it is well-mixed and lump free.
- Pour the chocolate cake batter into the prepared cake pans and bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in its tin for 30 minutes before turning it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Buttercream
- In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the butter and icing sugar. Beat until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
- In a jug combine the milk and vanilla extract. With the mixer running at medium speed slowly add the milk mixture. Once it has all been added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat the frosting at medium-high speed for about 3 minutes.
- In a heat-proof bowl melt the chocolate in the microwave at increments of 20 seconds ensuring to stir the chocolate often.
- With the mixer running at medium speed add the chocolate to the frosting in a steady stream. Once it has all been added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again until well combined.
Decoration
- Using a bread knife or cake leveler, level the tops of each cake and then slice them in half to create 4 even layers of cake.
- Secure the first layer of cake onto a serving plate with a little frosting. Use an offset spatula to cover the top of the layer with a third of the frosting and smooth it out. Continue in the same way with the next three layers.
- Decorate the top of the cake with fresh cherries and broken chocolate pieces, serve, and enjoy!
Gillian says
The picture shows four cakes in the stack. Are the ingredients about listed just for one cake? They don't look enough for the stack.
withlovekitty2020 says
Hi Gillian, thanks so much for reach out! The cake tins I used are pretty narrow - only 15cm in diameter. So this recipe was enough to fill two tins that after baking the cakes were divided in half to make 4 layers. If your tins are bigger I recommend doubling the recipe.