Moist Chocolate Walnut Cake
This Moist Chocolate Walnut Cake is rich, easy to make and topped with smooth ganache. A perfect one layer chocolate cake for any occasion!
Servings 12 slices
Calories 391kcal
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1 1/4 cups (150g) all-purpose flour, scooped & leveled
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar, how to measure brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, or natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 Tbsp Instant coffee powder
- 1 cup (240ml) boiling water
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
Chocolate Ganache
- 200 g plain dark chocolate bar/block, use a quality dark chocolate
- 200 ml canned coconut cream or regular thickened/heavy cream
- 1/2 cup walnuts
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 180ºC (356ºF). Line a round 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, and set aside. Note: Alternatively, if you have a non-stick pan, liberally grease it with softened/spreadable butter and dust it with a light layer of cocoa. This will leave your finished cake with smooth sides.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium-size mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, both sugars, and salt. Whisk until well combined and set aside.
- Sift cocoa powder: In a separate large mixing bowl, sift in the cocoa powder.
- Add coffee powder: Whisk the instant coffee through the cocoa powder.
- Add boiling water: Pour in boiling water and whisk until the cocoa dissolves. Set aside to cool slightly for 10 minutes. If it’s still too warm to the touch, leave it for a further 5 minutes, you don’t want the eggs to curdle when added.
- Add wet ingredients: Pour in olive oil, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk for 40 seconds until well combined.
- Combine wet and dry: Add all of the flour mixture and whisk gently until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, stop as soon as no streaks of flour remain. The batter will be thin.
- Mix in walnuts: Add the finely chopped walnuts and gently fold through the batter until evenly distributed.
- Pour into pan: Pour batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake: Bake for 28–30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs.
- Cool: Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Carefully remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before adding the ganache frosting.
Chocolate Ganache
- Chop chocolate: Break into squares and place in a heatproof bowl. Set aside.
- Heat cream: Warm cream in a small saucepan over low heat until steaming (don’t boil), stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
- Melt chocolate: Pour warm cream over chocolate. Let sit for 2 minutes, then stir gently until smooth and glossy.
- Thicken: Let ganache sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until spreadable. For faster results, chill in the fridge for short bursts, stirring between.
- Frost and decorate: Spread ganache over the cooled cake. Top with extra walnuts around the edge or scattered on top. Enjoy!
Notes
Store: Keep your cake in an airtight container at room temperature, where it will stay fresh for up to three days.
Freeze: For extended storage, wrap the cake well and freeze it for up to three months.
Thaw: When ready to serve, thaw the cake in the refrigerator overnight or for several hours at room temperature until soft.
Nutrition
Calories: 391kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 116mg | Potassium: 385mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 48IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 4mg