It was in Melbourne many years ago, I first came across this unbelievable cake. I could hardly finish one slice of the cake because it was so sweet and so rich, and the slice was enormous. It was a culture shock to me.

I started baking Mud Cake for my son’s birthday because he always wanted this cake. When I first baked it from scratch, I was overwhelmed with the amount of Sugar and Chocolate. The cake was always popular and it made everyone happy. But, do they know how much Sugar and Chocolate are in it? It’s insane! This kind of cake is definitely an ‘Occasional Food’. Once a year for someone’s birthday is enough. That being said, this cake really makes everyone happy.


Cake Tin

22cm Springform Cake Tin

Ingredients

250g Butter
200g Dark Chocolate
2 cups (500ml) Caster Sugar
1 cup Hot Water OR Milk *Milk will make the cake lighter colour
2 Eggs *lightly whisked
1 & 1/2 cups Self-Raising Flour
1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract OR 1 tablespoon Rum

Chocolate Ganache

200g Dark Chocolate *chopped
2/3 cup Thickened Cream

Method
  1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Line base and sides of a 22cm round cake tin with baking paper. *20cm tin can be used, but line the sides with baking paper 8-10cm high.
  2. Place Butter in a saucepan, heat over medium-low heat until melted. Add Dark Chocolate, Sugar and Hot Water (OR Milk). Heat, stirring constantly, until smooth.
  3. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a large bowl and cool for 10 minutes. Add lightly whisked Eggs and Vanilla OR Rum, stir to combine. Sift in Flour and Cocoa Powder, and stir until smooth.
  4. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Bake for 80 to 90minutes or until cooked. If the top gets too dark, cover with foil. Let it stand for 10 minutes in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.
  5. To make Chocolate Ganache, heat Cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add chopped Dark Chocolate, and stir until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and cool until thick enough to spread over cake.
  6. Spread the Chocolate Ganache over the cooled cake and decorate as you like. *I used to decorate it with ‘Smarties’, colourful sugar-coated chocolate, for my son.