“It’s the law, birthday cake needs to include both chocolate and sprinkles, lots of sprinkles. When I was little, the birthday cake of choice was a simple cocoa affair topped with melted milk chocolate and decorations made from Smarties, chocolate fingers and any other candy desired that year,” recalls baker Edd Kimber.

“This recipe feels like another of those classic cakes, a simple yellow cake base and a chocolate fudge frosting. As this is not a layer cake, the fudge frosting doesn’t need to be thick enough to hold a second cake layer. It’s silky and smooth and stays that way, it won’t harden over time.”

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Classic chocolate cake
Classic birthday cake with fudge frosting from One Tin Bakes by Edd Kimber (Edd Kimber/PA)
Classic chocolate cake
Print Recipe
Nutrition Facts
Classic chocolate birthday cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 540 Calories from Fat 297
% Daily Value*
Fat 33g51%
Saturated Fat 21g131%
Cholesterol 109mg36%
Sodium 112mg5%
Potassium 215mg6%
Carbohydrates 59g20%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 40g44%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 968IU19%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 93mg9%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Classic chocolate birthday cake

A simple yellow cake with a silky smooth chocolate frosting
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: British
Servings: 16
Calories: 540kcal
Author: Edd Kimber

Equipment

  • Baking tray
  • Bowls
  • electric mixer

Ingredients

For the sheet cake:

  • 170 g unsalted butter at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
  • 320 g plain flour
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 350 g caster sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 175 ml sour cream

For the chocolate fudge frosting:

  • 340 g unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 120 g icing sugar
  • 2 tbsp golden syrup or clear honey
  • 60 g cocoa powder
  • 80 ml hot water
  • 80 ml sour cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 200 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) melted and cooled
  • Sprinkles of your choice to decorate

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4. Lightly grease the baking tin and line the base with a piece of parchment paper.
  • For the cake, place the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and whisk briefly to combine. Add the butter and sugar to a separate large bowl and, using an electric mixer, beat together on medium-high speed for about five minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until fully combined before adding another. Add the vanilla and mix briefly to combine. Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and level out. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the sour cream, starting and finishing with the flour.
  • Bake for 35–40 minutes or until the cake springs back to a light touch. Leave to cool in the tin.
  • For the fudge frosting, place the butter in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to beat on high speed for a couple of minutes or until creamy and smooth. Add the sugar, golden syrup (or honey) and cocoa powder and beat on high speed for five minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the hot water, sour cream and vanilla to a small jug and whisk together. Add the sour cream mixture to the bowl and mix on medium speed until combined. It will look separated for a while but will come back together as a smooth frosting. Add the melted chocolate and beat briefly until smooth and silky.
  • Spread the frosting over the cake, finishing with a generous amount of sprinkles, which as far as I am concerned are mandatory. Cut into squares to serve. Store in a sealed container for up to three days.

Nutrition

Calories: 540kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 112mg | Potassium: 215mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 968IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 2mg

One Tin Bakes by Edd Kimber is published by Kyle Books, priced £17.99. Photography by Edd Kimber.

Read moreEdd Kimber: ‘I’m a baker – so I know what I like!’

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Last update on 2024-01-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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1 COMMENT

  1. This didn’t work. After wet mixture is levelled in tin recipe states to then add flour, alternating with sour cream and finishing with flour to the tin. That means tin goes in oven with layer of flour on top. It isn’t clear if you mix the flour into the wet mixture in the tin (but why level it out first) or layer the flour and soured cream which I did but then it does combine when baking.

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