English chocolate cake

Here’s the recipe for English chocolate cake, which my neighbor Andrew introduced me to. It’s a classic British recipe perfect for teatime.

With this recipe, you’ll learn how to make this delicious chocolate cake all by yourself. Beautiful, indulgent, and perfectly moist, this “homemade” chocolate cake is sure to be a hit with everyone at the table😋

A festive cake

This chocolate cake is rich and generous. It features several layers of moist chocolate and coffee batter, separated by a layer of chocolate whipped cream.

The topping (or "frosting") is made with sweetened, chocolate-flavored whipped cream. It also covers the entire cake.

With its beautiful appearance and rich flavor, this English chocolate cake is perfect for holiday meals. It makes an especially excellent birthday cake or a treat for other special occasions 🎂

Preparing the chocolate cake

As you’ll see, the preparation isn’t difficult and doesn’t require any special techniques. But you’ll need to set aside at least two hours to complete the various steps so you don’t run out of time!

You’ll also need to allow some time to chill the cake so the frosting sets properly. But in my experience, if you’ve whipped the cream sufficiently, it will hold up really well, even at room temperature.

In terms of utensils and equipment, ideally you’ll need two springform pans (i.e., pans that are easy to unmold, with a removable bottom and/or a hinge). Using two pans will allow you to easily make 4 layers of cake, for the perfect look and texture. If your pans aren’t the same size, that’s not a deal-breaker—you’ll get a “dome” effect like in my photos.

Choice of Ingredients

This recipe for chocolate-glazed cake is unique in terms of its ingredients. In fact, it opts to omit butter from the batter and uses oil instead. In addition to being lactose-free, the oil makes this cake easier to digest than if butter had been used. It also helps bring out the flavor of the chocolate and other flavors.

Furthermore, as you’ll see, the batter is “moistened” with black coffee. The liquid coffee adds extra moisture, making the batter soft and slightly spongy. And as you know if you love tiramisu, coffee pairs wonderfully with chocolate 😋

A lactose-free and low-sugar recipe

Using oil instead of butter makes this recipe easily adaptable to a lactose-free diet. For a dairy-free version, you’ll simply need to use a plant-based cream instead of crème fraîche for the chocolate glaze. Make sure your cream can be whipped like whipping cream. For this, the most important thing is that it contains enough fat (at least 30%). When it comes to plant-based creams, the best options are coconut cream, soy cream, or similar, labeled "whippable."

As for the sweetness, I aimed to drastically reduce the amount of sugar in this recipe. Sugar, in addition to the sweetness it provides, also helps retain moisture in the mixture. It’s that slightly “spongy” texture that we love in this cake. To preserve these characteristics, I used a very ripe mashed banana, which acts as a binder and adds sweetness while remaining virtually imperceptible in taste.

Give it a try!

I hope I’ve inspired you to try this recipe for English coffee and chocolate cake. If so, I hope you enjoy it!

Thank you for your comments 🙏