Chocolate Mud Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

Look, I’m not saying this chocolate mud cake will solve all your problems, but I’ve seen it turn even the grumpiest people into smiling, chocolate-covered messes. There’s something about that rich, dense chocolate base topped with tangy cream cheese frosting that just hits different. And yes, you’ll probably get batter everywhere and lick the spoon like you’re five again—but that’s half the fun, right?

Why This Recipe is Awesome

First off, this cake is basically foolproof. If you can read and stir things, congratulations—you’re qualified to make this masterpiece. Unlike those finicky desserts that collapse if you breathe wrong, this mud cake is forgiving as heck. Dense, moist, and intensely chocolatey, it’s what chocolate cake aspires to be when it grows up.

The cream cheese frosting? It’s the perfect partner—cutting through all that richness with its slight tang. It’s the Batman to your chocolate cake’s Robin (except both are equally important here, unlike that dynamic duo).

Plus, this cake actually tastes better the next day. That’s right—a dessert that rewards procrastination. My kind of recipe!

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the Mud Cake:

• 250g unsalted butter (that’s a whole stick plus a bit more—diet culture be damned)
• 200g dark chocolate (the good stuff, not those sad baking chips)
• 1 ½ cups hot strong coffee (yes, coffee—trust me on this one)
• 2 cups granulated sugar (it’s cake, not a salad)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (the hero we don’t appreciate enough)
• ⅓ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened, like my sense of humor)
• 2 tsp baking soda (the tiny but mighty ingredient)
• 1 tsp salt (because even sweet things need balance)
• 2 eggs (room temperature, not straight from your fridge’s arctic wasteland)
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract (the real stuff, not that imitation nonsense)

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 500g cream cheese (full-fat, because we’re not monsters)
• 100g unsalted butter (softened, not melted into oblivion)
• 3 cups powdered sugar (approximately—adjust to your sweetness preference)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract (again, the real deal)
• Pinch of salt (trust me on this)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Prep Work (Don’t Skip This!)

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C. Do this first—I know you’re excited to dive in, but a cold oven is the enemy of good cake.
2. Grease and line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Get into those corners—nobody wants a cake that’s stuck to the pan like it’s afraid of the outside world.
3. Grab all your ingredients and measuring tools. This is called “mise en place” if you want to sound fancy at your next dinner party.

For the Chocolate Mud Cake:

1. In a large saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate together over low heat. Stir occasionally and try not to eat it all at this stage.
2. Once melted, stir in the hot coffee and sugar. It’ll look like a chocolate lake, and that’s exactly what we want.
3. Set this mixture aside to cool slightly—about 5 minutes or the time it takes to check your phone notifications.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Make sure there are no cocoa lumps hiding in there.
5. Whisk the eggs and vanilla into your chocolate mixture until smooth.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Don’t overmix—we’re making cake, not bread.
7. Pour the batter into your prepared pan. It will be quite runny, which is normal and actually good—this is what gives it that dense, fudgy texture.
8. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with just a few moist crumbs. The center should be set but still slightly wobbly.
9. Let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Patience is key here—frost a warm cake and you’ll have a frosting waterslide.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

1. Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and fluffy. If you’ve had a bad day, this step is particularly therapeutic.
2. Add the powdered sugar gradually, about a cup at a time. Your kitchen will look like a winter wonderland, but your frosting will thank you.
3. Mix in the vanilla and salt, then beat on high for 2 minutes until fluffy and spreadable.
4. Once the cake is COMPLETELY cool (I’m serious—check again), spread the frosting generously on top. Get creative with swirls and peaks if you’re feeling fancy.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The “I’m Too Impatient” Trap: Frosting a warm cake is like putting socks on wet feet—unpleasant and ultimately disappointing. Give it time to cool completely.

The Sugar Rush: Tasting the batter, tasting the frosting, tasting the cake scraps… and suddenly your cake looks like it survived an earthquake. We’ve all been there.

The “Recipe? What Recipe?” Approach: I know you think you can eyeball that baking soda. You cannot. Baking is science with delicious results, but only if you follow the measurements.

The Oven Checker: Opening the oven every 5 minutes to see how your cake is doing is like waking a baby to see if it’s sleeping well. Just don’t.

Alternatives & Substitutions

Dietary Swaps: Need a gluten-free version? Swap in your favorite cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend. The texture might be slightly different, but the chocolate vibes will still be strong.

Coffee Concerns: Not a coffee fan? Use hot water instead. You’ll lose some depth of flavor, but the cake will still be delicious. FYI, you won’t taste the coffee in the final product—it just enhances the chocolate.

Frosting Alternatives: If cream cheese isn’t your jam, try a chocolate ganache or vanilla buttercream instead. Or go nude—this cake is moist enough to stand on its own.

Add-Ins: Feel free to throw in some chocolate chips or chopped nuts to the batter. Or spike the frosting with a tablespoon of your favorite liqueur. I won’t tell.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Can I make this cake ahead of time?
Not only can you, but you probably should! This cake actually tastes better on day two when the flavors have had time to mingle and get to know each other better.

Why is it called a mud cake anyway?
Because it’s dense and moist like, well, mud—but in the most delicious way possible. It’s nothing like actual mud, which I do not recommend eating, despite what 5-year-old me thought.

My cake sank in the middle. Did I mess up?
Nope! Mud cakes often sink a little in the middle as they cool—it’s actually the perfect crater for extra frosting. If anyone asks, tell them you planned it that way.

Do I have to use a springform pan?
Strongly recommended, but not required. A regular cake pan works too, but you might need to perform some cake surgery to get it out intact. Line it well and consider a silent prayer to the cake gods.

How do I store leftovers? (As if there will be any…)
Keep it covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days because of the cream cheese frosting. Let it come to room temperature before serving for maximum deliciousness.

Final Thoughts

There you have it—a chocolate mud cake that’s worth every calorie and dirty dish. It’s the kind of dessert that makes people think you spent all day in the kitchen (your secret’s safe with me). Whether you’re making it for a special occasion or just because it’s Tuesday, this cake delivers.

The beauty of this recipe is its balance—deep chocolate flavor, not too sweet, with that tangy frosting keeping everything interesting. It’s basically the dessert equivalent of that friend who’s both gorgeous AND funny. Not fair, but we’re not complaining.

So go on, lick the spoon, get chocolate on your shirt, and create something decadent. Calories consumed while baking don’t count anyway—that’s just science.