Mary Berry's chocolate fudge cake recipe is a taste of 'chocolate heaven'

A slice of chocolate fudge cake is a delight for the senses (Image: Getty Images)

Chocoholics will love this indulgent delight filled with apricot filling and lashings of decadent chocolate icing.

Not one for calorie counting, Mary Berry’s "very best" chocolate fudge cake is ready in 30 minutes and is the perfect choice for birthday parties, afternoon teas or even just because.

Plucked from the iconic Mary Berry’s Baking Bible, this fudge cake is just one of many recipes that draw on her years of experience creating cakes, breads and delicious desserts.

Perfectly moist and fantastically fudgey, the recipe doesn’t require any fancy ingredients and is really simple to make.

By following these expert tips, shared on The Happy Foodie website, you’ll be slicing into chocolate heaven in no time.

The recipe is simple to follow and ready in about 30 minutes (Image: Getty)

Chocolate fudge cake

Ingredients:

• 50g sifted cocoa powder
• Six tbsp of boiling water
• Three large eggs
• 50ml milk
• 175g self-raising flour
• One rounded tsp baking powder
• 100g softened butter
• 275g caster sugar

For the icing and filling:

• Three tbsp of apricot jam
• 150g plain chocolate (39% cocoa solids)
• 150ml double cream

Top tip for chocolate lovers: the ideal temperature to store a block of chocolate is between 18C and 21C – cool enough to prevent melting but warm enough to allow the delicate, aromatic cocoa notes to shine, increasing the depth of flavour.

Apricot jam helps keep the cake stay nice and moist (Image: Getty)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan/gas four), grease two 20cm sandwich tins, and line the bases with baking parchment.

Mix cocoa with boiling water, then add the remaining cake ingredients and beat until smooth and thick. Divide the cake mix equally between the prepared tins and level the surface.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven until risen and the tops spring back when pressed.

Cool in tins for a few minutes, then turn out, remove parchment, and cool on a wire rack.

To make the icing

Warm apricot jam in a small pan, then spread the jam over the base of one cake and the top of the other.

Melt chocolate pieces with cream in a heatproof bowl over simmering water for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir the chocolate mixture to make sure it has completely melted.

Leave to cool until it is on the point of setting then spread on top of the apricot on both cakes. Sandwich the cakes together and use a small palette knife to smooth the icing on the top. Keep in a cool place until ready to serve.