This Hot Chocolate Cake takes all of the elements of a favorite winter beverage and transforms them into a delicious cake!
We got a huge dump of snow this past weekend and I am loving every minute of it. It’s been clear and sunny since (and cold), so the snow hasn’t been able to melt which is a rarity here. Usually if we get snow it’s gone by the afternoon or, best case, the next day. To have snow for a week now is unheard of.
The cold and sunny weather is meant to continue and I’m really hoping the snow sticks around till Christmas. Unlikely that it will, but still, I gotta have hope! I think we’ve only had a white Christmas 2 or 3 times in the 20 years I’ve lived here. Sad, but true. Mind you, I’ll take the milder grey weather over the freezing prairie temps any day.
Cold temperatures and snow bring fond memories of my childhood and, of course, hot chocolate. Is there anything more comforting than hot chocolate on chilly winter evenings? This would be a treat for us when we were kids and it still is though these days it’s usually spiked with something or other because why not.
For this Hot Chocolate Cake, I modified my favourite chocolate cake recipe and infused it with hot chocolate rather than coffee so it stayed true to its name. Homemade marshmallow fluff as filling and topped it off with a silky chocolate swiss meringue buttercream that is just the perfect color of hot chocolate.
This Hot Chocolate Cake is super moist and delicious. The light marshmallow filling goes perfectly with the dense chocolate cake and the chocolate buttercream adds some more sweetness and flavour. It’s delicious for winter, but really, any time of year! Head on over to The Cake Blog for the recipe!
Melissa says
Hi! Would I have to adjust this in any way to use 2 6” pans? Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Melissa! Yes, you should 2/3 the recipe.
Barbara says
Hi!
Your classic chocolate cake has become my goto chocolate cake recipe. This one is similar so I’m not sure why it turned out kind of dry ( I probably over baked or put too much cocoa on pan?)
The Swiss meringue butter cream tasted ok but the texture did not get silky!
I got as far as the meringue whipping up but as soon as I added my room temp butter it started looking slimey and chunky. Did the butter need to be softer?
Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Barbara! Yes, it sounds like the butter was maybe a bit too cold, but it’s saveable! I have a detailed tutorial here: https://livforcake.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/
Anushka M. says
Hi! This cake recipe looks amazing, and I was wondering if I can make it into cupcakes? It’s only October but I’m already planning my December bakes 🙂
Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Anushka! Yes, it should be fine as cupcakes. Just reduce the baking time — start checking at 15mins or so. And I am also planning holiday baking! It’s the best 🙂
Melissa says
Hi itsme and my twin sisters birthday and I finally found the recipe im using and I nvr put it so I can use after now I cant find it and its the recipe im happy withits chocolate mi t cake but has a weird name it starts with k and it has light green smbc plz can u find
Olivia says
Hi Melissa! Here’s a link to my chocolate mint cake: https://livforcake.com/mint-chocolate-chip-cake/
Lindsay says
Hi Olivia — thank you so much for your delicious, creative recipes and for your impeccable directions and baking tips! I have made 6 or 7 of your cakes for special events at work and each time they come out fantastic and people are always commenting how they look so professional — and yet they are so accessible for home bakers like me. I was nervous about making this marshmallow fluff but it came out perfect on the first try! Your tip for baking flat cakes has been so helpful, and interestingly I have not had to adjust any of your recipes even though I live at high altitude. Love your blog — thank you for sharing with us!
Olivia says
Wow! Thank you for the huge compliment Lindsay 😀 I am so happy to hear that you like my recipes!! Thank you <3 🙂
Shaina says
Hi there, I hope you have a brief moment to answer my question. I used an Italian meringue marshmallow fluff to fill cupcakes and found that the meringue became much softer inside the cupcakes than when used as frosting on the outside. I’m wondering if it’s absorbing moisture from the cake, which makes it less fluffy or firm. Have you experienced this when using fluff as filling? Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Shaina! The marshmallow fluff in this cake did not become soft (runny), if anything it became more marshmallow-like and airy. Though I did store it in the fridge, so maybe that made a difference.
Erin says
Hello!
Could the fluff be used to frost the outside of a cake? I wanted to make a yellow cake with marshmallow frosting, covered in coconut, and I already know this fluff recipe is delicious.
Olivia says
Hi Erin! For sure, I’ve used it a few times here and here.
Jacquie says
Hi Olivia and Merry Christmas! Sorry if I am disturbing g your Christmas celebrations. I am making this cake for tomorrow (boxing day) and have made 3-8″ layers. I was planning on making 2 recipes of the marshmallow fluff to accommodate the 3rd layer. Should I make 2 separate recipes of the marshmallow fluff or could I just double it and make one double recipe. Also, do you think I would also need to double the frosting layer? Or maybe 1 1/2 of the frosting?
Olivia says
Hi Jacquie!! Merry Christmas! 🎅🏼🎄 I’m so excited that you’re going to try this 😄 You can just double the marshmallow recipe, though I worry you might have a bit left over as I used a decent amount on the piping too.. better to have extra though, right?? Can always use the leftovers in other things 😊. For the frosting, 1.5x should be enough. Let me know how it turns out 😄
Jacquie Favrin says
Ho Olivia! I did make this cake. Amazing flavour!!! The marshmallow fluff was relatively easy to make. I was a little worried as I have never made it before. I also did a 3rd layer. 1 recipe of the fluff was plenty. However I would not recommend doing a 3rd Layer. The cake became like the leaning tower of pisa😕 and slid even worse when you cut into it. I will definitely make it again but in a 2 layer. Thanks for posting this recipe!!
Olivia says
Hi Jacquie! Oh nooo, sorry to hear about the leaning/sliding! Were your cake layers nice and flat before stacking? The 3 layers *should* have been ok :\. Hmm. I am so glad you liked the flavour! 😀
Jacquie Favrin says
Yes they were level and flat. I may have put too much marshmallow in the middle. Not sure. Ut could habe even bewn the utensul ised to cut it. I’m glad I tried it with 3 though. As I said before the flavour was very very chocolatey and the cake was.super moist.
Meg | Meg is Well says
I don’t make cakes very often at all-I just like to look at them and drool a lot. But I’m going to have to give in and make this because MARSHMALLOW FILLING!!! Amazing.
Olivia says
The filling is SO good. You could totally make this into cupcakes instead btw 🙂
Olga says
Really great this cake!!!!!!!!!! so original flavour!!!!!!!!!! and trending topic now that it is soooooo cold
Great idea
Olga
Olivia says
Thanks so much Olga! I totally agree 🙂