French Chocolate Cake (5 Ingredients) (2024)

Follow this easy French chocolate cake recipe to make the famous Suzy cake. Rich and decadent, soft and fluffy, this super moist 5 ingredient chocolate cake or gâteau au chocolat is made in one hour.

If you are looking for some chocolate to enrich and sweeten up your life and surprise your beloved one, a great chocolate lover, this French cake recipe is for you.

It is the famous Suzy cake created by Pierre Hermé's friend Suzy Palatin, a decadently moist chocolate cake known as gâteau au chocolat moelleux or gâteauauchocolat Suzy in French.

Pierre Hermé describes the cake as "the best chocolate cake in the world" and "extraordinarily good and very simple to make." It is true that you can make it, even at 9 pm on a Friday, after a busy working week.

This cake resembles French chocolate fondant cake and Moelleux au Chocolat and is slightly less moist than Fondant au Chocolat.

What is French chocolate cake?

French chocolate cake is a super moist, soft, and fluffy pure chocolate cake made with real chocolate without cocoa powder. It has an intensely chocolatey flavor and taste, a thin crispy crust, and an incredibly moist pillowy texture.

French chocolate cake recipe

• This French chocolate cake is the best chocolate cake you have ever tried.

• Its simple moist chocolate cake recipe becomes a go-to chocolate dessert for any occasion.

• It is a one-bowl 5 ingredient chocolate cake made with basic ingredients. Isn't it a bonus?

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

• Dark chocolate: Use top-quality dark chocolate (not chocolate chips) such asScharffen Berger dark chocolateorValrhona dark chocolate, 70% cacao.

Avoid dark chocolate brands that contain trans fat, milk, artificial flavorings, and high amounts of sugar.

Choose dark chocolate made from fair-trade andorganic cacao beans. And the last thing to consider with buying high-quality chocolate is avoiding Dutch dark chocolate.

In the end, the type of chocolate used determines the delicious chocolate flavor of a chocolate gateau.

• Butter: The recipe calls for unsalted butter. Take it out of the fridge 1 to 2 hours before you start.

• Sugar: Use granulated white or caster sugar.

• Eggs: The recipe calls for large eggs at room temperature. Take them out of the fridge one-two hour in advance so they are readywhen you incorporate them into the other ingredients.

• Flour: Use all-purpose flour to make the cake.

How to make French chocolate cake

Step 1. Heat oven to 355°F (180°C). Butter a 9-inch (23 cm)pie pan, cover the bottom of the pan withparchment paper, butter the paper, and set aside (photo 1).

Step 2. Melt chocolate in a microwave or on top of a double boiler, set aside, and let it cool. The chocolate should be slightly warm to the touch.

Step 3. In a mixing bowl, cream butter with sugar with an electric orstand mixeruntil the mixture is creamy and the sugar is perfectly amalgamated (photo 2).

Step 4. Add eggs(at room temperature)one by one, beating for about a minute each time. The mixture will become granular, which is all right (photo 3).

Step 5. Reduce the speed to a minimum, pour the cooled melted chocolate into the egg mixture, and mix until it is incorporated.

Step 6. Keep the same low speed, add flour to the chocolate mixture, and mix until it disappears from the dough, but do not overmix. (photo 4)

Step 7. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan, smooth the top with a rubber spatula (photo 5), and bake in the preheated oven for about 25 to 30 minutes (photo 6).

Pro tip: It may happen that the top of the cake will become cracked, and the cake will not lookcooked entirelyin the center, which is all right.

Step 8. Check the readiness of the cake: when you insert a knife in the center of the cake, some stained dough and moist crumbs will appear on the surface of theblade.

Step 9. Take the cake out of the oven and place it (still in the cake tin) on awire rackand let it cool down.

Step 10. Once the cake has cooled at room temperature, refrigerate it for 1 to 2 hours to facilitate the removal of the cake.

Step 11. Turn the cake over, removethe parchment paper, and place it on a plate. Let the cake come to room temperature before cutting and serving.

Expert Tips

1. Use high-quality dark chocolate, 70% cacao.
2. To facilitate removing the cake, bake it in a 9-inch/23 cm springform pan, a fluted tart pan or glass bottom springform pan is the best. Or use your favorite pan and precut circle cake pan liners.
3. Cut the cake, wiping the knife off before each cut.

How to serve it

Serve the cake at room temperature or completely cold, according to your taste.

If you plan to serve it cold, leave the cake in the refrigerator for a few hours. However, remember to bring it to room temperature one hour before serving.

Serve it on its own, drizzle it with chocolate sauce, or accompany it with sugar-free whipped cream or ice cream.

Storing and freezing

Store your chocolate cake for two or three days at room temperature.Keep it away from sunlight and cover it with a clean tea towel like bread.

Can you freeze French chocolate cake? You can freeze it well-wrapped in plastic film, then aluminum foil for up to two months.

Recipe FAQ

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Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was adapted from the original recipe for Le gâteau mi-cuit au chocolat de Suzy Palatin from https://perleensucre.com/. It was originally published on February 24, 2019. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos.