Name: Easiest mud cake recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 95 min
Total time: 125 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups hot water; 250 g butter; 200 g Baking Dark Chocolate; 62.50 ml Cocoa Powder; 2 cups caster sugar; 2 eggs lightly beaten; 2 tsp vanilla essence; 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour

by Mindy Moo Last updated on 10/31/2025

When you need an occasion cake in a flash, turn to this easy mud cake recipe. Chocolatey and moist, you can decorate it however you like – with a simple sprinkling of cocoa or lashings of decadent frosting. Either way, your guests will be coming back for a second slice.

How to make the easiest mud cake: key tips

What makes this cake so easy? The batter is a cinch. You heat most of the ingredients in a saucepan, let it cool slightly, and then stir in the egg and flour. Just be sure that you do cool the mixture a little before adding the beaten egg or it could scramble!

Don’t panic if the mixture is runny, it’s supposed to be. The batter will cook low and slow at 150C in a fan-forced oven and firm up nicely in the pan.

Key ingredients in this easiest mud cake recipe

For the best chocolate flavour, choose a good-quality cocoa and use dark chocolate for cooking, which has less sugar than regular dark chocolate and lends a pure cocoa flavour without altering the sweetness of the recipe.

Want more mud? Try these moreish mud cakes, too! And if you want to go all out, here are our 100 best celebration cakes.

This recipe was originally submitted by Mindy Moo, a member of the Australia’s Best Recipe community. Introduction and additional recipe notes by Natasha Shaw.

- Australia's Best Recipes Team

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups hot water
250 g butter
200 g CADBURY Baking Dark Chocolate
1/4 cup Woolworths Cocoa Powder
2 cups caster sugar
2 eggs lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour

Method

Step 1

In a saucepan over low heat melt together, butter, cocoa, chocolate, sugar, vanilla and hot water.
Step 2

When cooled add flour and eggs and mix well. The mixture will be very runny.
Step 3

Pour into a lined 30 cm cake tin and bake at 150 C for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Step 4

Allow to cool for 5 minutes before turning out.
Step 5

When cool sprinkle with icing sugar.
Step 6

May be served re-heated in the microwave or cool with cream or ice cream.

Recipe Notes

from Australia’s Best Recipes team

How will I know my mud cake is cooked?

When baking at low temps, it's hard to estimate total cooking time. Check at 1 hour and 10 minutes by poking a skewer into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean with just a few crumbs clinging, it’s ready. If not, keep on cooking. Mud cakes can still look a bit wet when they’re sliced, but this is because they are so deliciously moist.

How should I decorate this easiest mud cake?

You can dust with a little cocoa for a simple cake, but for a fancier cake for a birthday or other celebration, you could ice it with a buttercream or frosting, and then decorate it with sprinkles or chocolate curls.