Chocolate Crunch Cake (Viral Recipe) Without Nutella

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This viral chocolate crunch cake is every chocolate lover’s dream! It has a gooey cake base followed by a chocolate sauce and finished with a corn flake chocolate crunchy topping. I use dark chocolate instead of hazelnut chocolate spread, and the result is an extremely chocolate-y and decadent recipe. When you scoop out a portion, you can see the layers, and they are really a vision.

What is a chocolate crunch cake?

A chocolate crunch cake recipe consists of three layers. The first layer is a moist chocolate cake. This cake is very easy to make and has a beautiful chocolate flavor. Once this cake comes out of the oven, you poke holes in it and pour a thick chocolate sauce on top. The sauce will go into the cake in those holes to make it extra moist and chocolate-y. Finally, it has a crunchy topping that’s made primarily of chocolate and a mix-in that can be crushed cookies, puffed rice, or, in my cake, crushed corn flakes. This cake has been around for a while, but it recently had an impressive amount of attention on social media. It’s one of those flavors that lots of people like. That makes it perfect for celebrations or a special occasion. 

Layers and ingredients for the chocolate crunch cake

The key ingredients that will make or break your chocolate crunch cake are the cocoa powder and dark chocolate. You want to use a nice quality cocoa powder, ideally dark or Dutch-processed and definitely 100% cacao. For the chocolate, I like to use dark chocolate with 60-75% cacao. This is a very versatile chocolate that can take on different sweetness levels and adds the perfect texture to a chocolate ganache. 

Ingredients for the cake layer

• All-purpose flour: The flour is the ingredient that gives the cake structure and glues everything together.
• Cocoa powder: Cocoa powder will add the chocolate flavor to the base of the cake. It will also turn the colour into a rich, dark brown.
• Sugar: The amount of sugar in pastry recipes is very important. Too much and you won’t be able to eat more than a bite. Too little and it will taste bland! This cake, though, is absolutely perfect.
• Salt: Salt is essential in all sweet recipes to balance out the sweetness. 
• Baking powder: Baking powder will make the cake rise so that it’s fluffy.
• Egg: The egg also helps with the rise and structure within the cake.
• Oil: Using vegetable oil instead of butter makes the cake extra moist.
• ​Milk: Milk adds even more creaminess and helps bring everything together into a nice texture.

Ingredients for the sauce layer

For the sauce layer of the chocolate crunch cake, we’re going to make a chocolate ganache. The texture is extremely smooth, and it slides right into the holes that we put in the cake. A nice layer also stays on top of the cake layer for that perfect ratio. To make it, you will need dark chocolate, milk, and condensed milk. The condensed milk helps with the texture so that it’s more fudgy at the end.

Ingredients for the crunch layer

Finally, for the crunchy level of the chocolate crunch cake, you will melt dark chocolate and butter. Then we add a bit of icing sugar or powdered sugar and finally some warm milk to get the perfect texture. Once you have this beautiful mix, you will coat classic corn flakes with this mix. The crunchy chocolate layer is the whole objective here. Thus, the layer that coats them is a thin one. It’s really a delicious mix. 

Step-by-step instructions for Chocolate Crunch Cake

For the cake layer:

The first step when making a chocolate crunch cake is to mix and bake the rich chocolate cake. It’s a one-bowl cake that’s really simple to make. I like to mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then add the wet ingredients and mix them in using a whisk. Alternatively, you can also use a hand mixer or a stand mixer on medium speed with the paddle attachment. The cake batter comes together really easily.

Before baking, you’re going to prepare a 9-inch cake pan (23cm) or baking dish with butter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. At this point is goes into a preheated oven at 350F/180C for 30-35 minutes or until you can insert a skewer and it comes out clean. As soon as it comes out of the oven, poke holes in it. Since it’s an oven-to-table dessert, I prefer to use a baking dish rather than a metal pan. Mine is this Emile Henry baking dish.

For the chocolate sauce: 

The chocolate sauce is a smooth ganache with a twist. It’s my favorite layer in the chocolate crunch cake. You will first warm the milk and condensed milk in a small bowl in the microwave. In another bowl, you will melt dark chocolate in 30-second intervals in the microwave. Once completely melted, add the warm milk to the chocolate. Using a rubber spatula, mix at the very center of the bowl. You will see that it will start mixing slowly until it completely comes together. You will pour this chocolate mixture onto the freshly-baked chocolate cake with the holes we made before. Spread it evenly, and you will see the sauce go into the holes. The rest will create a thin layer on top.

For the crunch layer:

The crunch layer requires us to melt dark chocolate and butter in a medium heatproof bowl in the microwave. You will then add the icing sugar and salt. This will cause the mix to go hard, but don’t worry! As soon as you add warm milk and mix it in using a whisk, you will have the perfect texture. Once this mixture cools down, mix it with the corn flakes thoroughly and distribute it onto the cake. In the most viral version of this recipe, this layer has a chocolate hazelnut spread (such as Nutella). However, this version with dark chocolate is a lot less sweet and feels less heavy when you eat the chocolate crunch cake. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)