My Darker Version of the London Viral Chocolate Cake

#matildacake #chocolatecake #londonviralcake
Dark chocolate cake with no food coloring — almost black, just cocoa, coffee and chocolate. Inspired by the Matilda chocolate cake and the London viral chocolate cake, this is my own darker, less sweet version, the best chocolate cake i’ve ever made… with a ruby-red layer hidden inside.

How dark can a chocolate cake really get without dye? I'm a professional pastry chef, and I set myself three goals: the most chocolatey cake, stable enough to stand without a cake ring, and as close to black as possible. Dutch-process cocoa, hot coffee and a dark chocolate ganache cream do the work. Inside, a tart cranberry & port layer balances all that chocolate — the way the Matilda cake and the London viral cake never do. But not everything went as planned…

💬 Tell me in the comments: would you add food coloring for a brighter red layer — or keep the natural flavor? I read every comment, and your answers decide what I test next.

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📝 Short recipe at the end of the description 👇

⏱ CHAPTERS
00:00 How dark can a chocolate cake get?
00:34 Regular vs. Dutch-process cocoa
01:00 Dark chocolate ganache cream
04:10 Moist chocolate sponge (coffee + vinegar)
10:21 Cranberry & port layer with agar
15:09 Assembly like the London viral cake — no ring
18:12 The cut, tasting & honest verdict

📝 SHORT RECIPE
Pan: 20×30 cm (8×12 in) sheet → three 10×20 cm (4×8 in) layers

Sponge
Butter — 45 g (1.6 oz)
Dark chocolate — 50 g (1.8 oz)
Hot coffee — 100 g (3.5 oz)
Dutch-process cocoa — 25 g (0.9 oz)
Milk — 100 g (3.5 oz)
Egg — 55–60 g (1 large egg)
Vinegar — 5 ml (1 tsp)
Flour — 130 g (4.6 oz)
Cane sugar — 123 g (4.3 oz)
Baking soda — 5 g (1 tsp)
Baking powder — 2 g (½ tsp)
Bake at 160°C (320°F) for 15–19 min ((93–95°C / 200–203°F inside).

Cranberry & port layer
Cranberries — 250 g (8.8 oz)
Port (or red wine) — 50 g (1.8 oz)
Sugar — 50 g (1.8 oz)
Agar — 2.5 g

Dark chocolate cream
Dark chocolate 54% — 230 g (8.1 oz)
Heavy cream — 180 g (6.3 oz)
Cocoa — 10 g (0.35 oz) + 20 g hot water
Glucose syrup or neutral honey — 30 g (1 oz)
Butter — 185 g (6.5 oz)