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Chocolate Desserts Romanian Cakes
4.6 from 165 votes

Chocolate Magic Cake

Jump to RecipeVideoPrintRate
By: Joanna Cismaru •10/10/22 320 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

pin for chocolate magic cake.

This Chocolate Magic Cake is an incredible easy cake to make. One simple thin batter, bake it and you end up with a 3 layer chocolate magic cake.

chocolate magic cake slices sprinkled with cocoa powder and garnished with garnish.

A few years ago my Magic Cake recipe took over the internet. Ever since then I’ve made many different versions, including this chocolate magic cake version. If I were to pick a favorite, I’d say it’s a tie between this and Nutella magic cake!

Chocolate Magic Cake

If you’re wondering about the origin of magic cakes, it’s a little unclear where they’re from, however, I’ve actually found information that this cake is from my home country, Romania. Whether that’s true or not, is up for debate, but I’m sticking with Romania.

Because this cake only requires one batter, this is quite an easy cake to make. It also only requires staple ingredients you already likely have in your kitchen.

Ingredient Notes

overhead shot of all the ingredients needed to make chocolate magic cake.
  • Eggs – You’ll need 4 eggs at room temperature, separated.
  • Milk – I like to warm up the milk a bit so the butter doesn’t cool in the batter, just to about 95F. I’ve made this cake with lactose free milk as well as 2% milk.
  • Vinegar – We need a bit of white vinegar when whisking the egg whites, to prevent over-beating. A small amount helps to stabilize the egg whites and allows them to reach full volume and stiffness.
  • Flour – All purpose flour is what works best for this cake. Other readers have used gluten free flour, some with great success, some without.
  • Cocoa Powder – This is what makes our magic cake chocolatey.
  • Butter – I like to use unsalted butter, but if you only have salted butter, use that and you can omit the salt.
  • Salt – Without salt, your cake would be bland.
  • Sugar – Add a bit of sweetness to your cake. Granulated sugar is fine.
  • Vanilla Extract – As with salt, vanilla extract brings all the flavors together in this cake.

How To Make Chocolate Magic Cake

process shots showing how to make chocolate magic cake.
  1. Prep: Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 8×8 inch baking dish with parchment paper.
  2. Mix the yolks with water and sugar: Separate the eggs and add the egg yolks to the bowl of a mixer. Add a tbsp of water and the sugar. Beat this at high speed until are eggs are light and pale in color.
  3. Drizzle in melted butter, vanilla and add salt: Add melted butter, vanilla extract and salt to the yolk mixture and continue beating until butter is fully incorporated and the mixture is light.
  4. Stir in the dry ingredients: Add the flour and cocoa powder to the bowl and mix thoroughly, scraping down the side and bottom of the bowl as needed.
  5. Add milk: Add the milk a bit at a time and mix. The milk should be warm so not to cool the butter. Make sure the milk has been mixed in thoroughly. The mixture should be pretty wet, so don’t get scared.
  6. Whisk the egg whites: If using a handheld mixer, clean the beaters and pour the egg whites in a large clean bowl. If using a stand mixer, wash the mixing bowl and whisk attachment and make sure you dry them out. Add egg whites to mixing bowl and the vinegar and mix until egg whites are stiff.
  7. Add the egg whites to cake batter: Add a bit of the egg whites to the chocolate mixture and gently mix using a whisk. Next you’re going to reverse and add a bit of the chocolate mixture to the egg whites. This way it will be easier to mix everything together. Repeat until everything is mixed together and the mixture should be quite thin. Make sure to leave a distinct layer of fluffy egg white lumps at the top of the batter, so do not overmix.
  8. Bake, chill and serve: Pour the batter in the prepared baking dish and bake for roughly 60 minutes or until done. The cake will still jiggle in the middle when you take it out, so that’s normal. Let it cool completely, chill for about 4 hours letting the cake set, then cut into squares and serve.
process shots showing how to make chocolate magic cake.

FAQs & Expert Tips

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Magic Cake?

Magic cake is a cake that forms three layers from one single batter as it bakes. The bottom layer is a fudge-like layer, middle layer is a custard-like layer and the top layer is a cake layer.

Can I Make Other Versions Of Magic Cake?

Yes, absolutely. I have many recipes for magic cake, including the original vanilla magic cake, butterscotch magic cake, Nutella magic cake and the ever popular lemon magic cake.

Why Didn’t My Magic Cake Have 3 Layers?

My trick to make sure you do get the 3 layers is to make sure you don’t fold in the egg whites completely, you want to make sure you still have some of the white bits in it.

How Do I know when My Magic Cake Is Done Baking?

It’s hard to tell when magic cake is done, so look for signs. You want to make sure the sides are set, the center still jiggles a bit and the top is brown. You cannot use a toothpick as with a traditional cake to test fo doneness.

chocolate magic cake slices sprinkled with cocoa powder and garnished with garnish.

Tips

  1. Use the right size pan. In my pictures above you’ll notice I used a long pan, but it’s 9×6-inches, or most commonly used for this cake is an 8×8-inch pan that is at least 2 inches in height. A 9×13-inch pan won’t work, there simply won’t be enough batter for it, and it won’t form into 3 layers.
  2. Stir the egg whites into the batter, don’t fold or mix them in. Stir them gently but not until they’re fully mixed into the batter. You want to make sure there are still some white bits floating around, this is what’s going to create that top cake layer.
  3. It’s hard to tell when magic cake is done, so look for signs. I’ve baked it in 3 different ovens, and the time differed on all 3. You want to make sure the sides are set, the center still jiggles a bit and the top is brown. You cannot use a toothpick as with a traditional cake to test fo doneness.
  4. Don’t slice into it right away. Allow the chocolate magic cake to come to room temperature, cover it with plastic wrap, then refrigerate for 4 hours before actually cutting into it, especially if you want to get nice slices. I have cut into it without refrigerating it, it’s still as delicious, it just won’t look as pretty.
chocolate magic cake slices sprinkled with cocoa powder and garnished with garnish.

Storing Leftover Magic Cake

This chocolate magic cake is best stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freezing

This is one of those cakes that’s better served fresh, after it’s been chilled, however if you must freeze it, you can store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month.

a slice of chocolate magic cake on a white plate.

More Great Recipes To Try

  • Lemon Magic Cake
  • Nutella Magic Cake
  • Pumpkin Magic Cake
  • Magic Cake
  • The Best Chocolate Cake
  • Chocolate Bundt Cake

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

chocolate magic cake slices sprinkled with cocoa powder and garnished with garnish.
Print
4.56 from 165 votes

Chocolate Magic Cake

Prep 20 minutes
Chilling Time 4 hours
Cook 1 hour
Total 5 hours 20 minutes
Rate Recipe
This Chocolate Magic Cake is an incredible easy cake to make. One simple thin batter, bake it and you end up with a 3 layer chocolate magic cake.
9

Ingredients

  • 4 large eggs (at room temperature and separated)
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 8 tablespoon butter (unsalted and melted)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 6½ tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 6 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 2 cups milk (warmed up to about 95°F)
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar (regular white vinegar)

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions 

  • Prep: Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 8×8 inch baking dish with parchment paper.
  • Mix the yolks with water and sugar: Separate the eggs and add the egg yolks to the bowl of a mixer. Add a tbsp of water and the sugar. Beat this at high speed until are eggs are light and pale in color.
  • Drizzle in melted butter, vanilla and add salt: Add melted butter, vanilla extract and salt to the yolk mixture and continue beating until butter is fully incorporated and the mixture is light.
  • Stir in the dry ingredients: Add the flour and cocoa powder to the bowl and mix thoroughly, scraping down the side and bottom of the bowl as needed.
  • Add milk: Add the milk a bit at a time and mix. The milk should be warm so not to cool the butter. Make sure the milk has been mixed in thoroughly. The mixture should be pretty wet, so don't get scared.
  • Whisk the egg whites: If using a handheld mixer, clean the beaters and pour the egg whites in a large clean bowl. If using a stand mixer, wash the mixing bowl and whisk attachment and make sure you dry them out. Add egg whites to mixing bowl and the vinegar and mix until egg whites are stiff.
  • Add the egg whites to cake batter: Add a bit of the egg whites to the chocolate mixture and gently mix using a whisk. Next you're going to reverse and add a bit of the chocolate mixture to the egg whites. This way it will be easier to mix everything together. Repeat until everything is mixed together and the mixture should be quite thin. Make sure to leave a distinct layer of fluffy egg white lumps at the top of the batter, so do not overmix.
  • Bake, chill and serve: Pour the batter in the prepared baking dish and bake for roughly 60 minutes or until done. The cake will still jiggle in the middle when you take it out, so that's normal. Let it cool completely, chill for about 4 hours letting the cake set, then cut into squares and serve.

Equipment

  • 8-inch Square Cake Pan
  • Parchment Paper
  • Glass Mixing Bowl Set (3 piece)
  • KitchenAid Hand Mixer
  • 6-Inch Stainless Steel Whisk

Video

Notes

  1. Please note video above is for magic cake.
  2. Use the right size pan. In my pictures above you’ll notice I used a long pan, but it’s 9×6-inches, or most commonly used for this cake is an 8×8-inch pan that is at least 2 inches in height. A 9×13-inch pan won’t work, there simply won’t be enough batter for it, and it won’t form into 3 layers.
  3. Stir the egg whites into the batter, don’t fold or mix them in. Stir them gently but not until they’re fully mixed into the batter. You want to make sure there are still some white bits floating around, this is what’s going to create that top cake layer.
  4. It’s hard to tell when magic cake is done, so look for signs. I’ve baked it in 3 different ovens, and the time differed on all 3. You want to make sure the sides are set, the center still jiggles a bit and the top is brown. You cannot use a toothpick as with a traditional cake to test fo doneness.
  5. Don’t slice into it right away. Allow the chocolate magic cake to come to room temperature, cover it with plastic wrap, then refrigerate for 4 hours before actually cutting into it, especially if you want to get nice slices. I have cut into it without refrigerating it, it’s still as delicious, it just won’t look as pretty.
  6. This cake is best stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
  7. This is one of those cakes that’s better served fresh, after it’s been chilled, however if you must freeze it, you can store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1pieceCalories: 247kcal (12%)Carbohydrates: 26g (9%)Protein: 6g (12%)Fat: 14g (22%)Saturated Fat: 8g (50%)Trans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 115mg (38%)Sodium: 90mg (4%)Potassium: 163mg (5%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 20g (22%)Vitamin A: 519IU (10%)Calcium: 82mg (8%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
© Author Joanna Cismaru

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.

chocolate magic cake slices sprinkled with cocoa powder and garnished with garnish.

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Originally published April, 2013. Updated with new photos, step by step pictures and more information.

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Home Recipes
Joanna Cismaru

Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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320 Comments
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yaela
yaela
Posted: 12 days ago

hi
can I use non dairy milk for the chocolate cake? oat milk for example?

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  yaela
Posted: 11 days ago

I haven’t tried it myself, but I believe you can make it with dairy free milk.

0
Reply
Selena
Selena
Posted: 4 months ago

I followed the recipe exactly and ended up with 4 distinct layers! From top to buttom it goes: cake, fudge, custard, thin pudding layer. Any idea why that happened? Could it be that I over-beat the egg white? Or did I not fold/mix the chocolate batter and eggwhite enough?

Still absolutely delicous though!! Will definitely make again! Thank you

1
Reply
Neta
Neta
Posted: 6 months ago

Can I ask? What is in the powder mixture ion top?

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Neta
Posted: 6 months ago

That’s cocoa powder. 🙂

1
Reply
Kristina
Kristina
Posted: 7 months ago

Could I double it and put it in a 9×13?

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Kristina
Posted: 7 months ago

I haven’t tried it myself, but you should be able to as long as you double the recipe. The baking time might be a bit different too. Let me know how it turns out if you do give it a try.

0
Reply
Anna-Maria
Anna-Maria
Posted: 1 year ago

Originally Magic Cake comes from France. Love your recipe

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%A2teau_magique

0
Reply
Katia Rapti
Katia Rapti
Posted: 1 year ago

5 stars
Good morning from Athens / Greece !!
Searching for Christmas sweets, I found your site with the wonderful recipes and mainly the “magic chocolate cake”.
I really want to try it for this Christmas!
Can you please tell me how many grams is 8 tablespoon butter? I used “Metric” in the ingredients, but again it gives me 8 tsp.
Thank you very much for your answer.
I wish you
Merry Christmas.

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Katia Rapti
Posted: 1 year ago

Hi Katia! I fixed it now so it shows you how many grams it is (112g in this case). Thanks for catching that and Merry Christmas to you too! 🙂

0
Reply
Dianne
Dianne
Posted: 1 year ago

5 stars
I did love how easy it is to put together and the simplicity of the ingredients! It was yummy and lower in calorie from so many other desserts!! I also made the lemon version and loved it but was surprised at the difference in the ingredients! No vinegar and water and more milk.

0
Reply
Jjw
Jjw
Posted: 1 year ago

Could I double the recipe and put it in a 13×9 pan.

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Jjw
Posted: 1 year ago

Yes!

0
Reply
foodie2
foodie2
Posted: 1 year ago

Video does not match the title…chocolate???? What you made is totally different than what you have the recipe for.

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  foodie2
Posted: 1 year ago

There’s a note in the recipe notes that the video is for the original magic cake, it’s there so you can see the technique.

0
Reply
Nan
Nan
Posted: 1 year ago

I used 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup sucralose to cut down the sugar. Turned out delish, This recipe is a keeper

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team AMJ
Jo Cooks Team AMJ
Reply to  Nan
Posted: 1 year ago

We’re so glad you liked it!

0
Reply
Nancy
Nancy
Posted: 1 year ago

5 stars
Best part of this recipe ( in addition being to be yummy) is that all the ingredients were on hand in the kitchen. I used 1/2 cup sucrolose and 1/4 cup sugar. Used regular vinegar, found out too late i should have used white vinegar. Still came out great! This recipe is a keeper.

0
Reply
Annette
Annette
Posted: 1 year ago

What vinegar are you using please?

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team AMJ
Jo Cooks Team AMJ
Reply to  Annette
Posted: 1 year ago

You’ll need to use white vinegar.

0
Reply
Carolyn Dunnett Ascroft
Carolyn Dunnett Ascroft
Posted: 1 year ago

I would love to try this recipe! Just wondering if I could use Lakanto sweetener in place of the sugar and a nut milk in place of the dairy milk?

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team AMJ
Jo Cooks Team AMJ
Reply to  Carolyn Dunnett Ascroft
Posted: 1 year ago

You can definitely try those options too. I’ve used lactose free and 2% milk before and it turned out great!
Let us know your results after that! We’re excited to know 😀

0
Reply
Deena Dolgoy
Deena Dolgoy
Posted: 2 years ago

I just found your site. Lucky me! Your magic cake recipes and impossible pie looks wonderful. I plan to try them very soon. What I would like to know before I make them is can one substitute a good quality oil instead of using butter? Perhaps Avocado or Organic Canola oil? Also could I use 2% milk instead of full fat for these recipes be it the chocolate or other versions of the magic cakes as well as the impossible pies. Just curious if these substitutes would suffice. Some other similar recipes state to fully bake the cakes and yet yours states it should be a tad jiggly in the centre. Not sure why the differences. When time permits I would love to hear from you. So glad I found your website. With thanks! Deena

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Deena Dolgoy
Posted: 2 years ago

Hi Deena! I haven’t tried to substitute different oil instead of the butter, so I can’t really advise you one way or the other, though in theory it should be fine. As far as the milk goes, yes you can use 2%, I’ve even made this with lactose free milk so you should be fine.

0
Reply
Kara
Kara
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
This was soooo good! This was my first time making anything like this, so I didn’t think it would come out right. I was wrong! It came out great! The layers were obvious, though the bottom layer was pretty thin compared to the cake and custard layers. The chocolate flavor was perfect. So delicious! My kids (10 and 4) didn’t care for the texture of the custard, but that meant more for me. They loved the other 2 layers, though. (It was interesting to watch them deconstruct it.) My husband enjoyed it as well. I would definitely make this again, but I’d make the day before and refrigerate, so the custard is cold – but that’s my personal preference. I’ll try the other flavors, too!
FYI, I made this in an 8.5 × 8.5 Pyrex pan (all I had close to 8in) and I baked it for the full 60 minutes and it came out great. Hope this helps someone! Thanks Jo, for the great recipe!

0
Reply

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Hey there!

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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