This ultrarich chocolate fudge cake recipe is just the right level of fudgy. The trick to its airy but toothsome texture? A portion of almond meal, which also highlights the nutty notes of the chocolate and brings in extra richness, keeping the crumb moist for days. (If you’re baking for someone with a nut allergy, try our Brooklyn Blackout Cake instead.) Perhaps this should go without saying, but when intense chocolate flavor is the point, using good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder and chocolate is crucial. For both the cake and buttercream, opt for a bar or wafers of bittersweet chocolate from companies like Scharffen Berger or Guittard over run-of-the-mill semisweet chocolate chips.

Beating the butter, sugar, and eggs thoroughly ensures the crumb of this fudgy chocolate cake has some lightness. A stand mixer makes things easier, but an electric handheld one will also work—though you may need an extra set of hands to help alternate adding dry and wet ingredients when mixing the cake batter. BA reader Dhanya Samuel, who submitted this recipe to our 2016 Readers’ Choice Week contest, baked her cake in two different sized heart-shaped baking pans, but we opted for round cake pans to keep things simple. Use what you like.

Looking for more chocolate desserts? Try a Black Forest layer cake, a dark chocolate ganache tart (cue the heavy cream), gluten-free brownies with tahini, an easy chocolate mousse, and more in our round-up.