Moist chocolate cake

Early post this week as I’m heading off for a few days’ hols.


I wasn’t planning on making this cake but then, something clicked inside and I NEEDED chocolate. Needed, I tell you – not wanted or fancied; I’m talking actual, physical need.

This recipe interested me as it uses drinking chocolate instead of cocoa powder or actual chocolate. I bought a posh drinking chocolate and didn’t realise that nowadays, instead of powdery granules you get flakes of chocolate (note the two tone colour as it's half milk, half dark):


This meant the chocolate rippled through the sponge batter rather than turning the whole mix brown. As I wanted the buttercream to be an even chocolatey brown colour I used my mini-chopper to grind the flakes down – same lovely taste but more workable for a buttercream. You can see that it still retained some flecks of chocolate, which I rather like as it makes it look all the more decadent!


Here’s a sandwich tin ready for the batter:


One of my top tips is to have bulldog clips near to hand in the kitchen as they are perfect for holding paper in place. If you leave the baking paper to its own devices, as soon as you start spooning the batter into the tin it flops over and is difficult to hold in place. By using the bulldog clip you avoid all of this – just remember to remove it before putting the tins in the oven.

The glace icing sets very quickly and provides a beautifully smooth finish with very little effort required!



Ingredients:
For the cake:
170g unsalted butter, at room temperature
170g caster sugar
3 eggs
110g self raising flour
85g drinking chocolate
1 tablespoon hot water

For the buttercream:
110g icing sugar
50g unsalted butter, at room temperature
50g drinking chocolate
Water or milk, if required

For the glace icing:
170g icing sugar
50g drinking chocolate
Approximately 2 tablespoons hot water, to mix

Optional: Chocolate sprinkles to decorate

How to make:

- Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.
- Grease and line two 20cm sandwich tins.
- Start with the cake - cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time and add some of the flour if required to prevent curdling.
- Fold in the flour and drinking chocolate then stir in the hot water.
- Spoon into tins and level the surface. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly. Mine took exactly 25 minutes.
- Leave to cool in the tins before removing the tin and leaving the cakes to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Now make the buttercream filling: beat all the ingredients together until smooth and light. Use to sandwich the sponges.
- Now make the glace icing: beat the ingredients together until a thick paste is formed – you may need more water but add it with caution as you don’t want the icing too runny!
- Using a knife dipped in hot water, spread the icing over the top of the cake. Work fast as the icing sets alarmingly quick!
- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.
- Eat.