Sinful Chocolate Cake

I tend to shy away from baking as it scares me a bit. You have to measure things out exactly, pop it in the oven then hope for the best. Whereas with the cooking I normally do you can adjust recipes, constantly taste, check seasoning, and add a little more of different ingredients as you go along.

However, I decided to give it a whirl after my mum told me a simple recipe for a sponge cake . Controversially, I’m someone who is not fond of desserts at all, unless it involves chocolate, and so this sinful chocolate cake was born.

Ingredients:

For the cake -
6oz self raising flour
2oz cocoa (for an ordinary sponge cake, replace this with another 2oz of flour)
1tsp baking powder
8oz caster sugar
8oz butter
4 eggs

For the buttercream:
2oz butter
Icing sugar and cocoa to taste


For the icing:
100g baking chocolate

Method:
1)      Cream the sugar and butter together until smooth.

2)     Mix the flour, baking powder, and cocoa together and add a quarter of this to the creamed butter and sugar, mixing as you go along. Add an egg and beat until combined. Repeat this another three times and continue beating to achieve a light and airy mixture.

3)     Split this between 2 greased and lined sandwich tins.

4)     Place in the oven for 20-25mins at 170°. This does depend on your oven, so keep looking inside to see whether it’s well risen. When it’s done it should rise back up when pressed, you can check this but try not to do it too often throughout cooking as the cake will sink.

5)     Allow the cakes to cool for 10mins whilst still in the tin. Then carefully turn them out onto a cooling rack by first loosening with a knife around the edge.

6)     While the cakes are cooling you can make the buttercream by mixing softened butter, icing sugar and cocoa (leave out the cocoa to make plain buttercream). This can be spread over one of the cake layers before the two are sandwiched together.

7)     For the icing, melt the baking chocolate in a bowl resting over a pan of boiling water. Smooth this over top, I did it nice and thick but you can spread it as thin as you like.

I felt this rich cake definitely needs to be served with a glass of milk or some cream over the top. It was very satisfying to create something so big and beautiful that could be offered to guests for the next couple of days. The cake was lovely and moist with different textures provided by the buttercream and icing. You could also add a layer of blackcurrant jam for an extra dimension. I quite enjoyed making the cake and will definitely be baking again. I loved wearing my pinny, getting flour all over my face and licking the mixing bowls clean!