Chocolate Cake

Chocolate cake is a favourite with dessert lovers everywhere, and you can make your own in less than forty minutes preparation time, around an hour for cooking. Melt good quality dark chocolate in a heavy-based pan, add butter, then mix in coffee granules in hot water for another flavour sensation, be careful not to overheat the mixture.

Whilst the chocolate melts, mix self raising flour and plain flour in a big bowl, along with bicarbonate of soda, muscovado and caster sugar, and cocoa. Slowly mix everything together using a large whisk to make sure there are no lumps, then beat in three medium sized eggs and gradually add five tablespoons of buttermilk. After a gentle whisking, the mixture should be well blended with a smooth, quite runny, consistency – make sure there are no un-mixed ingredients around the edge of the bowl. Pour it into a round cake tin and bake for an hour and a half at 140C in a fan assisted oven, and gas mark 3 for a gas oven.

To add a filling, either whisk some double cream to soft peaks, or mix a ganache from chopped chocolate chunks, cream and sugar. Sandwich the filling between two sides of the cake, then spread a portion of it over the top; letting it run over the sides, then smooth it out with a palette knife. Chocolate curls or grated chocolate is a good accompaniment for this moist, gooey cake that stays fresh for three to four days. This ultimate dessert is great for any type of celebration; birthdays, weddings, or even a weekday treat if you don’t need an excuse to indulge.