Monday 1 October 2012

Amazingly Easy Chocolate Cake

This is a dark moist and delicious chocolate cake and its so easy to make. Its perfect for any occasion and can be adapted to your taste by adding orange zest or any other flavourings that your heart desires.
Try it!

Chocolate Cake with ganache icing

Ingredients:

  • 250g dark chocolate roughly chopped
  • 250g butter
  • 1 teaspoon instant coffee
  • 4 eggs beaten
  • 1/2 cup Castor sugar
  • 1 cup self raising flour
  • 1/2 cup ground almonds/hazelnuts
Ingredients

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Centigrade.
  2. Grease a 20cm spring form cake tin and line the base with baking paper.
  3. Melt the chocolate, butter and coffee powder in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of hot water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Allow to cool (the butter, chocolate and coffee can be melted in the microwave for 1-2mins, stir until smooth) 
  4. With an electric beater, beat the eggs and sugar for 4-5 minutes, or until pale and fluffy.
  5. Beat in the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth. 
  6. Gently fold in the flour and the ground almonds.
  7. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 50-55minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
  8. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out. 
  9. Allow to cool completely on a wire wrack before icing and decorating.
  10. I iced my cake with chocolate ganache. With 250g of dark chocolate melted and 100ml of cream. poured over the cake and left to drip over the sides. Then I grated 45g of white chocolate onto the top. Use whatever icing you prefer or you can simply dust with icing sugar.