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Recipe by Angela Nilsen

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1. Video tutorial: Lining a cake tin

1. Butter a 20cm round cake tin (7.5cm deep) and line the base. Preheat the oven to fan 140C/conventional 160C/ gas 3. Break the chocolate in pieces into a medium, heavy-based pan. Tip in the butter, then mix the coffee granules into 125ml/4fl oz cold water and pour into the pan. Warm through over a low heat just until everything is melted - don't overheat. Or melt in the microwave on Medium for about 5 minutes, stirring half way through.
2. While the chocolate is melting, mix the two flours, bicarbonate of soda, sugars and cocoa in a big bowl, mixing with your hands to get rid of any lumps. Beat the eggs in a bowl and stir in the buttermilk.
3. Now pour the melted chocolate mixture and the egg mixture into the flour mixture, stirring just until everything is well blended and you have a smooth, quite runny consistency. Pour this into the tin and bake for 1 hour 25- 1 hour 30 minutes - if you push a skewer in the centre it should come out clean and the top should feel firm (don't worry if it cracks a bit). Leave to cool in the tin (don't worry if it dips slightly), then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
4. When the cake is cold, cut it horizontally into three. Make the ganache: chop the chocolate into small pieces and tip into a bowl. Pour the cream into a pan, add the sugar, and heat until it is about to boil. Take off the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
5. Sandwich the layers together with just a little of the ganache. Pour the rest over the cake letting it fall down the sides and smoothing to cover with a palette knife. Decorate with grated chocolate or a pile of chocolate curls. The cake keeps moist and gooey for 3-4 days.

541 kcalories, protein 6g, carbohydrate 55g, fat 35 g, saturated fat 20g, fibre 2g, salt 0.51 g

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Results 1-20

• Mollie Bee

  03 November 2007

  Mollie Bee rated and commented on this recipe

  

  This is a FABULOUS cake! The look of sheer ecstacy and joy that came across my family and friends faces when they tasted this cake was priceless. It's THE favourite cake in the house, so much so that I made it as one of my wedding cakes back in August (2007) and it was loved by all again. Definately worth the effort.

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• Mollie Bee

  04 November 2007

  Mollie Bee commented on this recipe

  Oh, one of the times I made the cake I used Lindt Dark Chocolate with Orange in the sponge mixture. The chocolate little orange flavoured chunks so it's better to use in the cake sponge and not for the ganache as it would be too lumpy. The orange flavour cake went down very well - was stunning!!

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• Susan

  05 November 2007

  Susan rated this recipe

  

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• Picalilli

  06 November 2007

  Picalilli rated and commented on this recipe

  

  This is a fabulous chocolate cake. My fan oven cooked it in an hour and I had no cocoa powder but it had so much chocolate in it already it made no difference! Superb recipe.

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• pigswhistle

  16 November 2007

  pigswhistle commented on this recipe

  I have twice used this recipe, inmultiple quantities, as the basis for a wedding cake. Absolutely fantastic!

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• pigswhistle

  16 November 2007

  pigswhistle rated this recipe

  

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• Colman

  20 November 2007

  Colman rated and commented on this recipe

  

  Made it for my daughter's birthday cake...and all the parents were bugging me for the recipe afterwards :)

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• Carole

  21 November 2007

  Carole rated and commented on this recipe

  

  I have made this cake several times and it is always a big success with family and friends. It also works for a chocolate cup cake recipe - much loved by the grandchildren.

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• Phil

  29 November 2007

  Phil rated and commented on this recipe

  

  I made this at the weekend and my friends said it was the best chocolate cake that they had ever tasted!

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• Yin Tung

  01 December 2007

  Yin Tung rated and commented on this recipe

  

  Great recipe, very easy to make. Somehow I ended up with a hole in the middle, but it must've been the oven. Dust icing sugar on top for a Christmassy/snow effect.

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• mary

  03 December 2007

  mary commented on this recipe

  I made this cake for a dinner party and I was disappointed with the result, I found the cake to be very heavy.

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• caroline

  04 December 2007

  caroline rated and commented on this recipe

  

  Our Christmas party was topped off with this cake and left them begging for more! We used a larger tin which made it easier to share around but didn't allow enough height for the sliced sandwich effect. It was actually probably too stodgy to try to slice horizontally.

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• lsy1980

  06 December 2007

  lsy1980 rated and commented on this recipe

  

  This cake is delicious, easy to make and goes down a storm at xmas parties, there wont be a crumb left! In fact, someone at our party thought it was shop bought from a luxury range! What a compliment! The only thing I would say is that it isn't possible to cut into 3 slices, so I just went for 2 layers. It's moist, like brownies in a cake, keeps for ages, always tastes great and best of all if a numpty like me can bake it, anyone can!! Would recommend it to anyone and will passing on the recipe to friends as well as making it my Christmas cake from now on, who needs fruit cake when you can have chocolate?!!!!

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• joyous

  09 December 2007

  joyous rated and commented on this recipe

  

  I made the cake for my daughters birthday party, everybody said it was gorgeous! I baked the cake in a wider tin, so I left it as it was with the ganache spread all over, very moist and yummy!

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• QTK

  15 December 2007

  QTK rated and commented on this recipe

  

  This is an amazing chocolate cake but be warned it is very rich!! I use Green and Black's chocolate one bar milk dark, one bar 70% and it is amazing and takes the edge of the dark chocolate. I would agree that it isn't possible to cut in 3 layers as it sinks slightly in the middle.

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• Picalilli

  24 December 2007

  Picalilli commented on this recipe

  I pour the mixture between two round tins so its just a two layer cake.

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• janet morris

  12 January 2008

  janet morris commented on this recipe

  this has to be the very best chocolate cake ever. Easy to make and enjoyable to eat!

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• janet morris

  12 January 2008

  janet morris rated this recipe

  

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• megsnz

  18 January 2008

  megsnz rated and commented on this recipe

  

  Divided mixture between 2x sandwich tins to save cutting into layers, and 1 and a half times the icing. Made as a birthdy cake and it was loved by all !!! Will definately make again.

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• mother*ship

  19 January 2008

  mother*ship rated and commented on this recipe

  

  Made this cake for my Hubby's birthday and it went down a treat. But I couldn't bring myself to include 400g of sugar! So I only used 300g, also replaced the buttermilk with half-fat crème fraîche and it was still delicious.

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Ingredients

• 200g good quality dark chocolate , about 60% cocoa solids
• 200g butter , cut in pieces
• 1 tbsp instant coffee granules
• 85g self-raising flour
• 85g plain flour
• 1⁄4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 200g light muscovado sugar
• 200g golden caster sugar
• 25g cocoa powder
• 3 medium eggs
• 75ml buttermilk (5 tbsp)
• grated chocolate or curls, to decorate

FOR THE GANACHE

• 200g good-quality dark chocolate , as above
• 284ml carton double cream (pouring type)
• 2 tbsp golden caster sugar

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Difficulty and servings

Cuts into 14 slices

Preparation and cooking times

Prep 30 40 mins

Cook 1 hr min 1 hr 30 mins

Plus baking and cooling time

Without icing

Ingredients

• 200g good quality dark chocolate , about 60% cocoa solids
• 200g butter , cut in pieces
• 1 tbsp instant coffee granules
• 85g self-raising flour
• 85g plain flour
• 1⁄4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 200g light muscovado sugar
• 200g golden caster sugar
• 25g cocoa powder
• 3 medium eggs
• 75ml buttermilk (5 tbsp)
• grated chocolate or curls, to decorate

FOR THE GANACHE

• 200g good-quality dark chocolate , as above
• 284ml carton double cream (pouring type)
• 2 tbsp golden caster sugar

541 kcalories, protein 6g, carbohydrate 55g, fat 35 g, saturated fat 20g, fibre 2g, salt 0.51 g

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