Best Ever Chocolate Cake
A little unknown fact about me is that I used to be a baker. I briefly owned a small home-based bakery business. Long story short, the cakes were great but the kitchen hours were long and my bum couldn’t handle me eating any more of the stock!
During that time however, I found and created some of the most amazing cake recipes and this chocolate cake is one of them. Credit goes to my Mum who actually found it in an old Aga cook book. I think the secret to its richness is the chocolate paste we add. I also like to top it off with the most delicious chocolate hazelnut icing - a real winner especially when served with some chopped hazelnuts, strawberries or go all out and add Ferrero Rochers!
The Recipe
Ingredients.
Chocolate Cake
250g butter - softened
250g caster sugar
275g Self Raising Flour
3 tsp Baking Powder
4 tbsp Milk
5 large free-range eggs
50g cocoa powder
6-7 tbsp boiling water
This recipe will fit 2x 9inch sandwich tins or 1x 13 x 9inch rectangular tray
Chocolate Hazelnut Icing
120g butter softened
120g icing sugar
200g Nutella or another chocolate hazelnut spread
2-3 tbsp double cream
Method.
Preheat a fan oven to 165C. Grease and line your tins or trays - I find using liners or baking parchment best but you can also use butter to grease and sprinkle with a little flour
In a cup or small bowl mix the cocoa powder and boiling water to form a paste. The paste should be thick but lump free. Allow to cool a little while you get the rest of your cake batter made
In a separate large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until its pale yellow and light and fluffy
Add your eggs one a time mixing well in between. Don’t worry if your mixture begins to separate, it will come back together once the flour has been added.
Next add your flour and baking powder to the egg and butter mix and fold briefly a few times.
Add your chocolate paste and milk. Fold again gently until fully combined
Pour the mix into the prepared trays and level out.
Bake for 25 mins approx or until a skewer or toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle.
Allow to cool a little before removing from the tins and moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
Whilst the cake is cooling we can make the icing. First, mix your butter until soft, pale and cream. This is essential for a good icing!
Add the Nutella and mix again until combined.
Carefully add the sifted icing sugar bit by bit and mix. The icing should feel very thick at this point if it doesn’t, add a bit more icing sugar.
Finally add a tablespoon at a time of the cream until you reach the right consistency. You want the icing to be thick but spreadable and definitely not runny.
Once the cake has cooled, decorate to your hearts content and enjoy!