Add a photo of this recipe...
(You could win $100 in our photo contest!)

Basic chocolate cake

Delicious moist cake that can be utilised as a two layer sponge, (cooked in two tins), a large whole cake that you can split into two or three Layers and add your favourite filling, cupcakes or add choc chips and make into muffins. Decorate as you desire, I generally use a delicious choc ganache for the whole cake, sometimes I split into three and put ganache between each layer as well as cover it with the ganache.

The cake is nice plain too or you can dress it up and serve slices with strawberries and whipped cream, dusted with a little sprinkle of icing sugar.

Yield: 8 Servings Ready in 45 minutes

Cuisine: australian/EnglishMain Ingredient: Cocoa

(0, 0) (reviews)

favorite of 9 people 9 people Try Soon want to try

Add to Favorites

Try Soon

+ Calendar

+ Grocery+ Menu + I've Made

Recipe
Photos (0)
Nutrition
Notes

Ingredients

[ customize ] [ alert an editor ]

Original recipe makes 8 Servings

1 CupMilk; In a small jug

1 TbspVinegar; add to milk & mix gently

11/2 cupsplain flour; sift with cocoa & bicarb

1/2 cupcocoa; as above

11/2 Tsp'sBicarb soda; as above

11/4 cupsraw sugar; Add to other dry ingredients

185 gmsbutter; melted

1 TspnVanilla extract

2 Eggs; lightly beaten

Ganache

450 gmsdark chocolate

250 mlspouring cream

30 gmsbutter; optional

Basic chocolate cake Preparation

CAKE

Stir and set aside the milk and vinegar allowing it time to sour.

Sift flour, cocoa & bicarb into a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the sugar and combine. Make a well in the centre and pour in the melted butter and half the soured milk mixture. Beat well for about three minutes. Add the vanilla essence, rest of the soured milk and the eggs. Beat for another two minutes.

Pour into your prepared tin/s.

Bake in mod oven (180 degrees Celsius), for approximately 35 minutes.

Adjust the time for cupcakes and muffins (shorter), or a larger cake, longer - I lower the temperature by about 20 degrees once the cake has risen and has firmed on the top.

When cooked, (bounces back on top when gently depressed with one finger, or sharp knife comes out clean when inserted in the middle, or the cake is leaving the sides of the tin), stand for ten minutes before removing from tin.

Allow to cool completely before decorating.

GANACHE

Melt chocolate and cream together, with the butter if using (gives a nice gloss to ganache)

I melt ingredients in a glass jug in the microwave on medium. Starting with five minutes, stirring the mixture well with a rounded knife - this may be enough to finish the melting process, if not put back in microwave for a further 2-3 minutes. Stir again.

Allow to cool to luke warm before pouring over the cake. Pours better when slightly warm. Turn thhe cake upside down, then, If you wish split the cake before pouring and sandwich each layer together with ganache, then pour over the cake.

Notes

I always make the bottom of the cake the top, nice and flat, but that is optional. You may also need to remove the very top of cake before turning upside down in order for the cake to be completely flat though this is not always necessary though. Before pouring ganache over cake, I sit the cake on a wire rack with a wide piece of greaseproof under the cake, with long enough ends to lift the cake onto the board or plate (I generally make large cakes). Use good quality cocoa-I use 22-24

percent fat-it makes beautiful cakes.P

For the large cakes, I grease my tins, line with baking paper and grease that lightly also.

Left over ganache can be scooped up and whipped to use for piping. It becomes lighter in colour and makes a nice contrast.