My go-to Chocolate Cake

    I can't believe I've not posted the recipe for this chocolate cake. I have made it 3 times in the past 2 months and it has always turned out perfectly. It even evokes "Mmmmms" and "Ahhhhhs" from my normally quiet husband. He reserves some space in his tummy for this cake whenever I bake it. That is how good it is.

Pictured with chocolate glaze

(recipe)

     I have just finished assembling a birthday cake for someone. It's a chocolate cake with vanilla custard filling and with chocolate ganache on the top. For the cake, I used this recipe which I can now follow without having to look at any instructions. I took the opportunity to take shots of the process, but please do pardon the fact that the shots are not the greatest.
      Without further ado, I present my favourite chocolate cake recipe to you. If you want a cake that is moist, chocolatey, but not too sweet, this is for you. This recipe baked quite a lot of cake, but it is easily halved. I have halved the recipe on two occasions to bake a smaller cake for just my husband and I.

Go-to Chocolate Cake

makes 2 8-inch cakes or one thick 9-inch cake

225g plain flour

350g caster sugar

80g cocoa powder

1½ tsp baking powder 

1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

2 eggs

250ml milk
125ml vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

250ml boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 175°C. Grease and line 2 round 8-inch cake pans.

2. Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk gently to combine.

3. Using an electric mixer or whisk, mix in the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla extract till well combined.

4. Add the boiling water to the batter, a little at a time, and mix well after each addition.

5. The batter will be very runny at this point, but don't worry.

6. Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans.

7. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, then remove the partially baked cakes from the oven.

8. Cover the cake pans loosely with aluminum foil (to prevent the top from burning) and return to the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes.

9. After 15 minutes, insert a skewer in the middle of the cakes to check if they are fully baked. The skewer should come out with a few crumbs on it. If the skewer comes out with batter on it, return the cakes to the oven then check the cakes with the skewer every 5 minutes.

10. When fully baked, remove the cakes from the oven and leave to cool in the pans for 10 minutes.

11. Invert the cakes onto a cooling rack and leave till completely cooled.

You can now proceed to make whatever cake filling you like and use the filling to sandwich the two cakes together. If you baked a big, thick cake, slice it through the middle with a big serrated knife to split the cake into two layers. 

Or have the cake on its own without any filling. I like it better without any filling, but with a chocolate coated topping (Chocolate Glaze recipe).