Chocolate Cake

I’ve tried to write and publish the recipe for this cake all week. Something or another came up, like research deadlines or the end of the NHS contractual year. To the point that I walked home in my clinical scrubs one day after work. However, fittingly this is a great celebration cake. As I have said time and time again that I used to bake obsessively in university trying to get the recipes just right. I am also allergic to many commercial chocolates and chocolate based desserts so its either make it yourself or feel left out. So this prefected cake is the product of necessity birthing a past time. It was an old BBC Good Food recipe that has been made to become gluten free ( optional but highly recommended), sponger and the frosting became creamy instead of buttery.

Over the years I have waves of falling in and out of love with baking. This past year has ignited this latent passion. In the past I relied on getting the exact ingredients in the exact amounts but i have relaxed my approach now in these testing times.

It’s been a hard week in a hard year and all I want to do after officially completing my NHS target for the year is relax, reflect and celebrate before the beginning of the next year because exciting things are coming. Watch this space and make this cake. You won’t regret either decision.

THE RECIPE

Chocolate Cake

• Cook time: 30 minutes
• Cook time: 25 minutes
• Serves 6
  
  

INGREDIENTS

For the sponge

• 150 grams butter softened at room temp for a few hours
• 150 grams brown sugar or coconut sugar
• 3 medium eggs
• 50 grams of coco powder
• 100 grams of almond flour or plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp milk

For the frosting

• 50 grams 65% chocolate
• 85 grams butter soften at room temperature
• 150 grams icing sugar
• ¼ cup sour cream

method

1. Pre heat oven 180 degrees Celsius. Line two 20 cm sandwich tins with baking paper and butter.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together (flour, baking powder & soda and coco powder).
3. In a separate bowl cream the butter and sugar together using an electric whisk.
4. Add an egg and vanilla and whisk. Then 1/3 of the dry mix. Combine to mix well. Repeat by adding the egg, and dry mix till all has been used up.
5. Split into two portions and transfer to the baking tins.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the sponge is bouncing back to touch and a toothpick comes out clear.
7. Once baked allow the sponges to cool.
8. Make the frosting with melting the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave to cool.
9. Beat the butter and ½ the icing sugar together till light and fluffy. Incorporate the remaining icing sugar, melted chocolate and sour cream into the bowl. Beat till fluffy but be careful not to over beat as the cream can split.
10. Assemble bake on a plate or cake stand. Add a dollop of frosting to fill a layer on one of the sponge. Place the other sponge on top and add a dollop to fill the top. Spread around the top and circumference using a frosting knife or spatula. Create the ripple effect by running a toothpick over the frosting (optional).