A Chocolate cake has to be the ultimate Chocolate lovers delight, delicious, moist, chocolaty, rich and gooey. Layered and decorated with added chocolate cream or chocolate ganache dripping around can only be irresistible.

When it comes to decorating a chocolate cake I tend to keep it as simple as possible. A good drizzle of chocolate sauce all over is more than I find is required. That’s my personal choice, but by all means you can try other decorations.

Ingredients Serves 6-8

• 125g soft butter (plus extra for greasing the tins)
• 225g light muscavado sugar or caster sugar
• 175g self-raising flour
• 50 gms sifted cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 large eggs
• 2Tbs milk

For the Chocolate Ganache or Frosting

• 150 mls pouring double cream
• 150 gms plain chocolate (high cocoa content)
• A little bit of alcohol such as Marsala wine, whisky or brandy

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Gas 4. Prepare two deep 20cm (8in) sandwich cake tins, butter and line with parchment paper.
2. Using a handheld electric mixer cream the butter and sugar until light.
3. Beat in the egg, one at a time until well combined, if the mixture splits add a little flour and on a low speed mix all together. Continue until all the eggs have been added.
4. In a separate bowl sieve the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder or you can dissolve the cocoa powder with some warm water into a thick paste, set aside.
5. Fold in the dissolved cocoa into the cake mix. If the mixture is too thick add the milk and fold in well do not over mix otherwise you will lose all the air incorporated.
6. Divide the mixture evenly between the two prepared tins and level the tops.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25–30 minutes until golden brown or until the sponge has risen and feels springy to the touch.
8. Cool the cakes in their tins on a wire rack for about 10 minutes then turn them out onto a cooling rack.

To make the Chocolate Ganache:

1. Break the chocolate into pieces and gently melt in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water until the chocolate has melted, stirring continuously.
2. Remove from the heat add the cream and which until all is incorporated and form a trail of thick sauce.
3. Leave to cool. To decorate the cake spread some of the chocolate sauce on one half of the cake and sandwich together.
4. Using a palette knife smooth the rest of the chocolate sauce on the top.
5. Keep cool until ready to serve. Enjoy

Brinda’s Note: If you want a more wow look, cut the cakes in halves so have four a layered cake, icing them in between.