A rich moist chocolate cake recipe

produces a cake that will be enjoyed by everybody as one of the ultimate comfort foods. Chocolate cakes come in all shapes and sizes but never fail to satisfy when a little indulgence is needed. I haven’t tried all the recipes yet but it’s my ambition to do so. It’s a tough job but somebody has to do it!!

Meanwhile, here’s a fairly standard moist chocolate cake recipe that produces a nice cake which everybody should enjoy. The ingredients are in both metric and imperial, but don’t mix them – use one or the other or this moist chocolate cake recipe may be a disaster!

Metric Ingredients

275g soft brown sugar
25g cocoa powder

225g flour
2 x 5m spoons baking powder
1 x 2.5 ml spoon bicarbonate of soda
1 x 2.5 ml spoon salt
100 g butter/margarine
1 x 5 ml spoon vanilla essence
2 eggs – separated
150 ml sour cream

Icing:

100 g softened butter/margarine
225 g icing sugar
100 g plain chocolate pieces
1 x 15 ml spoon milk
25 g chopped nuts

Imperial Ingredients

10 oz soft brown sugar
1 oz cocoa powder
3 fl oz water
8 oz flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 oz butter/margarine
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs – separated
1/4 pint sour cream

Icing:

4 oz softened butter/margarine
8 oz icing sugar
4 ozplain chocolate pieces
1 tbs spoon milk
1 oz chopped nuts

Heat the oven to 180 deg C, 350 deg F, Gas Mark 4.

Put the water, cocoa powder and 3oz/75g of the sugar in a pan, stir and heat gently until simmering. After a few minutes remove the smooth mixture from the heat and allow to cool down.

Place the all the dry ingredients in a suitable bowl and sift in the flour. In another bowl gently cream together the butter/margarine and the rest of the sugar until fluffy before adding the egg yolks and vanilla essence. Continue beating unti light. Add the cooled cocoa mixture, then fold in the dry ingredients and sour cream a little at a time.

Finally, beat the egg whites until stiff, and fold gently into the cake mixture to achieve a uniform mixture.

Grease a deep 7 in/17.5 cm round baking tin, pour the cake mixture in and transfer to the pre-heated oven.

Follow this moist chocolate cake recipe accurately and typically the cake will take about 1 1/4 hours to bake but as always, ovens vary and the cake should be tested. It is cooked When a skewer or cocktail stick comes out of the cake clean.

Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before carefully removing from the tin and returning to the rack to allow it to cool completely.

For the icing, use an electric or hand whisk to beat the butter/margarine until fluffy and light. Continue beating gently while adding the icing sugar until well mixed.

Melt the chocolate with the milk in a bowl over a pan of hot water. When conpletely melted add it to the creamed butter and sugar mix and blend gently together.

Split the cake horizontally into two layers and spread about two-thirds of the icing onto the bottom layer.

Stack the top layer back on the cake and spread the top of the cake with the remaining icing.

Sprinkle with the chopped nuts to finish, and find some friends to congratulate you on finding a moist chocolate cake recipe, and to share the homemade cake with!

Try making this double chocolate gateau for your next special celebration. The recipe makes a moist chocolate layer cake filled with a creamy white chocolate filling and topped with plain chocolate icing. Serve with some whipped cream for absolute luxury.

Double Chocolate Gateau

Ingredients

230g…8oz margarine or softened butter
230g…8oz soft brown sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
230g…8oz self-raising flour
60g…2oz cocoa powder
2-3 tbsp milk
250ml…9fl oz whipping cream, for filling
230g…8oz white chocolate pieces, for filling

For icing:
115g…4oz butter, or margarine
115ml…3fl oz double cream
350g…12oz plain chocolate pieces

Chocolate curls, or flakes, and icing sugar for decoration

One greased and base-lined 8in/20cm deep round cake tin

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Make the double chocolate gateau filling first. Chop the white chocolate into very small pieces and gently heating the cream in a small saucepan. Add the finely chopped white chocolate to the cream in the pan and, without lettting the cream boil, stir for about ten to fifteen seconds until the chocolate has just melted.

Pour into a bowl or small jug and allow to cool before chilling for about two hours. Gently whisk until the cream and chocolate filling just forms soft peaks.

Preheat the oven to 180 deg C, 350 deg F, Gas Mark 4.

Beat the butter, or margarine, with the sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Slowly and gently beat in the eggs, alternating with a little flour to prevent splitting. Sift in the remaining flour and cocoa powder, and carefully fold into the mixture. It should form a soft dropping consistency – it should just drop from a spoon when tapped on the side of the bowl. Add a little milk if the cake mixture is too dry.

Transfer to the prepared cake tin and place in the centre of the oven for about 45 minutes. Test towards the end of the baking time by pushing a skewer, or similar, into the centre of the cake. It will come out clean when the chocolate cake is cooked.

Place on a wire rack and leave in the tin to cool for 5-10 minutes. Turn out carefully and leave on the rack to cool completely before finishing.

When cool, carefully slice the cake into three equal layers. Use the chilled, whipped white chocolate filling to sandwich the layers together.

Melt the plain chocolate in a bowl over hot water. Add the butter and cream and stir gently to form a smooth icing. Allow to cool a little and then spread over the top and sides of the layered sponge cake, smoothing with a pallet knife.

For the finishing touch, decorate by sprinkling chocolate curls, or flaked chocolate over the cake and dusting with a little icing sugar.

Serve your double chocolate gateau with whipped cream to enjoy the ultimate chocolate luxury!