Best Chocolate Cake
This is seriously the best chocolate cake ever! Once you have tried it you won't ever need to search for another chocolate cake recipe again. I have tried and tested quite a few chocolate cake recipes over the years and none have really impressed me. I find chocolate cake to seldom taste as good as it looks. Either it is dry and bland or incredibly rich. Here though I am excited to share this recipe for a cake that has a great chocolate taste, moist texture and is light. I have made it a few times with different icing combinations and it has been a huge success, so much so that this is probably my most shared recipe.
You can dress it up with chocolate ganache icing, melt a good dark chocolate over it, or have it plain where it is just dusted with icing sugar. This cake is so versatile and easy to make. I have turned it into a sleek chocolate tart which tastes great alongside some crème fraîche and I also have made thick chunky brownies covered in melted chocolate with this same recipe. All of these variations have been a real hit with friends. You can even use it as a pudding and serve it with custard. I say, serve with a dollop of cream. Whatever your mood and whatever way you chose to bake this cake, I promise you, you will enjoy it.
INGREDIENTS
4 Large eggs
300g Sugar (you can use Coconut Sugar or xylitol instead)
250ml Coconut oil (you can use Canola or Sunflower instead)
1 Cup cake flour (Almond flour works well for a gluten free alternative)
Half a cup of cocoa powder, twice sifted
20ml Baking powder
Pinch of salt
310ml Milk
15ml Vanilla essence
METHOD
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Lightly grease a 20cm cake tin, or two smaller tins for a layered cake.
- Place the eggs, sugar and oil in bowl and beat until the mixture is thick and creamy.
- Add the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, milk and vanilla. Beat for a few more minutes until the batter is smooth. (It is a runnier batter than most cakes)
- Pour the batter into the tin and bake until the cake is cooked through, about 30-45min.
- Allow the cake to cool before icing it.
- Serve with thick cream on the side.
Serves 6 - 8
Basic Glacé Icing:
Mix 1 Tbs sifted good quality cocoa powder with 250g sifted icing sugar. Add a tsp hot water and 1 tsp butter and mix until it is thick but not too solid. If you accidentally make it too runny, simply add more icing sugar.
My Chocolate Ganache:
Heat some good quality chocolate in a saucepan and add a bit of cream. Mix to remove lumps, then add some cocoa powder, a bit of sugar and touch of butter. Mix until the consistency is runny but thick and then pour over the cake.