Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake Recipe

Old-fashioned chocolate cake
Adapted from a recipe by Nigella Lawson

I like to refrigerate this before serving, just to set the icing and make it easier to eat with your fingers, but it tastes equally good (if somewhat stickier) at room temperature.


For the cake :
-) 200g plain flour
-) 200g caster (superfine) sugar
-) 1 teaspoon baking powder
-) 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of (baking) soda
-) 40g cocoa
-) 175g unsalted butter
-) 2 large eggs
-) 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
-) 150ml sour cream

For the icing :
-) 75g unsalted butter
-) 175g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
-) 300g icing sugar
-) 1 tablespoon golden syrup
-) 125ml sour cream
-) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions :
Take everything out of the fridge so that all ingredients can come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 180 deg C and line and butter two 20cm sandwich tins with removable bases.

Put all cake ingredients together in bowl of a food processor and process til you have a smooth, thick batter. Divide this, using a rubber spatula to scrape and spread, evenly between the two tins and bake until a thin skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 35 minutes (but start checking at the 25 minute mark).

Remove the cakes to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before turning out of their tins to cool completely.

To make the icing, melt chocolate and butter in a good-sized bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. While they're cooling a little, sieve the icing sugar into another bowl. Add the golden syrup and vanilla to the chocolate mixture, followed by the sour cream and then add to the icing sugar.

Select the cake with the least risen top, and - if necessary - level further by trimming its dome with a serrated edge knife. You want a flat surface for the other cake to sit on. Don't fuss too much with this - it doesn't have to be perfect. The icing will fill whatever space remains, like mortar to the bricks of the cakes. Spread about a third of the icing on the top of this bottom layer and spread to the edges. Lay the other cake on top, with its dome facing up. Spoon another third of the icing onto the top and swirl to cover in whatever fashion you choose - smooth or textured. Finally, use the remaining icing to coat the sides of the cake.

Refrigerate before serving.

The recipe and image were copied directly from alicebakesacake