Covid-19 has meant we cannot meet with friends as we have in the past, so my baking is limited. A long-time friend who has always disliked cooking, has decided to learn some basic recipes while she is restricted to home. Her first request was for a simple chocolate cake so together with another friend and a zoom meeting  we had a chocolate cake making session, each making a cake in our own house. This recipe is very easy and makes a really light cake. The recipe makes one quite big cake or 2 smaller cakes that could be sandwiched together with cream or other filling or about 24 cup cakes.

The recipe came from an Australian magazine Goodtaste – 2001.

 

Ingredients

300 g self-raising flour

70 g good quality cocoa powder

395 g caster sugar

185 g butter, cubed and softened, but not melted

2 teas vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1 teas coffee granules

1 cup (250 ml) water

Chocolate butter cream icing

 

1. Preheat oven to 170°C (less for a fan forced oven, 160°C). Brush one deep round 26 cm cake pan or 2 20 cm cake pans with melted butter and line the base and sides with baking paper.
2. Sift flour, sugar and cocoa powder into a large bowl or the bowl of an electric standing mixer.
3. Add the butter, vanilla essence and eggs to the bowl.
4. Mix the coffee granules into the cup of water.
5. Using a spoon combine the ingredients in the bowl a little – the main purpose of this step is to stop the flour going everywhere when you start the mixer.
6. Start the mixer on a low speed while gradually adding the coffee/water.
7. Once all the ingredients are combined, increase the speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes or until smooth and paler in colour.
8. Spoon the mixture into the cake pan(s) and smooth the surface.
9. Cook, in the middle of the oven, for approximately 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. The surface make have cracks across it.
10. Remove from the oven and leave in pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
11. Once cool, decorate the cake with chocolate butter cream icing and decorate with chocolate bits, nuts, fruit etc