Chocolate Cake The Old-Fashioned Way

There is nothing more satisfying than the moment you see a fork sinking in to a moist and rich dark chocolate cake. As vivid a description that may be, there is always someone finding ways to make it better than the rest, make flourless versions, combine fruit and constantly attempt to create something better than what it really is. In essence, why fix something when it isn’t broken? The same idea applies to chocolate cake as we know it; of course, this isn’t something that you can eat everyday but when you are in the mood for a honking ol’ piece of cake, nothing but the real deal will do. This chocolate cake recipe is essentially a better and flavoursome version of boxed cake mixes. It is immensely chocolaty but also has a smooth lightness, which makes it easier to eat a lot of. What makes this recipe the ultimate in many ways, is that it takes almost the same amount of effort to throw together, as would a cake from a box. It also doesn’t really need too many equipment apart from the odd food processor and most things you would typically find yourself stocked with.

Recipe:

How To Make Cake: Three Mistakes To Avoid While Making Cake At Home

Ingredients [For Cake]

• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup superfine sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 large eggs
• 1 + ½ stick butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
• 2/3 cup sour cream

Ingredients [For Icing]

• ¾ stick butter
• 150 grams dark chocolate
• 2.5 cups sugar
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 tablespoon honey/golden syrup
• Rainbow sprinkles, for garnish

Method

• Combine all the ingredients for the cake in a food processor and blitz until everything is mixed thoroughly to make a smooth batter. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease and flour a baking tin of your choice and pour in the batter.
• Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes. Once the cake is 25 minutes in to the baking process, use a toothpick to check in intervals if the cake has cooked through. Remove the cake from the baking tin while still hot and allow it to sit on a cooling rack until it reaches room temperature.
• Powder the sugar for the icing in a grinder and set aside. Melt together the chocolate and butter in the microwave and allow it to cool slightly before adding in the vanilla essence, sour cream and sifting in the sugar. Add the honey and mix everything well.
• If your icing is too think at this point, add a tablespoon of hot water and mix well. The consistency should be spreadable and must have a glossy shine to it. Use a spatula to ice the cooled cake sponge on all sides.
• You could also cut the cake into two circles and sandwich the icing in between, if you’re making a birthday cake or layer cake. Garnish your cake with rainbow sprinkles and allow it to sit on a stand, until the icing has set and turned a matte brown shade. Cut into slices and serve.