The Ultimate Chocolate Cake

Name: The Ultimate Chocolate Cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 25 min
Total time: 1 h 55 min
Yield: 14 slices
Ingredients: 8 ounces good-quality dark chocolate, about 60% cocoa solids (200g); 8 ounces butter, cut in pieces (200g); 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules; 3 ounces self-raising flour (85g); 3 ounces plain flour (85g); 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda; 7 ounces light muscovado sugar (NO SUBSTITUTE, 200g); 7 ounces golden caster sugar (200g); 1 ounce cocoa powder (25g); 3 medium eggs; 75 ml buttermilk (5tbsp); grated chocolate (optional) or chocolate curls, to decorate (optional); 8 ounces good-quality dark chocolate, about 60% cocoa solids (200g); 284 ml double cream (pouring type); 2 tablespoons golden caster sugar

Submitted by tigerduck

"Are you on a diet? Please keep away from this moist and fudgy dessert cake if you really can resist. What makes this cake better than any other chocolate cake? Let me tell you: This cake requires little skill, it is easy to slice for layering, it contains both cocoa powder and chocolate, so you will get the flavour AND the texture you are after, the coffee brings out the chocolate flavour, the buttermilk improves the texture of the cake, the muscovado sugar (no substitute!) gives it a slight fudginess and the ganache is just wonderful. Can you still RESIST this TEMPTATION? Angela Nilson developed this superb dessert cake for the 'Good Food' magazine (April 2004) and I'm so glad she did :). Will this be YOUR ultimate chocolate cake, too? Try it and let me know! This cake can be frozen (without icing)."

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Ready In:: 1hr 55mins
Ingredients:: 15
Yields:: 14 slices

ingredients

8 ounces good-quality dark chocolate, about 60% cocoa solids (200g)
8 ounces butter, cut in pieces (200g)
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
3 ounces self-raising flour (85g)
3 ounces plain flour (85g)
¹⁄₂ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
7 ounces light muscovado sugar (NO SUBSTITUTE, 200g)
7 ounces golden caster sugar (200g)
1 ounce cocoa powder (25g)
3 medium eggs
75 ml buttermilk (5tbsp)
grated chocolate (optional) or chocolate curls, to decorate (optional)
for the GANACHE
8 ounces good-quality dark chocolate, about 60% cocoa solids (200g)
284 ml double cream (pouring type)
2 tablespoons golden caster sugar

directions

Please make sure you follow imperial or metric measures precisely.
Butter a 20cm round cake tin (7.5cm deep) and line the base. Preheat the oven to fan 140°C (285°F)/conventional 160°C (320°F)/gas 3. Break the chocolate in pieces into a medium, heavy-based pan. Tip in the butter, then mix the coffee granules into 125ml/4fl oz cold water and pour into the pan. Warm through over a low heat just until everything is melted-don't overheat. Or melt in the microwave on Medium for about 5 minutes, stirring half way through.
While the chocolate is melting, mix the two flours, bicarbonate of soda, sugars and cocoa in a big bowl, mixing with your hands to get rid of any lumps. Beat the eggs in a bowl and stir in the buttermilk.
Now pour the melted chocolate mixture into the flour mixture, stirring just until everything is well blended and you have a smooth, quite runny consistency. Pour this into the tin and bake for 1 hour 30 minutes - if you push a skewer in the centre it should come out clean and the top should feel firm (don't worry if it cracks a bit). Leave to cool in the tin (don't worry if it dips slightly), then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
When the cake is cold, cut it horizontally into three.
Make the GANACHE:.
Chop the chocolate into small pieces and tip into a bowl. Pour the cream into a pan, add the sugar, and heat until it is about to boil. Take off the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
ASSEMBLING:.
Sandwich the layers together with just a little of the ganache. Pour the rest over the cake letting it fall down the sides and smoothing to cover with a palette knife. You may want to decorate with grated chocolate or a pile of chocolate curls.
The cake keep moist and gooey for 3-4 days.

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Reviews

Absolutely sinful. Absolute heaven. Is that a contradiction? ;-) A very heavy-duty, fudgy chocolate cake that is sure to please all chocolate fanatics, especially friends of dark chocolate as it's not too sweet. A little piece goes a long way as you're bound to really savour each bite! I used a combo of Lindt's and Fazer's chocolate with 70% cocoa. I made a few small changes: substituted regular flour for self-rising (and added 1 ts of baking powder and a pinch of salt) and used a 24 cm pan (and shortened the baking time to 1 h 20 mins). Also read the 284 ml of cream as 275 ml because 284 ml sounded too weird! :-) The ganache was quite runny so I let it sit in the fridge for a while before filling and frosting the cake. I think the cake is definitely at its best at room temperature - if you keep this in the fridge, take it out about an hour before serving. Wonderful stuff - perfect texture and chock-full of chocolate flavour! Will be my default dessert cake from now on! Thank you so much for posting the recipe tigerduck!!

stormylee