EASY CHOCOLATE CAKE
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
180 g dark chocolate (40%), broken into chunks
120 g butter
120 g (½ cup) caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup cocoa
1/3 cup self-raising flour
150 g almond meal
3 eggs
GANACHE
180 g dark cooking chocolate (40% or 70%), cut into small, even pieces
180 ml cream
GARNISH
fresh raspberries (optional)
METHOD
Preheat oven to 170°C
Grease and line a 20 cm cake tin and set it aside.
Add the dark chocolate, butter and sugar in a small saucepan and pop it over low-medium heat. Once the chocolate and butter have melted, add the vanilla and stir until the sugar has nearly dissolved.
In a large mixing bowl, add the cocoa, almond meal and self-raising flour and give it a mix. Pour in the melted chocolate/butter mixture and mix it well using a wooden spoon.
Add the eggs and give it a final mix until it’s all incorporated.
Pour the cake batter into the tin and pop it in the oven for 40 mins or until the skewer comes out clean.
Rest the cake tin on a cake rack for 10 minutes before taking it out of the tin. Pop the cake on the cake rack and let it completely cool.
Meanwhile, while the cake is cooling, start to work on the ganache. Pop the cream into a small saucepan and heat it over low-medium heat. Just before it starts to boil, take it off the heat, throw in chocolate pieces, and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Once the 5 minutes is up, use a rubber spatula and stir the cream/chocolate mixture until well combined and allow the ganache to cool for 5- 10 minutes. (TIP: using a rubber spatula means you won’t get a grainy consistency)
Leave the cake on the rack, but place a large tray underneath it (this is to catch all the ganache drippings). Pour the cooled ganache over the cake and once it’s finished dripping, transfer it to a cake stand and top it with fresh raspberries. Enjoy!
TIP: These are the brands I bought that were the exact measurements, saving measuring out!
- Nestle Plaistowe baking chocolate
- Woolworths or Coles brand almond meal
