Moist chocolate sponge cake with a creamy ganache frosting – perfect for a rainy day!
You’ll need a 20cm round cake tin or an 18cm square cake tin.
Ingriedients
For the sponge
- 195 g plain flour
- 200 g white sugar
- 25 g cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 75 g unsalted butter, melted
- 240 ml warm water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
For the frosting
- 170g semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 180ml cream
- 1 Tbl unsalted butter, at room temperature
Method
Preheat oven to 177 degrees C. Grease and line the base of your cake tin with baking paper. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, sifted cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarb and salt. Add the melted butter, water, lemon juice or vinegar and vanilla. Mix all the ingredients together until well blended. Pour into your prepared cake tin and bake in a preheated oven for about 35 minutes, or until the sponge bounces back when lightly pressed and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
Place the chopped chocolate in a stainless steel bowl. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to the boil and then immediatly pour over the chocolate. Allow to stand for five minutes, then stir until smooth. Let the ganache sit at room temperature until slightly firm (about one hour) and then beat until smooth and light. Spread the ganache over the cooled cake and enjoy!
Make truffles with any left over ganache: place the ganache in the fridge until firm (for several hours or overnight). When ready, removef rom the fridge. Spread some cocoa powder onto a flat surface or plate, then using your hands and a small spoon, form the chocolate into round, bite-sized balls. Immediately roll the balls in the cocoa powder and voila – homemade truffles!
Chocolate cake recipe courtesy of JoyofBaking
Compliment your chocolate cake with these puff pastry pears with butterscotch sauce or chocolate chunk and hazelnut cookies at your next dinner party.
