Indulge in a delicious moist chocolate cake this summer

Who doesn’t enjoy some delicious chocolate every now and then?

And what better way to start the week than with a yummy chocolate cake to show off and impress your friends and family.

Spend a lazy day with some good company, good food and then devour this mouth-watering, guilt free (obviously) chocolate cake for dessert. This recipe is taken from Clover Mama Afrika Recipe Book – I cook, because we eat! and will most definitely be a winner among those you share it with.

The recipe book has in part been subsidised by Clover because they believe that good food and great memories shouldn’t be limited by price. Also, by purchasing the cookbook, you will be actively helping women around South Africa achieve their small business dreams through the Clover Mama Afrika project, which aims to identify women who are already agents of change in their communities and helps train them to become self-sustaining women with skills which they can use to derive an income from, to support orphaned and abused children and the elderly and infirm.

The cookbook can be purchased at Lapa Publishers and costs R230.

BEST MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE

Makes one large double layered cake

Ingredients

2 ¼ cups (about 300g) Cake flour

2 ¼ cups (450g) Sugar

1 cup (120g) Cocoa powder

3,5 t (12.5ml)     Bicarbonate of soda

1 t Salt

3 Large eggs

1 ⅓ cup (330ml) Buttermilk

1 ⅓ cup (330ml) Sunflower oil

2 t (10ml) Vanilla essence

1 ⅓ cup (330ml) Boiling water

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
2. Prepare two 22cm round cake tins with baking paper circles on the bottom and grease the sides and paper well.
3. Sift all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and whisk together.
4. Add the eggs, buttermilk and oil to the dry ingredients and mix well. It is important that you mix until the sugar has dissolved. This is a very important step.
5. Add the vanilla essence to boiling water and add to the mixture, mix well.
6. Divide the batter evenly between the cake tins and bake for 35 minutes or until a cake-tester comes out clean.
7. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes in the cake tins, then remove from tins and gently place on cooling racks to cool completely.
8. Once cool, decorate with your favourite chocolate icing, chocolate balls and fruit.

Tips

• Never open an oven door until initial baking time is done – your cake will fall.
• Remove the paper from the bottom of the cake when you put it on the cooling rack.
• All ingredients should be at room temperature.