TODAY, Tuesday, 7 July is World Chocolate Day, so you have a good excuse to indulge in your favourite chocolate cake or dessert, or if you prefer, a bar of chocolate.
Here is a chocolate cake recipe to give the family a delicious treat.
Simple Chocolate Cake
Serves 8
Preparation: 10 mins
Cooking: 50 mins
Ingredients:
175g margarine or softened butter
175g caster sugar
3 large eggs
150g self-raising flour, sifted
50g of cocoa, sifted
1tsp baking powder
1tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
For the Simple Chocolate Icing:
100g of dark chocolate
100g of chopped butter
Method:
Heat the oven to 180°C. Lightly grease an 18cm round cake tin with a little extra butter or margarine and cut a piece of greaseproof paper or non-stick baking parchment to fit the base of the tin.
Put all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon or a hand-held mixer for one minute, or until just combined. It’s important not to beat the batter too much – just long enough to make it smooth.
Pour or spoon the mixture into the tin, smooth the top and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for about 45-50 minutes. The cake is cooked when it looks well risen and golden; the top should spring back when lightly touched with a fingertip. Another test is to insert a skewer into the centre of the cake – it should come out clean.
Let the cake sit in the tin for five minutes, then gently run a knife around the edge and turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool.
For the icing, place the dark chocolate and chopped butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a saucepan of very hot water until melted. Cool for 15 minutes, then spread over the top of the cooled cake.
Source: www.houseandgarden.co.uk/recipes/desserts-cakes/simple-chocolate-cake
