Chocolate cake tips and recipes please! (merged)

Pink.

Hi rosie,

This is my recipe for chocolate cake, it's one of the easiest cakes I make and has never failed me yet:

Easy Chocolate Cake

6 oz self raising flour
1 and a half level teaspoons of baking powder

- sift into a bowl

6 oz soft margarine or butter
6 oz castor sugar
2 heaped tablespoons of cocoa powder
3 eggs
1 teasp vanilla essence
3 tablespoons of warm water

- mix to blend and beat well before adding to flour mix (above)

Divide the mix between two greased 7 - 8'' tins. Bake at 180 degrees for 20- 25 minutes.


Chocolate Fudge Icing


6 oz icing sugar
2 oz cocoa powder

-sift into a bowl


3 oz butter
4 oz castor sugar
4 tablespoons of water

- disolve in a pan and bring just to the boil before adding to the icing sugar and cocoa powder mixture. Stir well to remove any lumps, then pour half onto each sponge cake.

You need to work quickly with this bit as the icing will begin to set if you don't.

Put the nicest looking one on top and add loads of flake pieces or whatever decoration you like.

We have another thread that may help:

Chocolate cake tips and recipes please! (merged)

I'll add your thread to that one later to keep the replies together.


Pink

Hi. I'm a Board Guide on the In My Home (Includes

ragz_2

Do read the comments on those recipes, they are very helpful as you get tips from people who have made it already. I noticed many people found the cake cracked on top, which is fine when icing and dusting it but do be aware of it. Also many people found it took a little longer to cook.

Good luck with the cake, let us know how it goes!

pookiewn

I do just fill it with the icing, not sure if I don't put enough on or it's just a very generous recipe. Don't think it would look silly, the contrast of colours might look quite striking Maybe some strawberries in with the buttercream might be nice? But then you may not be able to do it until close to the party otherwise they might go a bit soggy.

Rikki

Mr Badexample's Chocolate Yoghurt Cake comes highly recommended.

Recipe, instructions with pictures and plenty of humour.

rosie383

You are all wonderful. Thank you so much!
Thanks Pink. Now I may have to try your recipe too!

As for decoration..... I was having a wee think. As strawbs are out of season, then how about if I use the ganache/ icing in between layers, then pipe fresh cream on top and decorate with chocolate curls, or someone mentioned flake. Lots of that crumbled on top would look great and be really yummy!

Have a guess how much I wish I had the ingredients in to make it right now? I need chocolate!!!!!!!!

Might have to go and rustle up some choc choc chip muffins to keep me going!

rosie383

Just had a read at MBE's cake thread. Really funny. Thanks!!

Rikki

rosie383 wrote: »

Just had a read at MBE's cake thread. Really funny. Thanks!!

Mr Badexamples Cooking Index.

He has a complete index of his cooking experiences. Worth a read, great recipes, advice, pictures and laughter. :cool:

LondonDreamer

This is the one I always use... so easy and it gets a LOT of compliments.

Chocolate cake

250g plain flour (edited to add type)
300g sugar
75g cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
375ml milk (I use either semi or skim, both work fine)
100g melted butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease a 20cm deep cake tin (or two 20cm sandwich tins) and line the base. Add all the ingredients into a bowl (or food processor) and mix until batter is smooth and shiny. Pour into the prepared tin (it's quite a liquid mix) and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Edit to add: Baking time is for one tin. I would check after maybe 25-30 minutes if using two tins.

Chocolate buttercream icing

250g icing sugar
100g butter
35g cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
milk to mix (around 3tb)

Place icing sugar, cocoa and butter in bowl and mix to combine. I always do this in a food processor as it can be quite messy! Add a spoonful of milk and mix. Continue adding milk and mixing until you achieve a soft spreadable icing, then add vanilla and mix well.

If you used a deep tin, slice cake in half horizontally. Spread about a third of the icing on the bottom half. Top with other half, then spread icing over the top and sides. Refrigerate to firm up the icing a bit, but it will stay nice and squidgy.

:drool:

rosie383

LondonDreamer What are you doing to me?????? You realise I now have to maybe, possibly try out all these recipes? What is that going to do to my waistline.
SSSTTTOOOPPPPPPPP!!!!

Only joking! I will be adding this to my recipe folder too, and will try them all as and when I need a choc cake. It's gonna be Eid in a couple of weeks, and I think that rather than buying presents for parents and kids, I may make each family a big cake. That would be cost effective wouldn't it? Then I could try each recipe and see which is easiest/ cheapest/ yummiest.
If it costs me maybe £4-5 per cake, that is still cheaper than £2-3 per kid plus a gift for mum, and as all the families would have visitors, they may appreciate a big lush choc cake!

rosie383

Thank you so much for the link to MBE's recipe index. Just sitting here wetting myself laughing instead of getting any housework/ studying/ baking/ cooking done!!!