A rich chocolate cake. Equally good for trifle and a layered birthday cake.
Serves : 12
Baking tin: 2 tins, each of 8″ ∅
Ingredients for the cake:
- Dark chocolate – 100 grams, chopped into tiny bits
- Soft Butter – 100 grams
- Eggs – 4, yolks and whites separated
- Castor sugar – 70 grams + 70 grams
- Plain flour – 100 grams
- Baking powder – 1 teaspoon
- Baking soda – ¼ teaspoon
- Vanilla – 1 teaspoon
- Triple sec – 25 millilitres
Method :
- Line 2, 8″∅ tins and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 170ºC.
- Sieve together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat.
- Take the saucepan off the heat and add in the chopped chocolate. Using a spatula mix well until you have a smooth mixture and all the chocolate has melted. Set aside for later.
- Beat the egg whites and 70 grams of sugar with an electric beater on high speed and gradually add in the sugar a tablespoon at a time. Ensure that each tablespoon of sugar is well incorporated before adding the next one.
- Use a fairly large bowl for the next step as you will later add the rest of the ingredients into the same.
- In a large bowl/saucepan beat the egg yolks with the remaining 70 grams of sugar over a double boiler until slightly thick and pale.
- Add the sieved flour mix to the beaten yolks and using a spatula fold in the egg whites and vanilla.
- Finally, very gently, fold in the melted chocolate.
- Divide the batter equally between the two prepared tins and bake in a preheated oven at 170ºC for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- Once done, cool the cakes in the tins for about 10 – 15 minutes before turning them out on to a wire rack to completely cool down to room temperature.
- Drench both the cakes with Triple sec.
- Place one of the cakes, flat side up (if it is unstable on the plate, slice a little of the dome to get a flatter more stable surface) on to your plate. Top up with Ganache or whipped cream and place the second cake, flat side down, onto the one in the plate. Drench with more Triple sec and top up with chocolate Ganache.
Notes:
- Alternative to:
- Using 2, 8″∅ cake tins – Use a 10″∅ cake tin to bake the cake. Slit the cake in half along the diameter and drench each portion with Triple sec. Pour on some chocolate ganache or spread whipped cream on one portion and place the other portion on top of the first for a rich layered cake.