Rich Dark Chocolate Cake

March 5, 2016

This is the chocolate cake that I pretend is a family recipe that has been handed down from generation to generation, the moistness coming from a closely guarded secret ingredient. In reality its the easiest cake to throw together and tastes like it takes a whole lot of effort to make. The water in the mixture makes it super moist and I think is responsible for the crust that forms on the top as it bakes. When testing if the cake is cooked, you have to pierce through the crispy layer to make sure what lies below is actually cooked. Don’t be fooled. Once coated with the chocolate topping you have three distinct layers – creamy chocolate, a crunchy snap, followed by a dense, but heavenly inner core. Yum!

Serves: 10

185g unsalted butter, chopped
250g dark chocolate (or chocolate bits)
215g self-raising flour
40g (1/3 cup) cocoa powder
375g caster sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
250ml (1 cup) water

Chocolate Topping:

20g unsalted butter
125g dark chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius. Grease a 22cm springform tin and line with baking paper.
Place the chocolate (broken into pieces) and butter in a small heatproof bowl and melt, stirring frequently, over a saucepan of simmering water. Make sure the base of the bowl doesn't touch the water. You can melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave, but make sure you reduce the power level and keep an eye on it.
Stir the flour and cocoa into a large bowl.
Combine the melted butter and chocolate mixture, sugar and egg, then add 250 ml (1 cup) of water and mix well. Add to the flour and cocoa and stir well until well combined.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake. Leave in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.
To make the chocolate topping, place the butter and chocolate pieces in a small ovenproof bowl and melt, as above. Spread the topping over the cooled cake.