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Extreme Chocolate, Chocolate Cake


















It was my brother-in-law's birthday last weekend, so I invited him over for dinner. It took me some time to decide what to cook. We had curry last time he was over and he ended up taking over the cooking whilst I fed Cooper, so this time, I wanted to have dinner well underway and just ready to pop in the oven when he arrived.

I decided to make veggie lasagne as it is such a long time since we enjoyed it last and homemde lasagne is always rather special. It is an easy dish, even though it requires quite a bit of preparation. I realised I haven't posted my recipe for it, so I will rectify that sometime this week.

My next decision was whether to make dessert or bake a cake, but heck, it was his birthday, so cake it was. I sat on the livingroom floor surrounded by recipe books, trying to decide and let me tell you it was no easy job, but I eventually settled on a chocolate cake from 101 Chocolate Treats. All I can say is extreme chocolate rush!

Extreme Chocolate, Chocolate Cake


225g/30 squares dark chocolate, broken up
200g/1 ¾ sticks butter, diced
1 tbsp coffee granules
85g/¾ cup self-raising flour
85g/¾ cup plain flour
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
200g/1 ¼ light muscovado sugar (I used demerara sugar)
200g/1 cup caster sugar
125ml/2⁄3 cup water
25g/¼ cup cocoa powder
3 large eggs, beaten
5 tbsp buttermilk (or same of milk, with a squeeze of lemon mixed in)
grated curls of chocolate to decorate


ganache

284ml/1 ½ cups double cream
2 tbsp caster sugar
225g/30 squares chocolate, broken up


Preheat oven to 160c/gas mark 3/fan 140c. Butter and line a 20cm/8 inch round and 7.5cm/3 inch deep cake tin.

Melt the chocolate with the butter, coffee granules and water.

Mix together the flours, soda, sugars and cocoa powder. Mix the eggs with the buttermilk. Stir the chocolate and egg mixtures into the flour until smooth and quite runny. Pour into the tin and bake for 1½ hours until the top is firm and a skewer inserted, comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin and then turn out onto a wire rack. When completely cool slice into two or three layers.

Next make the ganache. Scold the cream and sugar in a pan and pour over the broken chocolate pieces, then stir until melted and smooth. Leave to cool for a few minutes before spreading between the layers and smoothed over the whole cake. Sprinkle with chocolate curls.















As you can see, my cake would have benefited from a while in the fridge, it was rather warm in the kitchen and conservatory, so the ganache was melting somewhat. Of couse we couldn't wait to have a slice and didn't really care. It was delicious, but I would advise you to only have a small slice.

We sent Lachlan home with some cake and put the rest in the fridge. It came out the next day lovely and firm and fudgey. Mmmmmmmmm.

31 comments

  1. Of course you had to make a cake for his birthday. Sounds like one h... of a lot of chocolate but oh so satisfying.

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  2. That looks absolutely gorgeous. Yum!

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  3. Wow - that is one huge cake! It looks so good I wqould be quite happy to dive in nose first! I have a opy of that book in my collection too - ashamed to admit that I have never made anything from it though!

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  4. It was chocolate overload :)

    Thanks Rachel :)

    All the recipes I have tried from it have been great Chele :)

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  5. That looks gorgeous Jacqueline, really moist and fudgy! You have a very lucky BIL!

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  6. I personally would love to dive into that cake..yummy!!!

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  7. I just wish there was some left to dive into Staci :)

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  8. sounds delicious - enough to make me wish I had birthdays near to you and could go over for birthday cake - I know the right thing to do it put such a cake in the fridge to firm up but I love them warm and gooey so I am sure I would have appreciated your timing! And will look forward to your lasagna

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  9. I would indeed bake you a cake if you were nearer Johanna :)

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  10. Looks lovely and moist.

    Chocolate overload ... is that possible???!

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  11. This looks a fab cake Jac, what a lovely meal, I am sure the birthday boy was chuffed to bits! Hope you're enjoying the sun - hope Cooper is keeping cool (too young a ice lolly's yet!( :) x

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  12. Very rarely, but chocolate overload can happen Brownieville Girl :)

    He did enjoy it Lucie and as for Cooper, the poor wee baby is suffering in this heat. Had to take a wee cup of water for between feeds, with us today. He wouldn't let go of it. We have had all of the windows in the house open today and it is still too hot indoors. Ah well, shouldn't complain.

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  13. Whoa, that cake looks inTENSE (ie delicious). I'm also drooling over that lasagna. My kind of birthday!

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  14. You can't beat a good choccy cake and this one looks a stunner!

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  15. Wow!! So decadent! Sounds really yummy!

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  16. It was gorgeous Talita, especially after it had spent a bit of time in the fridge :)

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  17. This looks such a tasty cake - choccie heaven. Love your website!

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  18. That last photo of the cake nearly did me in! WOW. That is one decadent cake. And worthy of his birthday!

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  19. This is extremely sinful yet so delicious! I want to have something like this once a month.

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  20. I felt decadent eating it Barbara :)

    Only if you want to put on weight Cribs.

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  21. this would end up ALL over my clothes and face, no doubt about it, but would i mind? heck no. in fact, what a happy surprise to find some on my cheek later--snack time! :)

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  22. Well, you can only imagine the mess I got in with all that chocolate Grace, it was everywhere :)

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  23. what a great chocolate cake..ooey gooey chocolately.....yum

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  24. That looks like an amazing birthday dinner!! I can imagine the warm ganache was just amazing.

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  25. gosh, a piece of chocolate heaven for sure!

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  26. That looks like a perfect "happy birthday" to me. Yum!

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I love reading comments, so thank you for taking the time to leave one. Unfortunately, I'm bombarded with spam, so I've turned on comment moderation. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can and respond to them. Don't panic, they will disappear when you hit publish. Jac x