Black Magic Cake

Found this post lost in the depths of draft posts, thought I’d update to tide everyone over while they wait avidly for my next update on my obviously incredibly interesting life. It has been 9 months since I’ve made a cake if my memory serves me correctly, a shocking state of affairs if you ask me… This one is probably the last one I made, and I described it at the time as “delicious” (it’s not that difficult so to be with this amount of chocolate), so I might make it again next time I’ve a proper oven and equipment at my disposal. Also good if you’ve run out of butter.

(the recipe made this butterfly sandwich and a medium bundt-cake)

400g white sugar
225g plain flour
10 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk (if you don’t have any, which I didn’t, use 1 tbsp lemon juice and then add milk to equal a cup [250ml])
1 cup strong black coffee OR 2 teaspoons powdered instant coffee plus 1 cup boiling water [250ml]
1/2 cup [125ml] vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, and baking powder in large bowl.
2. Add eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer for 2 minutes (batter will be thin). Pour batter evenly into greased and floured pans – two 9-inch round baking pans, one 13x9x2-inch baking pan, or a bundt cake pan plus a smaller cake tin.
3. Heat oven to Gas Mark 4 / 180°C. Bake 30 to 35 minutes for round pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
4. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.
5. Frost as desired (I used a basic ganache – heating a small tub of single cream in a pan, then adding 200g dark chocolate and stirring until it melted. Leave to cool for a while before frosting.)