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I love chocolate, and while I’m happy to eat it in any forms, there’s none quite so delicious as chocolate cake batter or chocolate cake frosting. This cake is the most decadent  and brownie-like chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten which is an impressive feat given all the chocolate cakes I’ve made! So much so, that I’ve christened it chocolate brownie cake – it really has that ooey gooey, chocolate fudgey brownie texture. And it would be perfect as an alternative to the traditional Christmas cake, for those of us who aren’t keen on them.

I filled this cake with fresh zingy berries to cut through the richness and provide a little relief from the overwhelming chocolateyness. If you’re making this cake in winter, there are lots of winter fruits that would work well, such as cranberries for a Christmas variation, passion fruit, or frozen berries.  It would also be really cool and effective to use some melted white chocolate to pipe ‘Happy Christmas’ and then place the writing on top. As you can see, the frosting swirls beautifully on top making decorating a cinch for even the most incompetent swirler.

This cake was my 28th birthday cake, made by me (of course!) but due to all of the amazing bread, cheese, salads, and yummy treats that my friends brought along to my birthday shindig (carrot cake cupcakes! Cherry chocolate slice! Pink birthday cake pops!) I seemed to be unable to eat any (it might have something to do with the fact that I consumed a fair bit of the delicious frosting while decorating it too!). So if you make this cake, and you should, grab a pint of milk and your favourite chocolate loving friends and treat it with the respect it deserves.

Cake recipe adapted from BBC Good Food magazine –

For the cake –

  • 200g dark chocolate
  • 200g soft unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp coffee granules
  • 90g self raising flour
  • 90g plain flour
  • 150g light muscavado sugar
  • 150g golden caster sugar
  • 25g cocoa powder
  • 3 eggs
  • 75ml buttermilk (in most supermarkets now, or substitute with natural yoghurt with a little milk added)

To make the cake, preheat your oven to 160C/gas 3/325F and then get out your largest heavy bottomed saucepan.

As you would when making brownies, melt your chocolate and butter together, and then remove from the heat and add your sugar, eggs and buttermilk once the mixture has cooled slightly. Next, add your flours and cocoa powder (sifted) before finally adding around half a small cup of hot strong coffee.

Pour into a greased tin and bake for around 45 minutes for one large cake or around 20-25 for two cakes. I used an 8 inch tin and the cake rises up so tall and proud.

For the frosting –

  • 150g dark chocolate, melted
  • 150g soft unsalted butter
  • 3-4 cups sifted icing sugar, to taste

To make the frosting, take your very soft butter and 3-4 cups icing sugar (sift it into the butter) and beat together thoroughtly. Adding the icing sugar a cup at a time and beating until its incorporated is a good way to avoid icing sugar overload (and clouds of icing sugar if you’re using a stand mixer!). Once that is fully incorporated, add your melted chocolate and beat until your frosting is glossy and dark. Try to resist eating it all at this point!

Now just spread just over a third of the frosting in the middle of the cake, and add any fruit that you want to go in the middle.

Add the top half, top with more frosting, and decorations. This frosting swirls so well and sets so perfectly – it really is a cinch.

Enjoy!

x Kerry