Foolproof Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake

• 350g plain flour
• 75g cocoa powder
• 250g caster sugar
• 120g soft light brown sugar
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 240ml cooled coffee (1 tbsp of instant with hot water)
• 210ml vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 eggs

Preheat your oven to 180°C/ 350°F/gas 4.

Mix your  dry ingredients – plain flour, cocoa powder, caster sugar, soft light brown sugar, bicarbonate and salt.

Whisk the coffee, oil vanilla and eggs into your dry mix until you have a smooth batter.

Divide between two cake tins (I used two 20cm/8in cake tins – or sandwich tins will work) and bake for 35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. It’s that easy!

Buttercream

• 70g good-quality dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
• 140g unsalted butter, softened
• 200g icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• milk, to loosen

Melt your chocolate over a bain-marie then take off the heat and cool to room temperature.

For the best buttercream, use an electric mixer or electric whisk. Beat soft, room temperature butter until it is pale and fluffy. You will notice the colour will lighten to almost white and the volume increase. Mix in the vanilla. Gently add the icing sugar and continue to mix.

Fold in the melted chocolate and loosen as desired with milk.

Enjoy!