Moist Chocolate Cake

This is the easiest recipe I've ever used to make a really moist chocolate cake. This recipe has a jam filling and buttercream topping, but its equally good with buttercream inside and out! You could also try buttercream middle and chocolate icing topping if that's your thing. 

Cake Ingredients

3oz good quality Cocoa Powder, sieved

8oz Plain Flour, sieved

1 1/2 tsp Bicarb of Soda

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

12 oz Golden Caster Sugar

2 Medium Eggs

4 1/4 fl oz Sunflower Oil

9 fl oz Semi-skimmed Milk

2 tsp Vanilla Extract (note extract, not essence)

9 fl oz Water, boiling from the kettle

For the topping and filling:

Icing sugar (quantity depends on how thick you want your buttercream

2 heaped tbsp cocoa powder

75g unsalted butter, softened

Raspberry Jam (you don't have to use raspberry, but the tartness of it cuts through the chocolate quite nicely)

Before you start baking you need to prepare your tins. You'll need two eight inch sandwich tins, which have been greased with butter. On a piece of greaseproof paper, draw around the bottoms of your tins. Cut out and use to line the bottom of the greased tin. Put to one side and prepare to pre-heat your oven to 180C

Method

In a large mixing bowl add all the cake ingredients except the boiling water.Using a hand whisk, thoroughly mix the ingredients until you have a very thick, smooth mixture. Start carefully adding the boiling water a little at a time and whisking as you go. Continue until all the boiling water is mixed in. The mix will be extremely runny by now. 

Pour the mixture into the two tins. They will probably be filled to the brim! Carefully place these into the middle of your pre-heated oven for at least 30 minutes. Ovens vary and they may take up to 50 minutes. Although the centre of these cakes remains moist when cooked, you can still check they're cooked with a skewer. It should come out clean of cake mix when it comes out. Don't worry about them sinking.

When you're happy they're cooked, take them out and leave them somewhere to cool. When they have cooled a little run a knife around the edge and turn out onto a cooling rack or plates. Peel off the paper from the bottom and allow to cool completely.

While they're cooling off you can start making the topping. Start by beating the softened butter until its creamy and smooth. A little at a time start sieving in a mixture of cocoa and icing sugar. At this point you need to decide if you want a think heavy buttercream or something lighter and spreadable. I like a thick buttercream so I keep adding icing sugar after many people would stop! As you're mixing it in a little at a time you can just stop when the consistency is right for you.

Once your cakes are cooled place one upside down on a serving plate. Spread a healthy layer of raspberry jam over the sponge. Carefully place the other half of the cake on top, with the raised side upwards.

Spread over a layer of buttercream as thick as you like. If you prefer, you can make extra buttercream and do the sides too! 

Grasshopper Pie - (Chocolate and Lime Tart!)

Incredibly naughty and indulgent - perfect treat for the hardworking cook!

Ingredients

For the chocolate pastry:

3oz plain flour

1oz cocoa powder

1oz caster sugar

2oz butter

1 egg yolk

For the filling:

2 egg yolks

Juice and finely grated rind of 4 limes

410g tin of sweetened condensed milk

4 kiwi fruit, peeled and thinly sliced

300ml double cream, lightly whipped

dark chocolate leaves or curls for decorations

Methods

To make the pastry: Mix together the flour, cocoa and sugar. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add one egg yolk. Mix until the mixture forms a ball. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Roll out the pastry thinly and line a deep eight inch flan ring. Bake blind - lined with parchment paper and dried beans - in a preheated oven at 180C for 10 minutes.

To make the filling: Mix together the egg yolks, lime juice, zest and condensed milk. Pour into the pastry shell and bake for 20 minutes- the filling will not look completely set. Cool and chill in the fridge for at least two hours. Gently remove the flan ring and lift the pie onto a serving dish. Decorate the lime curd with whipped cream and sliced kiwi, topped with chocolate, just before serving.