Gift for a Beautiful Child: A Damn Good Chocolate Cake

“Children see magic because they look for it.” Christopher Moore

 

Many (home and professional) bakers claim owning and following the ultimate chocolate cake recipe…I would not dare…Ultimately, I do not believe there is such a thing, as ‘the ultimate‘ will vary from one person to the other. One likes moist, one prefers fudgy, another wants creamy, whilst yet someone else swears by crisp, crumbly and so on…I put all my confidence in pleasing the crowds: simple, easy-to-follow recipes resulting in delicious layers with stunning, sexy fillings will certainly appeal to most…Chocolate cake is one of those treasures of life, in case of which decadence and old-fashioned means absolute quality and guaranteed pleasure. In some households this recipe may be unable to hold the honour of the ultimate, but it is most likely become a strong contender. To find out whether a recipe is good enough, all one needs to do is gathering a jury of under tens. Children are cruel and honest judges. They show or say their opinion in its organic, unbiased and uncensored form. So when a cake earns an outstanding kid-tribunal verdict, the cake must be damn good…

  

“Childhood means simplicity. Look at the world with the child’s eye – it is very beautiful.” Kailash Satyarthi

Ingredients
For the chocolate cake:
3 large eggs
100 g self-raising flour
100 g spelt flour
175 g caster sugar
100 g butter
75 g coconut oil
2 level tsp baking powder
40 g cocoa powder
2 tsp instant coffee
4 tbsp soured cream
4 tbs melted chocolate
For the chocolate filling:
150 ml double cream
150 g dark chocolate

Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Beat together the eggs, flour, caster sugar, butter and baking powder until smooth in a large mixing bowl. Put the cocoa and coffee in separate mixing bowl, and add the cream, melted chocolate a little at a time to make a stiff paste. Add to the cake mixture. Turn into the prepared tin(s), level the top and bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 mins, or until shrinking away from the sides of the tin and springy to the touch. Leave to cool in the tin, then turn on to a wire rack to become completely cold before icing.
To make the icing: measure the cream and chocolate into a bowl and carefully melt over a pan of hot water over a low heat. Stir until melted, then set aside to cool a little and to thicken up. Spread half of the ganache icing on the top of the cake(s), then lay the other cake on top, sandwiching them together. Use the remaining ganache icing to cover the top of the cake, ready for decorating.

For a truly heavenly, grown up experience, spread caramel sauce in between each layer (made by mixing 180 g brown sugar, 60 ml cream, 50 ml milk, 10 ml rum, 4 tbsp butter and pinch of salt in a saucepan, cooking over medium-low heat while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, or until it gets thicker, adding 1 tbsp vanilla extract in the end).

 

“The only love that I really believe in is a mother’s love for her children.” Karl Lagerfeld