We all know that there’s one thing (gin aside) that can cure pain, suffering and heartbreak: chocolate. When you’re feeling down, treating yourself to a cup of cocoa, a brownie, a melt-in-the-middle chocolate pudding or even a few too many squares of Dairy Milk for a proper hit, can momentarily take your mind off your troubles. It has also been proven that dark chocolate boosts the production of euphoria-inducing endorphins in the brain and contains the chemical serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant. What’s not to like? Whatever your preferred chocolate-y panacea, this sweet treat has the power to make you feel better for a while.
If you’re going through emotional turmoil, you’ll be needing something suitably indulgent but also not too difficult or time consuming to make. You may just be able to drag yourself to the kitchen, mix a few things together and whack the result in the oven, but a recipe which calls for any more than that is a bridge too far. This is why cake, as ever, is the answer.
This recipe contains plenty of rich, chocolate-y goodness and makes a great big massive cake which I would usually estimate would serve eight, but in the given circumstances will serve you and a few friends. Invite your nearest and dearest over to help with the baking and eating of it, and you’ll benefit from their company, some sage words of advice and a hearty slice of cake.
AN INCREDIBLY INDULGENT CHOCOLATE CAKE
For the cake:
170g butter, softened
170g caster sugar
130g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
60g cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 large eggs
For the icing:
60g dark/milk chocolate
60g butter, cubed
30g icing sugar
METHOD
First, pre-heat the oven to 180°C (fan), or gas mark 6, and grease and line a 20cm cake tin. If you have two tins to hand, this will spare you the nightmare that is slicing a cake in half later on. To make the cake, first cream together the butter and sugar either by hand or with an electric mixer (ever idle, I favour the latter).
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder.
Next, add one third of the flour mixture and one egg to the buttercream before mixing together. Repeat this process twice more and add the vanilla essence, being careful not to overmix the batter. If it seems too thick, add in a splash of milk.
Spoon the mixture into your tin and smooth the top with a knife or spatula before popping into the oven for around 40 minutes. If using two tins, pour half of the mixture into each and cook for around 20 minutes.
If your oven is as temperamental as mine, check often. At this point, a burnt cake might tip you over the edge. To avert disaster, place tinfoil over the top if it starts to singe.
The cake is cooked if a skewer inserted into the middle comes out completely clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack for at least fifteen minutes before attempting to cut in half. This is where things could go seriously Pete Tong, so leave to cool for a little longer if it’s crumbling to pieces in front of your very eyes. Don’t be tempted to see this as a metaphor for your relationship.
To make the icing for the centre of the cake, melt half of the chocolate either in the microwave on a low setting or in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Then mix in half of the butter, stirring until it melts.
Finally, mix in the icing sugar, which will make the mixture gloopy and sticky. Place a small dollop in the centre of your preferred plate to hold the cake in position and add the bottom layer of sponge. Then spoon on the icing, smoothing it out but leaving a small border around the edge. Cover with the top layer of sponge.
The icing for the top of the cake couldn’t be simpler. As before, melt half of the chocolate and stir in half of the butter. Then leave it to cool, but not solidify, for up to ten minutes. Smooth over the top of the cake, add any finishing decorative touches you like and revel in the glorious ode to chocolate that you have created.
Voila, a shiny, glistening chocolate cake which is so beautiful it distracts you from everything else in the world, including sadness and the pile of washing up you’ve amassed. Now, put on some Netflix, ensconce yourself in the sofa and lick the bowl clean.
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