Oh so Chocolatey Cake..

This chocolate cake recipe is so easy, this is my basic cake recipe that I use all the time.

Chocolate Cake is said to be overrated by some but let's be honest who doesn't love a moist slice of this with a cup of tea?

When making a chocolate sponge cake you must always take into consideration the amount of cocoa that is added alongside the amount of flour. For however much cocoa is added, the measure of flour must be deducted or otherwise your cake is going to be weighing a brick and will taste thick and floury in your mouth which is rather unpleasant.

Another thing that must be remembered to do is to weigh your eggs. Don't assume that 3 or even 4 eggs are needed each time, the weight of your eggs must correspond with the weights of your other ingredients, therefore this recipe requires 8oz/225g of everything, so your eggs must weigh 8oz, this could be 3 large and heavy eggs or 4 smaller, lighter eggs. Always weigh them has your cake mix might end up dryer or wetter than it's supposed to.

The recipe is very straight forward and can be adapted to any flavour cake. Simply don't add the cocoa and use 8oz of flour for a plain sponge, or add lemon juice/extract for a lemon cake.

If a three layer cake is what you're making, use this 8oz recipe to make the two layers and then for the final, third layer use 5oz of everything, although 4oz will have been put into the two previous tins, by using 5oz you are ensuring that this final layer is going to be smaller or less risen.

For a four layer chocolate cake I'd recommend upping your ingredients measurements to 10oz of each, so that your cake has added height, repeat this twice (20oz of ingredients used).

Recipe:

8oz Butter

8oz Caster Sugar

8oz/3-4 Room Temperature Eggs

5oz Self-Raising Flour

3oz Cocoa Powder

1tspn Baking Powder

Buttercream Recipe:

5oz Butter/Margarine

7oz Icing Sugar

3oz Cocoa Powder

Method:

Add butter to a small mixing bowl

Sift in icing sugar and cocoa and whisk until combined and smooth

Preheat oven to 170/150fan

Lightly grease 2 8inch/20cm tins with butter, I then line my tins the paper cake tin liners but using just butter is fine.

Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy

Add the eggs and whisk until combined

Use a spatula to gather any excess mixture in the edges of the bowl

Sift in the flour and cocoa and baking powder then whisk until all is combined

Split the mixture between the two tins, remember to weigh both tins so that they’re equal weights

Bake one at a time for 25-30mins, until the surface of the cake is firm and a testing skewer comes out clear

Once both cakes are cooked, leave to cool in tins for 10mins then transfer to a cooling rack

For the Buttercream:

Add butter to a small mixing bowl

Sift in icing sugar and cocoa and whisk until combined and smooth

Happy Baking!