Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake (makes loads, I half all ingredients)

Ingredients for the base

200g plain flour
200g caster sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
40g best quality cocoa
175g soft unsalted butter (I used dairygold, it made no difference)
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
150ml sour cream

Ingredients for the frosting

75g unsalted butter
175g best dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
300g icing sugar
1 teaspoon golden syrup
125ml sour cream
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
(optional: sugar flowers, for decoration)

Method to make the base

1. Take everything out of the fridge so they can come to room temperature
2. Preheat oven to 180C and line and butter two 20cm sandwich tins with removable bases
(This wouldn’t be a ria-special recipe if I didn’t write my own comments all over it. Anyway.
I used half the ingredients and it fit nicely into one 14cm diameter by 7cm high round casserole dish.
Also, I didn’t preheat the oven. I baked it in the slow cooker. More on that later.)
3a. The rushed- or lazy-man’s way.
Put all the base ingredients (flour, sugar, baking power, bicarb of soda, cocoa, butter, eggs, vanilla and sour cream) in a food-processor and process until you have a smooth, thick batter.
3b. The person who enjoys the experience’s way.
Mix flour, sugar and leavening agents in a large bowl and beat in the soft butter (I have no idea what ‘beat’ means. I mashed it with the back of a spoon) until you have a combined and creamy mixture.
Whisk together the cocoa, sour cream, vanilla and eggs and beat this into your bowl of mixture.
4a. Oven method.
Divide this batter, using a rubber spatula to help you scrape and spread, into the prepared tin(s) and bake until a cake tester or thin skewer comes out clean. This should be about 35 minutes, but it is wise to start checking after 25 minutes. Also, (if using two tins) it might be wise to switch the two tins around in the oven halfway through cooking.
4b. Slowcooker method. (You cannot use this method if you used the full amount of the ingredients. It won’t fit into your dish.)
Pour all the batter (if you used half the ingredients) into the dish. Put it in the slowcooker and cover the dish with a lid. Put the lid on the slowcooker and cook on high for about 3 hours. Check with a skewer. Each time you lift the lid, add 20 minutes to the cooking time.
5. Once cooked, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the base from the tin onto a wire rack. Don’t worry about cracks. They will be covered with icing.

Method to make the frosting

1. Melt the butter and the chocolate together in a good sized bowl, either in the microwave or suspended over a pan of simmering water. (If using the microwave, check the melting progress every 10 seconds.) Go slowly, either way, you don’t want any burning.
2a. While the chocolate butter is cooling a little, sieve the icing sugar into another bowl.
2b. Put the icing sugar into a food processor and blitz.
3a. Add golden syrup to the cooled chocolate mixture, followed by the sour cream and vanilla. When combined, whisk in the icing sugar.
3b. While the food processor is running, pour the mixture down the funnel onto the icing sugar.
4. When all is mixed you may need to add in a teaspoon or so of boiling water, or more icing sugar to get the right consistency. It should be liquid enough to coat easily and thick enough not to drop off.
5. (Skip this step if presentation doesn’t matter too much.) Choose your cake stand or plate and cut out four strips of baking parchment to form a square outline. Place the base on the parchment.
5.5a. If you made two bases, spoon about a third of the icing onto the centre of the first base and spread until it is covered evenly. Sit the other base on top and press gently to sandwich them together.
6. Spoon the icing all over the cake.
6.5a. Spoon another third of the icing on top of the cake and spread it in a swirl. Spread the sides of the cake with the remaining icing, then carefully pull away the strips of baking parchment.
8. (Optional) Top with sugar flowers, or other decoration.