Chocolate Cake Day!

You, as was I,  may be unaware of the spongey celebration of chocolate cake resting on the most average of average dates, 27th January, the birthday of Mozart and Lewis Carroll. With this, now addressed, ignorance dealt with- let’s celebrate this day and all of its chocolate cakiness. Let’s flock to the shops, stock up on milk, eggs and cocoa powder, tie on our aprons of awesomeness and get baking this DELICIOUS Chocolate Orange Cake recipe.

Chocolate Orange Cake

Ingredients

    100g unsalted softened butter (take out of the fridge for at least ten minutes to soften) and extra for greasing

    50g cocoa powder (I sometimes use hot chocolate powder, if it’s easier to access)

    90ml boiling water

    3 large free-range eggs (let’s be ethical!)

    4 tbsp milk

    175g sifted self-raising flour (reduce the amount of lumps and bumps)

    1 tsp baking powder

    300g caster sugar

    Zest (finely grated) of 1 orange

    For the icing and filling:

    150-200g melted chocolate (the choice is yours)

    150ml double cream

    If you want jam too, why not try an orange jam to keep to the zesty theme?

    For decoration:

    Terry’s Chocolate Orange Segments

    Or any decoration you choose

1.      Preheat the oven to 180ºC/ Gas mark 4/ for fan ovens 160ºC.

2.      Grease 2 (20cm) round sandwich tins and line the bases with greaseproof paper.

Now for the cake!

3.      Measure out the cocoa powder and water into a large bowl and mix, until it makes a paste.

4.      Add the remaining ingredients and beat until combined.

5.      Split your cake mix evenly between the two tins and bake for 20-25 minutes.

                  6.      When cooked, remove the sponges from the tins and leave on a cooling tray until completely cooled.

(If you’re impatient like me and try to ice the cake before it’s totally cooked, it’s likely to melt it- so WAIT! Make the icing and filling when the sponges are cooked)

7.      To make the icing and filling, put the chocolate and cream into a bowl.

8.      Stand the bowl over a pan of simmering water for 10 minutes and stir occasionally, until melted (don’t let the bowl touch the water!).

9.      Set the mix aside to cool until it is thickened to a spreadable consistency (don’t wander off at this point!).

10.  If you’re adding jam, spread it on the top of both sponges.

            11.  Spread the top of one sponge with half the icing and put the other sponge on top.

12.  Cover the top of the cake with the rest of the icing and decorate!

So give your baking skills a dust and get chocolate cake chomping!