Food Academy- Ultimate chocolate cake.

Ultimate Chocolate Cake- Annabel Langbein.

Prep time: 5 min,/ Cook time : 1 hour/ Makes 1 big cake or 2 smaller cakes

·       3 cups self-raising flour ( or 3 cups flour with 3 tsp baking powder)

·       2 cups sugar

·       1½ tsp vanilla extract

·       ¾ cup cocoa powder

·       2 tsp baking soda, sifted

·       200g butter, softened

·       1 cup milk or unsweetened yoghurt

·       3 large eggs

·       1 cup boiling hot coffee

To ice:

·       1 recipe Chocolate Ganache (a ramekin of chocolate chips melted in ¼ cup cream)

·       Mandarins to garnish

Heat oven to 160°C.

Grease the sides and line the base of a 30cm round cake tin or 2 x 20cm round cake tins with baking paper.

Place all ingredients, except Chocolate Ganache, in a bowl and mix until the ingredients are combined and the butter is fully incorporated.

Pour mixture into prepared tin or tins and smooth top.

Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin. When cool, carefully remove from the tin.

When you are ready to ice the cake, slather chilled Chocolate Ganache over the top. Arrange segmented mandarins on the top.