Food Academy- Ultimate Chocolate cake.

Ultimate Chocolate Cake- Annabel Langbein.

Prep time: 5 min,/ Cook time : 30-45 minutes/ Makes 1 medium cake

·       1 1/2 cups self-raising flour (or 1 1/2 cups flour with 1 1/2 tsp baking powder)

·       1 cup sugar

·       3/4 tsp vanilla extract

·       1/3 cup cocoa powder

·       1 tsp baking soda, sifted

·       100g butter, softened

·       1/2 cup milk or unsweetened yoghurt

·       2 eggs

·       1/2 cup boiling hot coffee

To ice:

·       1 recipe Chocolate Ganache (a ramekin of chocolate chips melted in ¼ cup cream) or chocolate butter icing. (1/2 cup icing sugar, 1 tsp cocoa, 2 knobs of melted butter and 2-3 tsp hot water).

·       Mandarins/Oranges 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 30-45 min 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/icing over the top. Arrange segmented mandarins/oranges on the top.