A Little of What You Fancy

I needed cake, chocolate cake to be precise. I'm a chocoholic and I love baking, but having lost just over a stone in weight last year I haven't made a cake for a while and I limit my chocolate intake. However at the weekend I gave in to my cravings and made a cake! Now before you say, oooh that's a slippery slope down the road of excess calories let me explain why I won't be eating it all. My grandson takes a slice to school each day with his packed lunch and my son-in-law has some of it, and, whilst I eat sensibly and healthily I don't think it's good to deny myself treats completely, therefore A Little of What You Fancy Does You Good, with the emphasis on Little :-) 

So after perusing my favourite chocolate recipe books I found this one, Chocolate Fudge Cake. 

It's a truly delicious decadent cake, courtesy of Nigella Lawson’s book Nigella Bites.

If you like chocolate and baking I can recommend it, but Be Warned – it’s VERY addictive. 

For the cake:

400g plain flour                                                    175g unsalted butter, melted and cooled             

250g golden caster sugar                                    125ml corn oil (I used Flora cuisine)

100g light muscovado sugar                               300ml chilled water

50g best quality cocoa powder                           2 teaspoons baking powder      

                                           
For the fudge icing:

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda                          175g dark chocolate, min 70% cocoa

½ teaspoon salt                                                     250g unsalted butter, softened                               
3 eggs                                                                       275g seived icing sugar                                            
142ml tub sour cream                                           1 tablespoon vanilla extract                                     
1 tablespoon vanilla extract        

Pre-heat oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Butter and line two 20cm sandwich tins. Mix together the flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb and salt. In a pouring bowl or measuring jug whisk the eggs, sour cream and vanilla until blended. In a large bowl (use a KitchenAid or a mixer bowl) beat together the melted butter and corn oil until just blended, then beat in the water. Add the dry ingredients and mix together on a slow speed. Add the egg mixture and mix until everything is blended then pour into the prepared tins.

Bake for approx. 50 minutes or until cooked through and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in their tins for 15 minutes then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely. To make the icing melt the chocolate in a microwave for 2-3 minutes or in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Beat the butter until it's soft and creamy, add the icing sugar (Nigella says "I know sieving is a pain but you have to do it or the icing will be unsoothingly lumpy") It is a pain and I don't do it and I'm not convinced it makes that much difference. Gently add the vanilla and chocolate and mix together until glossy and smooth. Sandwich the middle of the cake with about a quarter of the icing, then ice the top and sides, spreading and smoothing with a palette knife or spatula. 

I only put icing in the middle and on the top because it's very rich.
Eat & Enjoy!