If you've followed me for a while you'll have an idea about my thoughts on chocolate cake. While a chocolate sponge covered in American buttercream is nostalgic, I don't think it really does justice to the word "chocolate".
Mud cake on the other hand, actually has chocolate in it and brings me much more joy. It is of course, quite rich so this cake would work well paired with something that will bring it some lightness. Like a black forest gateaux with jam and cream. Or if you want to go full chocoholic on it, you could make it with ganache - recipe here. I made this with a coconut buttercream, which uses coconut cream and creates the most delicious flavour.
Like I've said before, it's important to me to always use grams when making cakes, so I know I will get the same result every time. Invest in a scale, they are affordable and will take your baking to the next level, keeping you consistent!
This recipe will make 1 large 22cm/8inch cake. For the pictures below, I baked mine in 2 separate 15cm/6inch tins, to make a layer cake.
250g butter
250g dark chocolate (at least 60% cocoa)
35g cocoa (I recommend using dark cocoa or Dutch cocoa if you can find it)
385g caster sugar
1 1/2 cups boiling water
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
195g flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt Coconut Buttercream
125g butter, at room temperature
2 cups icing sugar
1/4 cup coconut cream (or thick coconut milk, don't be using LITE here folks!)
Pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 170°C. Line a baking tin with baking paper.
Place butter, chocolate, cocoa, sugar and water in a large pot on medium heat. Whisk until everything is melted and combined. Transfer to a large bowl.
Meanwhile, whisk together eggs and vanilla so the eggs are really combined and you can't see the whites.
Add flour, baking powder and salt to bowl with cocoa mixture and use a whisk to combine.
Working VERY quickly, pour the eggs into the mixture and whisk to combine. If you do not whisk fast enough, the eggs will start to cook with the heat of the mixture. Alternatively you can wait for the mixture to cool down before you do this but if you know me, I ain't got patience for that.
Pour into lined tin(s) and bake. Times will depend on the size of your tin, start with 55 minutes and then check with a skewer every 5-10 minutes, until it comes out clean.
Allow to cool completely before decorating.
To make the buttercream, place the butter in a large bowl or bowl of your stand mixer. Beat butter for a good 5 minutes, until it turns pale. Add the icing sugar, coconut cream and salt and beat on a low speed for 10 minutes (I'm not kidding, if you want a light, lucious icing, beat it for 10 minutes). It should be beautifully light and luscious once whipped. Decorate to your heart's content with food colouring or coconut thread etc.
