Chocolate Cake Express

Karen Elizabeth's Note:

I'm not a great baker, but I have never had a flop with this cake. it is simple to prepare, yet rich, moist and dense, always enjoyed. From Readers Digest : Quick And Thrifty Cooking

• Total Time: 47 mins
• Prep Time: 7 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 8 slices

• 1 ½ cups unsifted flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1⁄3; cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• ½ cup sunflower oil
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon icing sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 190 C / 375°F.
2. Grease and flour a 20 cm cake tin.
3. Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
4. Make a well in the centre of the mixture, and add the vanilla essence, vinegar and oil, then gradually stir in the water.
5. Continue stirring until thoroughly blended, but do not over-mix.
6. Pour all of the batter into the cake tin, and bake, uncovered, for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake, comes out clean.
7. Do not over bake, the secret to this cake is its moistness.
8. Cool in the tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then transfer the cake from the tin to the rack, to cool completely.
9. Sift the icing sugar over the top, and serve.

Reviews

[katew]

Fabulous cake, truly fast to make too. My cocoa box only had dregs left so I had to make up the amount with some coffee powder so my cake was really a mocha express. I added a handful of choc chips due to lack of coca powder. All round success though, very yummy !!

[Chef Buggsy Mate]

I love the simplicity of this recipe. I chose it out of curiosity- I found a cake with no eggs and the addition of vinegar intriguing. We usually have more eggs then we can eat, but every once in a while our hens and duck go on strike and they stop laying. This cake will be my go to when this happens. I think I managed to over mix the batter though, because my cake though moist falls apart when I slice it. So next time I make it I will be careful not to mix it so much. The flavor of the cake is perfect...it isn't to rich and it definitely doesn't have a boxed cake mix taste! Made and reviewed for the Christmas 2011 Make My Recipe tag game.

[stingo]

A fine recipe indeed. Simple, with subtle flavors that don't whack your taste buds with a 2x4. A bit more finesse is on display here. Fluffy, moist, and chocolate are the words that immediately come to mind. That is, after a few "mmm"s and lip smacking noises. My only issue (and I)m hoping/thinking this was an isolated incident) was that part of the cake stuck to the pan. This after spraying a supposedly non-stick cake tin with baking Pam. Taste is still great though - I will be making this again. Highly Recommended.