The Ultimate Chocolate Cake

Are you on a diet? Please keep away from this moist and fudgy dessert cake if you really can resist. What makes this cake better than any other chocolate cake? Let me tell you: This cake requires little skill, it is easy to slice for layering, it contains both cocoa powder and chocolate, so you will get the flavour AND the texture you are after, the coffee brings out the chocolate flavour, the buttermilk improves the texture of the cake, the muscovado sugar (no substitute!) gives it a slight fudginess and the ganache is just wonderful. Can you still RESIST this TEMPTATION? Angela Nilson developed this superb dessert cake for the 'Good Food' magazine (April 2004) and I'm so glad she did :). Will this be YOUR ultimate chocolate cake, too? Try it and let me know! This cake can be frozen (without icing).

• Ready In: 1 hr 55 mins
• Yields: 14 slices

Ingredients

• 8  ounces  good-quality dark chocolate, about 60% cocoa solids (200g)
• 8  ounces butter, cut in pieces (200g)
• 1  tablespoon instant coffee granules
• 3  ounces self-raising flour (85g)
• 3  ounces plain flour (85g)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 7  ounces light muscovado sugar (NO SUBSTITUTE, 200g)
• 7  ounces  golden caster sugar (200g)
• 1  ounce cocoa powder (25g)
• 3  medium eggs
• 75  ml buttermilk (5tbsp)
•  grated chocolate (optional) or  chocolate curls, to decorate (optional)

• for the GANACHE

• 8  ounces  good-quality dark chocolate, about 60% cocoa solids (200g)
• 284  ml  double cream (pouring type)
• 2  tablespoons  golden caster sugar

Directions

1. Please make sure you follow imperial or metric measures precisely.
2. Butter a 20cm round cake tin (7.5cm deep) and line the base. Preheat the oven to fan 140°C (285°F)/conventional 160°C (320°F)/gas 3. Break the chocolate in pieces into a medium, heavy-based pan. Tip in the butter, then mix the coffee granules into 125ml/4fl oz cold water and pour into the pan. Warm through over a low heat just until everything is melted-don't overheat. Or melt in the microwave on Medium for about 5 minutes, stirring half way through.
3. While the chocolate is melting, mix the two flours, bicarbonate of soda, sugars and cocoa in a big bowl, mixing with your hands to get rid of any lumps. Beat the eggs in a bowl and stir in the buttermilk.
4. Now pour the melted chocolate mixture into the flour mixture, stirring just until everything is well blended and you have a smooth, quite runny consistency. Pour this into the tin and bake for 1 hour 30 minutes - if you push a skewer in the centre it should come out clean and the top should feel firm (don't worry if it cracks a bit). Leave to cool in the tin (don't worry if it dips slightly), then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
5. When the cake is cold, cut it horizontally into three.
6. Make the GANACHE:.
7. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and tip into a bowl. Pour the cream into a pan, add the sugar, and heat until it is about to boil. Take off the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
8. ASSEMBLING:.
9. Sandwich the layers together with just a little of the ganache. Pour the rest over the cake letting it fall down the sides and smoothing to cover with a palette knife. You may want to decorate with grated chocolate or a pile of chocolate curls.
10. The cake keep moist and gooey for 3-4 days.