A firm favourite, chocolate cake is one of those indulgences that most of us struggle to resist, and with this recipe using dark, milk and white chocolate, refusal of a slice won’t be option. This fluffy, rich chocolate cake is a recipe by Maldon Salt Company, who have made is a super-simple process, so don’t delay and get baking today.
Ingredients
185g unsalted butter, cubed
185g dark chocolate
85g plain flour
40g cocoa powder
50g white chocolate chopped into chunks
50g milk chocolate chopped into chunks
3 large eggs
275g caster sugar
Maldon Salt
Method
1. Tip the butter into a bowl and break up the dark chocolate, adding this to the bowl as well.
2. Fill a small saucepan about a quarter full with hot water, then sit the bowl on top so it rests on the rim of the pan, not touching the water. Warm over a low heat until the butter and chocolate have melted, stirring occasionally to combine.
3. Remove the bowl from the pan and leave the melted mixture to cool to room temperature.
4. While you wait for the chocolate to cool, position a shelf in the middle of your oven and turn on to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
5. Using a shallow 20cm square tin, cut out a square of non-stick baking parchment to line the base.
6. Sieve the plain flour and cocoa powder together into a medium bowl and set aside.
7. Break the eggs into a large bowl and tip in golden caster sugar. With an electric mixer on maximum speed, whisk the eggs and sugar until thick and creamy, like a milkshake. This can take 3-8 minutes, depending on how powerful your mixer is. You’ll know it’s ready when the mixture becomes really pale and about double its original volume. Another check is to turn off the mixer, lift out the beaters and wiggle them from side to side. If the mixture that runs off the beaters leaves a trail on the surface of the mixture in the bowl for a second or two, you’re there.
8. Pour the cooled chocolate mixture over the eggy mousse, then gently fold together with a rubber spatula. Plunge the spatula in at one side, take it underneath and bring it up the opposite side and in again at the middle. Continue going under and over in a figure of eight, moving the bowl round after each folding so you can get at it from all sides, until the two mixtures are one and the colour is a mottled dark brown. The idea is to marry them without knocking out the air, so be as gentle and slow as you like.
9. Hold the sieve over the bowl of eggy chocolate mixture and resift the cocoa and flour mixture, evenly covering the top.
10. Gently fold in this powder using the same figure of eight action as before. The mixture will look dry and dusty at first, and a bit unpromising, but keep going very gently and patiently. Stop just before you feel you should, as you don’t want to overdo this mixing.
11. Finally, stir in the white and milk chocolate chunks until they’re dotted throughout.
12. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, scraping every bit out of the bowl with the spatula. Gently ease the mixture into the corners of the tin and level out with the spatula. Sprinkle with Maldon Salt.
13. Put in the oven and set your timer for 25 mins. When the buzzer goes, open the oven, pull the shelf out a bit and gently shake the tin. If the cake wobbles in the middle, it’s not quite done, so slide it back in and bake for another 5 minutes until the top has a shiny, papery crust and the sides are just beginning to come away from the tin.
14. Take the cake out of the oven and leave in the tin until cool, before it has cooled completely, turn out the cake to stop it sticking to the pan. Cut into 16 and enjoy.
