Rich, moist chocolate cake topped with silky chocolate ganache. An easy homemade chocolate cake recipe that's perfect for birthdays, celebrations, entertaining or whenever you're craving a truly indulgent chocolate dessert.
Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
200g good quality dark chocolate
200g butter, softened
1 cup (220g) caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1½ cups (225g) self-raising flour
¼ cup (25g) cocoa powder
1¼ cups (310ml) buttermilk
Cream, to serve
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C no fan (160°C fan forced). Grease and line base and sides of a 22cm cake pan with baking paper
Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl over hot water. Set aside
Assemble mixer using scraper beater and the large mixer bowl. Add butter, sugar and vanilla to bowl. Slowly turn mixer to CREAM/BEAT setting; beat for 1-2 minutes or until pale and creamy. Add eggs one and at time, beat until combined. Add melted chocolate and mix until combined
Reduce speed to KNEAD/FOLD setting; add half of the sifted dry ingredients and buttermilk and then repeat with remaining flour and milk mixtures. Spoon mixture into prepared pan and bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes or until cooked when tested with a wooden skewer
Allow cake to cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely upside down
Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
200g good quality dark chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup (160ml) pure cream
Method
Place chocolate into a heat proof bowl. Heat cream in a saucepan until it almost comes to the boil. Pour cream over chocolate; sit for 1-2 minutes then stir to combine. Sit at room temperature until cooled slightly then drizzle over cooled cake. Serve with cream
