Chocolate Fudge Cake

This bank holiday Monday was my friend’s birthday, and she had planned a picnic, so I thought I’d make a cake and bring to the party. I wasn’t quite sure what to make, I wanted something that would be solid enough to take the travel to the park, but something that was yummy enough for a birthday party. I found the answer in this simple recipe taken from the programme ‘The Great British Bake Off’ found the BBC’s web pages. As usual I couldn’t help amending it slightly, and the result was a moist and rich cake (which disappeared very quickly once people arrived at the picnic).

For the cake:

200g dark chocolate

200g butter

100ml water

200g plain flour (I used Dove’s farm plain gluten free bread flour)

50g brown rice flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon xantham gum

25g cocoa powder

250g golden caster sugar

150g light muscovado sugar

3 medium eggs

75ml crème fraîche

For the icing:

150ml double cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon butter

150g dark chocolate

For decoration/serving (optional):

Sugar pearls

Ice cream

To make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 170^oC, then grease and line a 20cm x 30cm baking tray.

Melt the chocolate, butter and water in a thick-bottomed pan over low heat. Stir occasionally to prevent the chocolate from sticking to the bottom. Make sure it doesn’t get too warm, and remove from the heat as soon as the chocolate has melted.

Sift together the dry ingredients into a large bowl, and mix them well.

Beat together the eggs and crème fraîche, and pour these into the chocolate mixture while stirring. Pour all the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients while stirring well, and fold until the cake mixture is smooth.

Pour the cake mixture into the greased baking tray, and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is firm to the touch and a skewer comes out clean after being inserted into the cake.  

Leave the cake to cool on a wire rack.

To make the ganache icing:

Melt all the ingredients in a tick-bottomed pan over low heat. Stir occasionally to prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pan. Do not allow the mixture to get too warm. This is to prevent the chocolate from curdling. Once it is all melted and mixed well together, leave it to cool slightly before pouring it over the cake. Use a palette knife to spread the ganache evenly over the cake.

The cake can be served as it is, or decorated with sugar pearls, or maybe even served with ice cream.