Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe
Quick Mix Light and Fluffy Cake: A Pefect Valentines Day Dessert
Chocolate cake is a favourite with children and adults, but some recipes are fussy and time-consuming to prepare.
This chocolate cake is a quick and simple recipe suitable for children who want to help out in the kitchen. All the ingredients go into the mixing bowl together – no separating eggs, no creaming butter and sugar. Just place all the ingredients in a bowl, mix together for 3 minutes and then into the oven. All the convenience of a packet mix cake, but with a much better result.
When expecting guests, this cake can be quickly prepared and placed in the oven an hour before they are due to arrive. Visitors will then arrive to a home smelling of freshly baked chocolate cake and will be able to enjoy their cake still warm from the oven. Very welcoming and decadent!
Ingredients
- 1 cup self-raising flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 125g butter, melted
- ½ cup milk
(Note: Replace self-raising flour with 1 cup plain/all-purpose flour and 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder if necessary)
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Line a standard round cake pan with baking paper.
- Place all ingredients into a bowl.
- Mix with an electric mixer for 3 minutes until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
- Pour mixture into prepared cake pan.
- Bake for approximately 45 minutes.
- Remove the cake from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
- Place the cake on cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before icing.
For an even more impressive cafe-style chocolate cake, double the mixture and bake for approximately 75 – 80 minutes. This high cake is best prepared in a 23 cm (9 inch) spring form pan. Line base and sides with baking paper, extending the baking paper 2.5 cm (1 inch) above the sides of the pan to allow extra room for the rising cake.
Decoration and Serving Suggestions
Chocolate cake is wonderfully versatile and can be served with an informal cup of coffee or as a decadent dessert.:
- Lightly dust with icing (confectioner’s) sugar. This is particularly effective with the double mix cake. This is the best option if the cake is fresh from the oven and hasn’t had time to cool completely before needing to be served.
- Serve with whipped cream or double cream and fresh berries or chocolate curls.
- Serve warm with ice-cream.
- When the cake has cooled, ice with chocolate icing.
Be prepared for compliments and requests for the recipe when serving this delicious chocolate cake.
