Black Magic Chocolate Cake

I have been making this cake for probably about 14 years as that is how long it has been since 5th form (!), when we all used to go crazy and produce flowers, cakes and sweets for each other on our birthdays at school.

Cake = cheap option, merci in no small part to a well mum-stocked pantry of ingredients.

Although Dr Google suggests this recipe has its origins chez American chocolate brand, Hersheys, it  first came to me via a Ponsonby Primary School cookbook that somehow ended up in our house (nowhere near the cool 'burb of P'by) and ever since, I have rarely used any other recipe with such popular results.

In March, a chalet guest and I shared a birthday so I whipped this up and topped it with ganache and some imported strawberries left behind by a previous week's guest. It was a hit. Most recently, in my temporary London flat, I was excited to discover 2 identical round cake tins so I doubled the recipe and made a decadent 4 layer version for my gorgeous friend Sal's birthday.

Quick scribble to prevent cake-hands on electronics while baking


Black Magic Chocolate Cake

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups plain flour
3/4 cup cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs (please use free range)

1 cup buttermilk (who ever has this on hand?! I always use natural yogurt, or milk soured with a dash of white vinegar in a cup before you start - you want it to curdle and go lumpy*)

2/3 cup strong coffee, made up* - this does not mean 2/3 cup granules! (top up an espresso with boiling water if you are fancy and have a coffee machine, or use instant which is perfect)

1/2 cup cooking oil

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

*Pre steps: prepare your sour milk if not using buttermilk or yogurt; make the coffee so it can cool a bit.

Turn oven to 180c, grease cake tin/s. Round 23cm is ideal or 2 x 20cm if you want it to have layers.

1. Sift your dry ingredients

2. Mix your wet ingredients together in a jug

3. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients then add the wet ingredients.

4. Beat until smooth (electric beater if you have one, otherwise a pretty half-pie arm action with a whisk will do the job)

5. Pour into the tin/s, and bake until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. 45 minutes if doing 2 x 20cm, closer to an hour for a larger single cake.

6. Leave in tin about 10 minutes then turn out to cool.

7. When cool ice with icing or ganache. If making a layer cake, I recommend icing to glue the layers and ganache (or more icing) for the top.

Saturday-in-the-chalet ganache: Melt 200-300g plain chocolate and some fresh cream in a bowl over simmering water on the stove. Mix until combined and allow to cool to desired thickness before spreading over the cooled cake.

Icing: freestyle! Start with a big scoop of soft butter, about 2 cups icing sugar, few spoons of cocoa and drop of vanilla. Beat to icing consistency, adding drops of boiling water as required.

Decorated in Dalston after surviving trek from West London in 30 degrees