Name: Luscious chocolate layer cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: Icing; 125 gram dark chocolate, broken into small pieces; 60 gram unsalted butter; 2 tablespoon instant espresso granules, dissolved in 2 tbsp boiling water.; Chocolate cream; 100 gram dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa), broken into small pieces; 200 millilitre sour cream; 125 gram unsalted butter, at room temperature; 1 1/3 cup (300g) caster sugar; 2 large eggs; 1 2/3 cup (270g) plain flour, sifted; 230 millilitre buttermilk; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/3 cup (50g) cocoa power, sifted; 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar; 1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda

Ingredients

Icing

125 gram dark chocolate, broken into small pieces

60 gram unsalted butter

2 tablespoon instant espresso granules, dissolved in 2 tbsp boiling water.

Chocolate cream

100 gram dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa), broken into small pieces

200 millilitre sour cream

125 gram unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/3 cup (300g) caster sugar

2 large eggs

1 2/3 cup (270g) plain flour, sifted

230 millilitre buttermilk

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup (50g) cocoa power, sifted

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda

Method

Luscious chocolate layer cake

1.Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan). Butter 3 x 20cm round springform cake tins and line bases with baking paper.

2.To make cakes, place butter and sugar in a bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until light and fluffy.

3.Add eggs, one at a time, making sure the first is well incorporated before adding the next.

4.Add flour in 3 batches, alternating with half the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Add salt, vanilla and cocoa.

5.In a separate bowl, combine vinegar and bicarb, then beat into batter.

6.Divide mixture between tins. Bake for 20-25 mins, or until cakepulls away from sides of tins and a skewer comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10mins, then turn out to cool completely, right-side up.

7.To assemble, spread half the chocolate cream on first layer, then place second layer on top and spread with remaining chocolate cream. Place third layer on top.

Chocolate cream

8.Place chocolate in a bowl and set over a saucepan of simmering water. Making sure base of bowl doesn’t touch water.

9.When chocolate is nearly melted, remove bowl to a cool surface and stir until chocolate has melted completely and starts to cool.

10.Beat sour cream into chocolate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hrs.

Icing

11.Melt chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stirring until smooth. Stir in coffee mixture.

12.Spread icing over top of cake with an offset spatula. Leave to set for 1 hour.

Women's Weekly Food

Trusted by home cooks for 90 years, The Australian Women’s Weekly’s Test Kitchen and cookbooks hold a singular place in shaping home cooking within the Australian culinary landscape. Today, the AWW Test Kitchen in Sydney is a thriving hub for food content, connected to two bustling photographic studios where a talented team of Australia’s best recipe developers, art directors, editors and photographers create our world class food content. Our recipes are thoroughly tested and tasted and given the Test Kitchen tick of approval, guaranteeing you’ll get great results in your home kitchen.

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