Chocolate Cake From the Big Green Book

A community recipe by PW

Not tested or verified by Nigella.com

Introduction

This is a really chocolatey cake with an old fashioned, buttery texture. It ices and slices beautifully, and comes out of the freezer almost better than it went in. It's important to mix the cocoa and brown sugar with the hot milk to make the most of the chocolate flavour and get a smooth texture.

Ingredients

Serves: 0

Metric Cups

90 grams cocoa
130 grams brown sugar
285 millilitres full fat milk
125 grams butter
250 grams caster sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250 grams plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

3 ounces unsweetened cocoa
5 ounces brown sugar
10 fluid ounces whole milk
4 ounces butter
9 ounces superfine sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
9 ounces all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Method

Chocolate Cake From the Big Green Book is a community recipe submitted by PW and has not been tested by Nigella.com so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe.

Mix cocoa with brown sugar. Heat milk over a medium temperature until bubbles start to form, then add gradually to sugar mixture. Beat until smooth and leave to cool.

Cream butter and add caster sugar gradually. Add eggs one at a time. Beat until light.

Sift together flour and raising agents. Add alternately with cocoa mixture to butter mix, beating until smooth.

Pour into greased and lined cake tin, and bake at 180 degrees Celsius until skewer tests clean.

Cool in tin 5 to 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack. Also makes excellent loaf cakes or cupcakes, and freezes very well.

note: If using Dutch process cocoa, which is less acidic than ordinary cocoa, use 2 teaspoons baking powder instead of 1 of powder and one of soda. It's easy and nice to add some tinned cherries to the cakes. I use about half a 680gm jar of European or sour cherries. I haven't tried the ones which are called black cherries and come in a tin, but they might be very nice. Drain the cherries well, and sprinkle them in the tin - or cupcakes- after you have filled it. They should sink down a bit. I find if I mix them into the batter they seem to sink to the bottom. You can save a bit of the syrup if you want to make pink icing to go on the cake- the color is great.

Mix unsweetened cocoa with brown sugar. Heat milk over a medium temperature until bubbles start to form, then add gradually to sugar mixture. Beat until smooth and leave to cool.

Cream butter and add superfine sugar gradually. Add eggs one at a time. Beat until light.

Sift together flour and raising agents. Add alternately with unsweetened cocoa mixture to butter mix, beating until smooth.

Pour into greased and lined cake tin, and bake at 180 degrees Celsius until skewer tests clean.

Cool in tin 5 to 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack. Also makes excellent loaf cakes or cupcakes, and freezes very well.

note: If using Dutch process unsweetened cocoa, which is less acidic than ordinary unsweetened cocoa, use 2 teaspoons baking powder instead of 1 of powder and one of soda. It's easy and nice to add some tinned cherries to the cakes. I use about half a 680gm jar of European or sour cherries. I haven't tried the ones which are called black cherries and come in a tin, but they might be very nice. Drain the cherries well, and sprinkle them in the tin - or cupcakes- after you have filled it. They should sink down a bit. I find if I mix them into the batter they seem to sink to the bottom. You can save a bit of the syrup if you want to make pink icing to go on the cake- the color is great.

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