Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake With Buttercream

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Nigella's Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake (from FEAST) is a moist chocolate sponge cake that is covered in a ganache-style icing. The icing gives extra richness but it would be possible to cover the cake with a more traditional buttercream icing. You could try the buttercream from Nigella's Coffee And Walnut Layer Cake, omitting the espresso coffee powder and using 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder dissolved in 1 tablespoon of hot water instead. Add extra dry cocoa powder to taste once you have initially mixed the buttercream and add a few drops of milk if the buttercream becomes too stiff.

Usually sponge cake recipes can be converted to cupcakes and this sponge mixture should make 20-24 cupcakes. Fill the paper cupcake cases half full with batter and bake at 180c/350F for 15-20 minutes, or until the top of the cupcakes are firm to the touch and a cake tester comes out clean. The frosting for the Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake will not pipe that well, but you should be able to spread and swirl it on top of each cupcake using a small palette knife or small table knife.