Chocolate cake recipe

Directions

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 4.
2. 2
   Put the cocoa powder and drinking chocolate into a small bowl.
3. 3
   Add 50ml freshly boiled water, mix to a paste and set aside.
4. 4
   Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt together and set aside.
5. 5
   In a large mixing bowl, using either a wooden spoon or a hand-held electric whisk, beat the butter to a cream.
6. 6
   Add both the sugars and the cocoa paste.
7. 7
   Continue beating until light and very creamy.
8. 8
   Add the eggs one at a time, adding 1 tbsp of the flour with each and beating thoroughly before adding the next.
9. 9
   Then fold in the remaining flour with the buttermilk little by little - dry, wet, dry, wet - until you have a very soft, creamy mixture.
10. 10
    Finally, carefully fold in the ground almonds.
11. 11
    Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin(s), spreading it out lightly and evenly with the back of the spoon.
12. 12
    Bake in the oven, allowing 45-50 minutes for a cake in a 23cm tin and 35-40 minutes for cakes in 20cm deep sandwich tins.
13. 13
    Leave the cake(s) in the tin(s) for 10 minutes before turning out and placing on a wire rack to cool completely.
14. 14
    When cold, cut the 23cm cake into three layers, or each of the 20cm cakes into two layers.
15. 15
    Sandwich the layers together with the chocolate fudge icing, saving sufficient to smother over the top.
16. 16
    Finish the top with a sprinkling of grated chocolate.
17. 17
    This cake will keep for 5-6 days in an airtight tin.