Chocolate Mud Cake

This is a soft, dense mud cake with a rich ganache icing. You can serve the cake on its own or with cream and ice cream. Slices of the cake can be microwaved before serving to melf the ganache and form a chocolate sauce.

I use a combination of milk and dark chocolate in both the cake and ganache

Chocolate Mud Cake /

250 gm chocolate (125 gm dark chocolate and 125 gm milk chocolate) / 250 gm butter (if using unsalted butter, and 1/4 teaspoon salt with the butter) / 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules/powder / 3/4 cup water / 2 cups plus 2 tablespoon plain flour / 1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoon cocoa powder / 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda / 2 1/2 cups caster sugar / 4 large eggs / 2 table spoon vegetable oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup butter milk (if you do not have buttermilk, you can substitue it with: 1 table spoon vinegar add to 1/2 cup fresh milk - leave it for 5 mins)

Ganache: 150 gm milk chocolate / 150 gm dark chocolate / 1/3 cup thicken cream

Method:

Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Grease the side and base of 8 inc round baking pan. I use a springform pan for easy removal of the cake. Line base and side of the pan with baking paper, extending the paper a few centimeters above the top rim of the pan.

Place 25o gm chocolate, butter, coffee and water in a large saucepan over low heat, stiring occasionally. When chocolate and butter have melted, remove mixture from heat and allow to cool to lukewarm/room temperature.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate soda together into a very large bowl. Add the caster sugar to the bowl with the flour mixture, and stir the ingredients together until well combined - I prefer to use a whisk to stir ingredients together. In a medium bowl, place eggs, oil, vanilla and buttermilk.Whisk the wet ingredients together until well combined. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until well combined. Add the chocolate mixture to the egg and flour mixture in a three batches, stirring until combined after each addition. Bake about 1 hrs 30 mins. Insert skewer - if it comes out clean or with moist crumbs (not gooey batter) attached, the cake is ready. Remove cake from oven, cover with a clean towel and allow to cool in the pan. When the cake has cooled to room temperature, remove it from the pan. The top surface of the cake will probably have a cruncy crust, you may wish to trim off - Me, I am not bothered - wastage...!

Make ganache - Spread over cake.

Ganache:

Place chocolate and cream ina medium heavy-based saucepan over very low heat. Stir frequently, and remove from heat when chocolate has just melted and mixture is smooth. If necessary, allow ganache to cool slighly a room temperature to obtain a spreadable consistency.

Enjoy...!