When I was little, my friend's mum used to make the most delicious chocolate cake.
It was a Betty Crocker packet mix. I'm usually not a fan of packet mixes.
They always seem to have a bit of a strange aftertaste that home-baked never does.
Betty Crocker devil's food cake however is the exception to the rule.
It is rich and moist and fabulously delicious.
This recipe for black magic cake reminds me of the Betty Crocker mix but even better.
It's so easy to make and going to be a regular in my repertoire.
There aren't too many ingredients in this cake and once you've measured them all out, pretty much all the work is done.
Tip all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt) into the bowl of an electric mixer (or a big bowl if you're using a hand-held mixer).
Add the wet ingredients to the bowl (eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil and vanilla) and place it on the mixer.
Beat the ingredients on medium speed for two minutes or until the batter is nice and smooth.
It will form a very liquid batter which is what makes this cake so deliciously moist.
Pour the batter into a greased and floured tin.
I would recommend using quite a large tin or two smaller ones and sandwiching them together.
The thinness of the batter makes it a bit tricky to make into cupcakes.
Bake the cake at 160C fan-forced for 35-40 minutes making sure you check for doneness using a cake tester.
As I was using a pretty deep tin, mine took about 50 minutes.
I also learned that springform tins aren't the best choice for this recipe.
There was little leakage.
It didn't hurt the final product but it would have been better to use a regular tin.
Leave the cake to rest in the tin for 10 minutes after baking.
Transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cake is cooling, make the icing by beating together the melted chocolate, margarine (you could use butter), icing sugar, vanilla and milk until it is light and fluffy.
I found this icing a little too sweet even for my sweet tooth.
I think next time I would consider using cream cheese in place of the margarine.
Spread the cake with the icing. Enjoy!
Recipe
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 ¾ cup plain AP flour
- 2 cups sugar
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup strong black coffee cooled
- 1 cup buttermilk I used milk with lemon juice
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing:
- ½ cup margarine
- 60 g 2oz melted chocolate, cooled
- 3 cups icing sugar
- 3 tablespoon milk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 160C (320F) fan-forced and grease a 20x25cm cake pan then flour it well. You can also use two 20cm round tins and sandwich the finished cakes together.
- Place all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt) in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add all the wet ingredients (eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil and vanilla).
- Place the bowl on the mixer and beat it all together for about two minutes. This can be done using a hand-held mixer too.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin or tins.
- Bake the cake for 35 - 40 minutes but check it after 35 minutes. I used a very deep tin so mine took about 50 minutes to cook. The cake is cooked when a tester, inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Leave the cake in the tin to rest for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cake is cooling, make the icing by beating all the ingredients together until light and fluffy.
- Spread the cooled cake with the icing and serve it up.
bec h says
I made this for my colleagues at work this week. Very moist, and they loved that it wasn't too sweet. I made plain vanilla icing to go with it: the whiteness offsets the darkness very well, and gives a shot of sweetness back to it. Next time I'll need to use sandwich tins so I can do it as a layer cake - I get the impression this would be a really beautiful cake with some cream and raspberry or cherry coulis between the layers. Great recipe!
Claire says
Oh my goodness that sounds amazing Bec! Mmm isn't everything better with cream and raspberries?
Lizzy (Good Things) says
Love the tin
Claire says
Thanks Lizzy.
Inspired2cook says
You're speaking my favorite language...CHOCOLATE! Your cake looks delish!!!
Claire says
It's a language I know well!
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes says
I've heard others praise this cake as well. I'll have to make it next time I'm craving chocolate cake.
Claire says
It's definitely a craving killer!
Nic@diningwithastud says
I prefer not to use packet mixes either but there are some that are fab. I love your heart tins :) This looks delicious and that icing....YUM!!!
Claire says
Thank you. I got the little one on eBay a few years ago. I like to call it vintage.
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
I agree with packet mixes! What is that weird aftertaste? Good to know that Betty Crocker is different though! Love the name for this cake! :)
Claire says
I don't know. It must be the preservative they put in it but it's not nice.
farida says
I love chocolate and looks so sweet, hope i can make it soon, thanks
farida
Claire says
Thanks Farida. It's well worth the 10 minutes work!