Ingredients
- 50 g 2oz best-quality cocoa powder, sifted
- 100 g 3.5oz dark brown sugar (muscovado is suggested but I used dark brown)
- 250 ml boiling water
- 125 g 4oz soft, butter plus some for greasing
- 150 g 5oz caster sugar
- 225 g 8oz plain flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 125 ml water
- 30 g 1oz dark brown sugar
- 175 g 6oz unsalted butter, cubed
- 300 g 11oz good-quality dark chocolate, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/360F. I couldn't find whether this was fan-forced temperature so I set my oven to 170C/340F just in case. Grease and line two small round cake tins.
- Put the cocoa and 100g (3.5oz) dark sugar in a bowl with a bit of space to spare and our in the boiling water. Whisk to mix then set aside.
- Cream the butter and caster sugar together until pale and fluffy.
- In another bowl, stir the flour, baking powder and bicarb together in another bowl and set aside for a moment.
- Dribble the vanilla extract into the creamed butter and sugar mixing all the while. Drop one egg quickly followed by a scoop of the flour mixture then the other egg.
- Keep mixing and incorporate the rest of the dry ingredients for the cake then mix and fold the cocoa mixture scraping the bowl well with a spatula.
- Divide the batter between the two tins and bake for about 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Leave the cooked cakes in the tins for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
- As soon as the cakes are in the oven, get started on the icing. If you're in a hurry, make the icing before you start the cakes as it takes about 2 hours to thicken (that's in hot Brisbane, it would take less time somewhere cooler).
- Put the water, 30g (1oz) dark sugar and 175g (6oz) butter in a pan over a low heat to melt. When the mixture begins to bubble, take the pan off the heat and add the chopped chocolate, swirling the pan so all the chocolate is heated. Leave it for a minute or two and then whisk until the icing turns smooth and glossy.
- Nigella says to leave it for about an hour whisking every now and then. Mine took at least 2 hours to thicken significantly.
- To make Nigella's double layer cake, set one of the cooled cakes with the top side down (you may need to trim it a little) on a cake stand or plate and spread with ⅓ of the frosting.
- Top that with the second cake, regular way up and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides.
Notes
I covered the big cake and 24 cupcakes with the frosting and still had quite a bit left over so if you don't want it ridiculously thick you could halve the icing recipe.
!Nigella says that un-iced cakes can be frozen on the day of baking (double cling-wrapped and then wrapped in alfoil) and defrosted unwrapped on a wire rack when you're ready to eat them.
!Nigella says that un-iced cakes can be frozen on the day of baking (double cling-wrapped and then wrapped in alfoil) and defrosted unwrapped on a wire rack when you're ready to eat them.
Have you made this recipe? I'd love to hear what you think. Tag me on Instagram @clairekcreations
