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One of our readers, Elspeth, had a rather flat experience with the recipe for Chocolate Layer Cake with Milk Chocolate Cream in our April issue (page 133), thanks to our mistake.
Though we correctly listed a teaspoon of baking soda in the ingredients, that somehow became baking powder in the method. (Baking soda reacts with the buttermilk to make the cake rise; baking powder would work to some extent, but not as well.)
Elspeth was kind enough to report, however, that the “slightly flatter cake” still looked “a million dollars, and the birthday girl and her family loved it”. Our apologies to the cook and to any other readers led astray. For the record, the correct recipe is below.
Chocolate Layer Cake with Milk Chocolate Cream
This delectable light-textured cake is very easy; everything is just whisked together. Weighing the ingredients ensures accuracy.
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1 cup water
110g flavourless oil, eg rice bran
1¾ cups sugar
50g cocoa powder
2 eggs
250g buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1¾ cups flour
1 heaped teaspoon baking soda
Roasted sliced almonds for
garnishing (optional)
Chocolate cream:
1 cup milk chocolate melts
¾ cup cream
½ teaspoon instant coffee powder |
Preheat oven to 170°C and line a 20cm round cake tin (mixture will be runny so line with foil if using a loose-based tin).
Place water, oil, sugar and cocoa in a medium saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer, whisking to combine. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Sift flour and baking soda into another large bowl. Pour in egg mixture and whisk a little then pour in the hot cocoa mix and whisk well until smooth.
Pour mixture into prepared tin and bake 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean (the top will crack during baking but this just adds to the cake’s rustic charm). Cool in tin for 10 minutes before turning out on to a rack to cool completely.
When cold, slice cake horizontally into 3 layers and sandwich together with chocolate cream. Sprinkle the top with almonds if desired. Serves 8
Chocolate cream: Combine chocolate, cream and coffee in a saucepan and heat, stirring until smooth. Cool then chill until cold but not firm. Beat with an electric beater until light and fluffy.
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