I know that to some people baking may seem impossible. So many things to go wrong, so many variables to take into consideration and I understand where you are coming from as up until about two years ago I suffered from ‘producing a decent cake anxiety‘. I am going to share with you the first ever cake I made that came out perfectly first time and has consistently come out that way since. Honest Injun!!!
The only equipment you will need is a springform tin which you can get from most supermarkets for under a tenner and some baking parchment. You don’t need an electric mixer, a fork will do. Firstly melt the chocolate, butter and sugar together in a bowl over a saucepan of water and stir until its all mixed together. Take off the heat and mix the eggs with a fork in a separate bowl for a minute until a bit frothy- add these to the choc mix. Then sieve the flour in and stir until you can no longer see any bits of flour. Pour into the tin which you must line with the greaseproof and butter the sides. Place in the oven for 35 minutes at 160 deg C. And that is it!!
Easy peasy right? 
It is a flat cake but very rich and moist. Leave to cool for about 10 minutes and then release the spring on the tin. Now for the icing- wait for an hour till the cake is totally cool or the icing will just run off.I will include the recipe for the topping but to perform the ultimate cheat buy some good quality chocolate sauce and use as the topping. This gives the cake a lovely shiny finish and makes its look very appetising and irresistible.
In mastering this cake I seemed to get more confident with baking and was able to try more adventurous things – I have become quite good at it now but it all started with this simple but amazingly decadent chocolate cake!
Ingredients
150g dark chocolate chopped (70% is best) (NEVER USE BAKING CHOC)
125g butter
150g caster sugar
3 eggs lightly beaten
55g plain flour
Ingredients For the Glaze
110g dark choc chopped
2tbsp milk
45g butter
To make the glaze – melt all the ingredients together and stir until smooth- allow to cool until it has thickened a bit (10 mins) then pour onto the top of the cake- don’t refrigerate or it will lose its sheen.
This article was published in the Cork Independent on 17th February 2011
