When I first fell in love with baking and cooking, I found a chocolate cake recipe on Taste that was successful each time I baked it – an important factor for a newbie’s baking confidence.
While I don’t particularly like chocolate cake, and I especially dislike chocolate mud cake, everyone else seems to, and I do like this chocolate cake.
It’s not sickeningly rich or dense, it has delicious chunks of dark chocolate through the centre, and it is lovely finished with a simple dusting of icing sugar, and served with fresh strawberries and double cream, if that’s your thing. This cake reminds me of a brownie, rather than a mud cake or a chocolate sponge cake, and for this reason I prefer simple finishes.
While I do enjoy an oooh, fancy cake, sometimes you can’t go past a simple chocolate cake. And nor should you. Simple is often best. Simple has a tendency to make us feel at home, nostalgic for simpler times and family memories.
In our impressive world of the re-invented Golden Gaytime, the Snow Egg, and the towering croquembouche, sometimes I just crave simplicity.
For me, simple food evokes warm memories such as visiting my late Nanna and Poppy, eating plain Madeira cake, slathered in butter of course, with several cups of sweet lemon tea. Or gathering around the table for Nanna’s roast with the best green peas I’d ever tasted, followed by a simple bread & butter pudding. I cherish those memories.
What are your favourite simple food memories?
Melt-and-Mix Chocolate Chunk Mud Cake
- 200g unsalted butter, chopped
- 300g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 3 large free range eggs, lightly beaten
- 3/4 cup self-raising flour
- Pure icing sugar, ganache, or strawberries to serve
- Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees celcius. Grease and line a 6cm deep, 20cm base round cake pan.
- Place butter, 200g of the chocolate, and the hot water in a large heatproof, microwave-safe bowl (I used a large plastic mixing bowl, which worked fine). Microwave, uncovered, on high for 2-3 minutes, stirring every minute with a metal spoon, or until smooth.
- Add cocoa powder to to warm chocolate mixture, and stir until smooth.
- Stir in vanilla, caster sugar, and egg. Sift flour over mixture, and stir gently to combine.
- Pour half the batter into prepared cake pan. Sprinkle half the remaining chocolate over the batter. Top with remaining batter, and sprinkle with remaining chocolate.
- Bake cake for 55-60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre has moist crumbs clinging.
- Allow cake to cool completely in the pan. Remove, then dust with icing sugar if you wish.
Notes:
- You can bake this cake in a square tin and slice it into brownie squares.
- 200g dark chocolate and 100g milk chocolate (for the centre and top) also works well.
- The cake mixture has a strange gel-like consistency. You may fear that the eggs will cook when you add them to the hot chocolate mixture, but they don’t – just stir gently.
I love simple recipes too! I have a super easy apple cake recipe I’m fond of whipping every now and again… This cake looks sooo deliciously moist! Brownie texture ftw!
Ooh I’d love to try an apple cake…
I do love a chocolate brownie! Thanks Christine
Yummy!
Thanks Lizzy!
Wow, it looks fantastic! I’m a real sucker for chocolate cake
Thanks Tara
Looks absolutely delicious! I love a good cake and this one looks great! I would so love to try some.
Thanks Spencer
Looks soo good! Could do with a slice right now and a cuppa of tea. Love how you used fresh strawberries and cream to accompany it too.
Thank you! I just love the sweetness of fresh strawberries
Looks delicious! I totally get what you mean about simple recipes – these days everyone is caught up in masterchef hype and trying to outdo eachother with ridiculous 15-layer cakes. Personally I’m a sucker for a good old-fashioned apple pie with custard.
Thank you! I agree – and I think there’s something sweet and special about simple cakes
I love pretty much any type of chocolate cake – the richer the better – but am terribly picky on quality, this sounds deliciously simple!
Thanks JJ! Let me know what you think if you make it one day
Isn’t it lovely going back to when you were little with just a single mouthful of food!
It sure is!
One look at this baby on Instagram and I couldnt wait for the recipe. When it comes to chocolate cake – simple is def best in my mind. A few chunks of chocolate here adn there dont hurt either
Thanks Nic! Haha yes, but I still think it’s simple with its chocolate chunks!
Oh this is so dreamy
It sounds like the perfect go-to chocolate cake!
Thanks Carolanne! It’s a reliable cake for sure
I love simple and the ever so satisfying. Should not be reading this now, time for tea and a slice of something (which I don’t have)
I love this! I tried a very fancy chocolate cake recipe two days ago and it was AWFUL! In so many cases simple really is best. I’ll be trying this recipe soon (to help wipe out the memory of the other cake… blah!)
I love that food memories can invoke such strong emotions in us all. I have always had a soft spot for Vitawheat with vegemite and butter – squeezing them together to make worms still makes me smile
What a gorgeous cake recipe! One of my favourite food memories are eating my Grandma’s Mars Bar slice with her on Saturday afternoons.
Beautiful post xox
Made this yesterday! Nice and easy recipe. I’m normally not a big fan of chocolates cake, but this was lovely! Went down well at morning tea too!
Thanks for commenting! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake
this cake looks amMAZing!!
hmmmm favourite simple food recipe would have to be the simple Anzac Biscuit – can never go wrong
Thank you! I love Anzac biscuits too