Super Moist Chocolate Cake

When it comes to cake I like it moist. One of my bug bears is a dry cake. It’s all crumbly and more like bread than delicious perfection that it cake. Now, there’s nothing wrong with bread. I’m a big fan of a really good brown seedy loaf. But when I go in for a slice of cake, I expect the full cake experience. And that is exactly what you get with this super moist chocolate cake.

I think there are so many different types of chocolate cake that it’s almost impossible to say that one recipe would suit all purposes. I mean, there are your standard chocolate two-tiered cakes, then flourless cakes, tortes, mousse cakes, sheet cakes and so much more. Having said that, if, there was a recipe that worked for all occassions, this would be the one. 

This cake is, as the title suggests, super moist, and it stays that way for a good few days. It’s texture is melt-in-the-mouth almost-fudgey scruminess. That seems like an apt description.

Instead of having the fat content from the traditional butter, this cake has oil which provides liquid moistness (what else would a liquid be?). On top of that there’s both milk and water in the liquid. I also added ground almonds to pump up that final moistness to a whole new level. Even without the ground almonds this cake will be amazing but the almonds take it that little bit further.

Ingredients:

1 cup plain flour

½ cup ground almonds

2/3 cup cocoa

1 ½ cups caster sugar

1 ¼tsp baking powder

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 large eggs

½ cup flavourless oil (I used sunflower)

2tsps vanilla extract

¾ cup milk

2/3 cup hot water

Method:

Preheat the oven to fan 160 (or 180 for a normal oven)

Grease and line 2 9inch cake tins

Sift the flour, ground almonds, cocoa, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl along with a pinch of salt

Whisk together the eggs, oil, vanilla and milk together in a jug then pour into the mixing bowl

Beat until just combined

Add the water and mix again. The batter will now be quite liquidy but do not fear, that’s how it’s meant to be

Divide it equally between the tins and bake for about 25 minutes. The cake should only just spring back when touched. When I took mine out it was at that point where you ask yourself “is it baked? Is it not baked?” should I put it back for 5 more minutes?”. Do NOT put it back. Take it out now

Allow them to cool in the tins for 5 or 10 minutes before taking them out and letting them cool completely on a wire rack

You can fill and top these with whatever icing your heart desires. I made up a vanilla buttercream and added pink colouring in stages to create a pink ombre finish. My photography skills are seriously lacking and this picture was only taken on my phone so it doesn’t do the finished product half the justice it deserved but I’m going to share anyway:

I’ll soon post a couple of different icing recipes which would go beautifully with this cake but if you have a personal favourite recipe ,spread it liberally all over this beauty