Chocolate Cake
There’s no such thing as too many chocolate recipes.
This cake is wonderfully moist and rich — perfect as a simple loaf to enjoy throughout the day, or as a base for a celebration cake layered with frosting and raspberry filling (see picture below).
Ingredients (for a classic rectangular loaf tin)
200 g self-raising flour
50 g good-quality cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
150 g white sugar
40 g brown sugar (or simply use 190 g white sugar — the brown adds a deeper flavor)
100 g melted butter
90 g sunflower oil
150 g sour cream
120 ml espresso coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
½ teaspoon salt
2 handfuls sunflower seeds
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 170°C and line a rectangular loaf tin with baking paper or lightly grease it with butter or oil.
In a large bowl, mix together the self-raising flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Mix the cocoa powder and espresso till smooth.
In the kenwood (or another bowl), whisk the eggs with the white and brown sugar until pale and slightly frothy.
Add the melted butter, sunflower oil, espresso-cacao mixture, sour cream, and vanilla essence to the egg mixture. Whisk until smooth and combined.
Gradually fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients using a spatula or wooden spoon. Mix until just combined — the batter should be smooth and glossy but not overmixed.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top.
Sprinkle with the sunflower seeds and a pinch of salt.
Bake for +/- 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
Covered in parchment paper, you can store this snack in an air-tight container at room temperature up to 3-4 days.
Nina Beckers
