Moist buttermilk chocolate cake
This cake, says Leana van der Meulen of Lothair, Mpumalanga, is foolproof and delicious. For an Easter twist, we baked ours in mini cake moulds.
Makes 1 large cake or 12 mini cakes Preparation time: 35 minutes Baking time: 35–40 minutes for the cake; 20 minutes for the mini cakes
• Oven temperature: 180°C • 125g butter
• 105g (125ml) castor sugar
• 5ml vanilla essence
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 125ml smooth apricot jam
• 175g (310ml) self-raising flour
• 3ml bicarbonate of soda
• 50g (125ml) cocoa
• 250ml buttermilk FROSTING
• 125g dark chocolate, chopped
• 60g butter
• 30ml fresh cream (optional)
Preheat the oven. Line a round 22cm springform cake tin with baking paper and grease with non-stick cooking spray. Whisk the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla essence and then the eggs, one at a time; whisk until light and fluffy. Add the jam and mix until smooth.
2 Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa and add, alternating with the buttermilk, to the butter mixture; blend until smooth. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 35–40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool slightly in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
3 To decorate, mix the chocolate, butter and cream in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until smooth. Pour the hot glaze over the cake or allow to cool and thicken slightly to a spreadable consistency.