old fashioned chocolate cake... so happy...

Specially baked this chocolate cake for our dear friend's daughter katelyn!! =) I remembered we planned to attend her 1 year old bday party two years back & who knew that morning I had my contractions. =P So instead of celebrating Katelyn's bday, I have landed up in delivery room waiting the arrival of my darling boy. Well, time flies & Katelyn is already 3 year old this year. Happy birthday to you pretty gal!! 

Old fashioned chocolate cake (makes two 6" cake/one 8" layer cake)

(adapted from Nigella Lawson)

for the cake

Ingredients:

200 gm plain flour

200 gm caster sugar (I used 170gm)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

40 gm good quality cocoa powder (I used Valrhona)

175 gm soft unsalted butter

2 large eggs

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

150 ml sour cream

for the icing

Ingredients:

75 gm soft unsalted butter

175 gm best quality dark chocolate, broken into small pieces

300 gm icing sugar

1 tbsp golden syrup (optional), can substitute with honey or corn syrup

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

125 ml sour cream

Method:

1. Take everything out of the fridge so that all the ingredients can come to room temperature.

2. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C and line and butter two 20cm sandwich tins with removable bases.
3. Now all you have to do is put all the cake ingredients – flour, sugar, baking powder and bicarb, cocoa, butter, 

    eggs, vanilla and sour cream – into a food processor and process until you have a smooth, thick batter. If you 

    want to go the long way around, just mix the flour, sugar and leavening agents in a large bowl and beat in 

    the soft butter until you have a combined and creamy mixture.

4. Now whisk together the cocoa, sour cream, vanilla and eggs and beat this into your bowl of mixture.
5. Divide this batter, using a rubber spatula to help you scrape and spread, into the prepared tins and bake until 

    a cake tester, or a thin skewer, comes out clean, which should be about 35 minutes, but it is wise to start 

    checking at 25.

6. Also, it might make sense to switch the two cakes around in the oven halfway through cooking time.
7. Remove the cakes, in their tins, to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before turning out of their tins. 

    Don’t worry about any cracks as they will easily be covered by the icing later.

8. To make this icing, melt the butter and chocolate in a good-sized bowl either in the microwave or suspended 

     over a pan of simmering water. Go slowly either way: you don't want any burning or seizing.

9.  While the chocolate and butter are cooling a little, sieve the icing sugar into another bowl. Or, easier still, 

     put the icing sugar into the food processor and blitz. This is by far and away the least tedious way 

     of removing lumps.

10. Add the golden syrup to the cooled chocolate mixture, followed by the sour cream and vanilla and then when 

     all this is combined whisk in the sieved icing sugar. Or just pour this mixture down the funnel of the food 

     processor on to the icing sugar, with the motor running.

11. When you've done, you may need to add a little boiling water - say a teaspoon or so - or indeed some 

     more icing sugar: it depends on whether you need the icing to be runnier or thicker; or indeed it may be 

     right as it is. It should be liquid enough to coat easily, but thick enough not to drip off.

12. Choose your cake stand or plate and cut out four strips of baking parchment to form a square outline on it 

     (this stops the icing running on to the plate). Then sit one of the cakes, uppermost (ie slightly domed) side 

     down.

13. Spoon about a third of the icing on to the centre of the cake half and spread with a knife or spatula until you 

      cover the top of it evenly. Sit the other cake on top, normal way up, pressing gently to sandwich the 

      two together.

14. Spoon another third of the icing on to the top of the cake and spread it in a swirly, textured way (though you 

     can go for a smooth finish if you prefer, and have the patience). Spread the sides of the cake with the 

     remaining icing and leave a few minutes till set, then carefully pull away the paper strips.