Good Gifts for Valentines

Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe

This is one of those good gifts for Valentines! Treat the love of your life - or your family - to this easy chocolate cake recipe.

This cake is quite dense and fudgy - it is a bit like a brownie recipe. It is ideal served as a dessert with whipped cream.

Ingredients:

Chocolate Frosting Recipe:

Method:

1. Line the base of the cake tin with baking paper and spray the tin with baking spray.
2. Preheat the oven to 350° F / 180° C.
3. Line the base of a 9 inch / 23 cm cake tin with baking paper.
4. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
5. With an electric beater, beat the eggs and sugar together until they are pale and thick.
6. Mix together the buttermilk, butter and vanilla essence.
7. Fold the buttermilk mixture into the egg mixture. Then, gently fold in the flour mixture.
8. Pour into the prepared tin. Bake for about 25 - 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out just clean. Don't overcook or dry the cake out.
9. Turn the cake onto a wire rack and allow to cool. Carefully split the cake in half. Spread half of the frosting in the middle. Replace the top half and cover with the remaining frosting. Sprinkle with pretty edible pearls or dust with icing sugar.
10. Chocolate Frosting Recipe: in a small saucepan, heat the cream. Break the chocolate into pieces and add to the cream. Allow to melt over a very low heat. Remove from the heat and stir until you have a silky, smooth consistency. Don't overcook or else you run the risk of the chocolate becoming "grainy" and you can't really rectify this. Allow the chocolate mixture to cool and thicken.