Who can resist a slice of homemade chocolate cake, especially when it is generously filled with white chocolate cream and loads of fresh raspberries? Add candles for an easy birthday cake or perhaps take instead of a bunch of flowers or bottle of wine when you next visit your mum or close friend.
Serves 10
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 35-40 minutes
Ingredients
- 200 g (7 oz) self-raising flour
- 25 g (1 oz) cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 225 g (8 oz) butter, at room temperature, plus a little extra for greasing
- 225 g (8 oz) caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- Filling
- 200 g (7 oz) white chocolate
- 300 ml (½ pint) double cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 300 g (10 oz) fresh raspberries
Method
1) Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder into a bowl. Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon, electric mixer or food processor if you have one.
2) Beat in one egg then a spoonful of the flour mix, continue adding eggs and flour alternately until it has all been added and the mixture is smooth.
3) Spread the top level then bake in a preheated oven, 160°C /325°F /Gas mark 3 for 35-40 minutes or until the top feels firm and a skewer comes out cleanly when inserted into the centre of the cake. Spoon into a lightly buttered 23 cm (9 inch) spring form tin that has been lined in the base with a circle of greaseproof or non-stick baking paper.
4) Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes then loosen the edge and remove the spring clip side. Loosen the base and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5) Meanwhile unwrap and soften the block of chocolate in the microwave on full power for 10 seconds. With the block with the flat side uppermost shave off chocolate curls by running a swivel bladed vegetable peeler over the top. If the curls are very tiny, microwave the chocolate once more then try again. Chill the curls once made.
6) When the cake is cold, break the remaining chocolate into pieces and melt in a bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Whip the cream in a second bowl then fold in two thirds of the melted chocolate and the vanilla.
7) Peel the lining paper from the cake then cut into two layers, put one of the layers on a serving plate, spoon over half the cream then sprinkle with half the raspberries. Add the other cake half and repeat the layers.
Drizzle the remaining melted chocolate from a spoon in zigzag lines over the top of the cake and finish with the chilled chocolate curls. Cut into slices to serve.
Portion = 10
| Nutrient | Amount per portion |
|---|---|
| Calories (calories) | 626 |
| Protein (grams) | 7.6 |
| Fat (grams) | 44.1 |
| Saturated fat (grams) | 26.5 |
| Fibre (grams) | 1.7 |
| Carbohydrate (grams) | 52.9 |
