My Go-To Chocolate Cake
I thought about this recipe for a while before making. Would my go-to chocolate cake work without cocoa and coffee, and be the perfect vanilla cake?? Yes it is. This cake is buttery (without buter), moist, light and fluffy. It’s great for a birthday cake because it stays moist for days (thanks to the oil and yoghurt) without drying out, so perfect to make a day in advance.
It can be iced with so many options! Standard buttercream, Swiss meringue buttercream, whipped cream and berries, chocolate ganache.. what ever you like!
The one recipe below makes a single layer small cake (18cm round) or 12 regular cupcakes. Double it and make a two tier cake or a 23-25cm round cake. Serve it with butter cream, whipped mascarpone and cream, ganache, berries, coffee.. whatever your heart desires. I love this recipe as the yoghurt and olive oil make it light and moist, and it doesn't dry out.
Chocolate Cake
INGREDIENTS
110g plain flour
125g caster sugar
30g cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (bicarb)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup Greek yoghurt
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup hot water (with 1/2 a shot of coffee in it or a tsp of instant coffee - optional)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat your oven to 180C. Line and grease a 18cm round tin.
Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Add in the wet ingredients and mix until well combined - no need to beat, a spoon or whisk is fine.
Pour the cake mix into the lined tin and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Allow to cool on in the tin slightly before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Buttercream
INGREDIENTS
150g very soft unsalted butter
1 cup icing sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
Pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
Place all ingredients in a stand mixer (or bowl if using a handheld beater), and beat on high til very soft and fluffy and tripled in size. This is enough to coat the sides and top generously - you will probably have leftovers, which you can freeze.
