Deep Dark Chocolate Cake From Cook Yourself Thin Recipes

DARK GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line the bottom and sides of a deep 14x17-inch baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper.
• Sift sugar, flour, 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Transfer to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment; whisk dry ingredients together on low.
• Whisk milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract together in a separate medium bowl. Add to the flour mixture and mix at low speed until well incorporated, about 5 minutes. Gradually add hot water while mixer is on low speed until just combined. Pour batter into the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cake cool in the pan for about 1 hour.

DEEP DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE FROM 'COOK YOURSELF THIN'

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Lightly spray an 8-inch springform baking pan with cooking spray.
• In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, ground almonds, salt and baking soda, and set aside.
• Using a standing or handheld mixer set at medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar for 4 full minutes until pale and fluffy. On low speed, beat in the grated beets, followed by dry ingredients. Add the buttermilk and coffee, and beat until the batter is smooth.
• Pour into the pan and place in the middle of a hot oven and bake for 30 minutes. Test with a toothpick inserted for doneness; it should come out clean. Bake for an additional 5 minutes if needed.
• Cool for 10 minutes or so in the pan and unmold onto cooling rack. Cool on a wire rack until cold.
• To make the icing, prepare a double boiler.
• Combine all the ingredients and gently stir until the chocolate is smooth. Stir occasionally until the mixture thickens.
• With the cake still on the wire rack, pour the icing liberally over the top of the cake and let it drip down the sides. Transfer onto a plate or cake stand for serving and garnish with rose petals.

BEETROOT CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE FROM 'COOK YOURSELF THIN'

Steps:

• Preheat a conventional oven to 160ºC, or a fan-assisted one to 140ºC. With the help of a brush and a tiny bit of sunflower oil, grease the surface of a round 20cm diameter by 8cm high loose-bottomed tin and set aside.
• Melt the chocolate gently in a bowl over a pan of simmering water until all dissolved, then set aside to cool.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar, the scraped-out vanilla seeds, the maple syrup and the honey for three minutes with an electric hand whisk until pale and quite fluffy.
• Gently fold in the flours, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cocoa and ground almonds until fully incorporated.
• Using some kitchen paper, dab the grated beetroot thoroughly to remove some of the excess moisture. Fold in the beetroot, cooled chocolate, coffee and oil with the help of a spatula until thoroughly mixed together.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and cook in the middle of the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes. After this time, cover the cake with foil and bake for another 30 minutes.
• Test the cake by inserting a skewer into the centre to see if it comes out clean (although this cake is so moist that even when the cake is fully cooked, the skewer comes out looking slightly messy). Leave to cool on a wire rack.
• To make the fudge topping, melt the chocolate gently in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, then remove from the heat and add the coffee and the vanilla essence.
• At this stage the chocolate will seize up slightly, but it will relax back once you add the honey and gently mix inches.
• Set aside to cool for 15 minutes before icing the cake. Cut the cake through the middle and ice it in the centre and on all sides.
• Decorate the top with whatever you fancy, but I like using pink flowers, such as tulips or roses, which I plant into the cake with a bit of stem left on.