Anniversary Chocolate Love Cake Surprise

I had made this Chocolate Surprise for my partner last Anniversary and he loved it to bits. He is not a very Chocolattey fan but this one definitely took a large share of his heart! Not to forget my lil' munchkin Izzy who had her face full of chocolate as she enjoyed it to bits. She like me loves chocolate. I gained a nickname of being called "Chocolate" by one of my ex-colleagues Thomas Forsch. Every time I achieved something at work he promised me a bar of chocolate, instead one fine morning he surprised me with the most moist melt in your mouth chocolate cake from one of the bakers in Sharjah, UAE.

Anniversary Love Cake

I must confess that I started my cooking and baking adventures with baking chocolate cakes. Every birthday I remember my parents used to get me chocolate cakes only as they knew I loved it. Going through family pictures, one thing that remained constant in all my birthday pictures was the assured chocolate cake and I pride in making good chocolate cakes. Its a sure way to get my heart thumping!

Ready to Surprise

I do not enjoy sugar coated icings or butter icing as much as I do the one made with bitter-sweet real chocolate. This is a simple chocolate cake guaranteed to melt-in-your-mouth! Please do not expect this cake to last long on the cake tray but I would ask you to share the cake as it is quite rich in flavour.

To make this cake,

You need:

• 1 cup (250ml) water
• 150g unsalted butter, cut in medium pieces and softened naturally
• 4 tablespoons cocoa, sifted
• 2 cup (300 g) sifted plain flour (You can also use all-purpose flour ideally but I do not have this available in India)
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, sifted
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups (440 g)powdered sugar or castor sugar(11/2 cups would also be ok if you do not want it too sweet)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) fresh full-cream milk (sieve the cream out after boiling and cooling)
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• Chocolate Cream Icing

The make:

Cooking Time: 45 minutes| Preparation Time: 30 minutes| Serves 8 adults

1. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda  and keep aside in a separate bowl (this is going to be your main mix bowl so make sure its fairly large). Leave this to rest for at 20-30 minutes. You can do this well ahead of the preparation and baking time owing to the resting time required.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs well until fluffy. Add the sugar and whisk further for another 5-10 minutes. Set aside.

3. Add the egg mixture to the flour bit by bit and mix well as you add the egg mixture. Add the softened butter to the mix and continue whisking well.  Leave the cake batter to rest for about 15 minutes. Add the milk bit by bit checking for consistency. Note: You may not need to add all of the milk.

4. Preheat the oven for about 10 minutes on a medium heat.

5. Dab a little butter on your cake tray to moisturise the cake tray (you can also used baking paper). Lower the heat to about 150C (which is normally on the lower end of the heat scale).  Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until cooked when tested with a toothpick/skewer.

(Hint: Be alert of the cooked smell of the cake and check through the oven window to see  if the cake has risen. wait a few minutes, open the oven door and check with a skewer to see if it is cooked. The skewer should come clean, i.e. no wet batter on the skewer).

6. Allow to cool in the cake tray for 5-10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks/ clean tray to cool completely.

7 . Touch the cake top. If it has cooled completely, use a butter knife to dab the chocolate cream icing or Nutella and run the knife evenly across the sides of the cake and the top. Smoothen out any uneven layers. The kids normally love it when you top it with Gems or on the sides of the cake or shaved chocolate pieces.

The First Slice Shared

The Moist Cake Center

And there you have it your Chocolate Love Cake ready to Surprise your Love! Enjoy (I'm sure I do not have to say that;-) )

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