One of the best things to come out of this Covid-19 induced worldwide lockdown is the generosity of spirit. All over the world, people are sharing concerts and books and resources like has never happened before.
And when Aarabi Veeraghavan @buncke posted it on her Instagram feed and had so many people craving this chocolate cake, I just had to share. To quote her “Then there are cakes like this one that are quick, delicious, tick all the right boxes, simple to bake/ scale up to large quantities and foolproof. @sharmilacooksforkids, I have lost count for the number of times we have made this cake from your Everyday Love cookbook. That soft light fudgy cake and glaze are PERFECTION”.
So, here’s my little contribution to making the world a better place - the easiest chocolate cake with the simplest everyday ingredients. Since chocolate cake makes everything better!
PLEASE READ THESE NOTES CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU BAKE:
1. Please use good quality cocoa powder. You can increase the cocoa by a few tablespoons for a richer flavour.
2. This is a soft light cake, so please use a spring form pan if you can, and line it with baking paper, so you can easily take it out and cover it with the fudge frosting/glaze.
3. Size of pan matters. If you are making it for a birthday or party, please DOUBLE the proportions of the recipes below. Only then will you get a good-looking cake with some height. I use a 10” springform pan for double proportions or a lasagne size pan of 13”x 9”.
4. Please line your baking pan with baking/butter paper or greased aluminium foil for easy removal and clean up.
5. You can make an EGGLESS version of the cake (see note at the end of the recipe below) but please know that an eggless cake will have a different texture from a cake with egg in it since eggs add structure, protein, and fat. It will still taste good, though.
6. You can store the cake in the fridge or freezer for a week or more, if it lasts that long. If storing in the fridge, please line with paper napkins to absorb the moisture and so the cake does not dry out.
Delicious Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake
The cake isn’t too sweet and needs the fudge frosting to complete it. It is so easy that it's my son Nikhil’s favourite cake to make by himself. Double the recipe for a crowd. It makes a great party dessert too, when served with vanilla icecream!
Serves 8
Ingredients
1 cup milk (240ml), at room temperature
1½ teaspoons vinegar
1 cup (125g) maida (refined flour)
1½ teaspoons baking soda
4 tablespoons good quality cocoa powder (use 6 tablespoons for a richer taste)
1 cup (200g) sugar + 2 tablespoons, powdered or very fine
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten (for eggless, see note below)
½ cup (120 ml) vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Method
1. Add vinegar to the milk and keep for half an hour or more for it to split or sour.
2. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line the cake pan. For this recipe, I usually use an 8” round springform pan or an 8” square pan for this cake and line the bottom with butter paper. For double proportions, use a larger pan (see notes above).
3. Using a sieve, sift the flour with the baking soda and cocoa powder. Mix together with the sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl.
4. Make a well in the centre of the mixture and pour in the sour milk, egg, oil, and vanilla essence.
5. Blend it all together, with an electric beater or by hand. Do not over-mix. The cake has a very liquid consistency at this stage.
6. Pour the batter into the cake pan and tap gently on both sides to release air bubbles and prevent cracking. Bake for 25-30 minutes (for double proportions you will need to bake 45-50 minutes) or until the cake tests done. If you are making cupcakes, you can pour the batter (using a ¼ cup measure) into cupcake liners in a muffin pan and bake for 12-15 minutes or until they test done. This recipe will yield 12-14 cupcakes.
7. Prepare the fudge frosting and decorate as you wish. Refrigerate until half an hour before serving. Serve plain or with vanilla ice cream. You can also serve the cake without the frosting :)
Eggless Chocolate Fudge Cake – To make an eggless version of this cake, just omit/avoid the egg and instead add 3 tablespoons of yoghurt (ideally) or 3 tablespoons of milk to the batter.
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
Ingredients
½ cup powdered sugar
¼ cup cold milk
1-2 heaped tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
¼ cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Method
1. In a saucepan, add the sugar, cold milk, and cocoa powder. Stir with a whisk until combined. Add the butter.
2. Cook on a low heat, stirring continuously for 5 minutes, until it thickens and comes to a boil. Immediately turn off the heat.
3. Add the vanilla essence. Beat some more to mix well and get a smooth consistency.
4. When the icing has cooled to warm, pour over the cake. Smoothen with a spatula or knife dipped in warm water, if needed.
5. Decorate with sprinkles, silver balls or gems, as desired. Refrigerate.
6. You can store the extra fudge frosting in the fridge and use it over pancakes or ice cream.
P.S. This chocolate cake is only one of 170+ easy, tasty and healthy recipes in my Everyday Love cookbook and I do hope you will get the book too, once this is over. It's available on Amazon India and on my website www.sharmilacooksforkids. It also has a whole chapter on baking for beginners. But until then, do make this chocolate cake and share it with those you love. Do let me know how it turns out and tag me @sharmilacooksforkids too if you post it.
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