Espresso chocolate cake recipe: The simplest of bakes

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“This is the simplest of cakes. Made with oil and hot water, it’s also the moistest chocolate cake ever – it literally never dries out, even when left out!” says Nadiya Hussain. “The intense coffee flavour makes it super special.”

Serves: 4 (makes 12 slices)

Prep time: 35 minutes | Bake time: 55 minutes | Cooling time: 15 mintes

Ingredients:

For the cake:

Oil, for greasing

225g plain flour, sifted

350g caster sugar

85g cocoa powder

1½ tsp baking powder

1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

250ml whole milk

2 medium eggs, lightly beaten

125ml olive oil

250ml boiling water

3 tbsp coffee granules

For the ganache:

250g dark chocolate (70%), chopped

200ml boiling water

1 tbsp coffee granules

100g milk chocolate, shaved, to serve

Method:

1. Start by preheating the oven to 170C and lining and greasing a 20-centimetre round cake tin. Set aside and get on to making the cake batter, which is really quick.

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2. Place the flour in a large bowl along with the caster sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Whisk everything together until all the dry ingredients are mixed through.

3. Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk, then crack in the eggs, pour in the olive oil and whisk till you have a thick batter. Pour in the boiling water, along with the coffee, and mix it all through – you will have a very runny cake batter.

4. Pour into the prepared tin and bake on the middle shelf for 55 minutes – one hour till a skewer inserted comes out clean and the cake is coming away from the edges. Take out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin completely.

5. Make the ganache by putting the dark chocolate in a bowl. Pour in the boiling water and sprinkle over the coffee granules. Mix until the chocolate has melted and you have a smooth ganache. To make it more quickly and for an ultra-smooth result, you can mix it using a stick blender.

6. Pour the ganache all over the cake and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle over the shaved milk chocolate, then pop into the fridge and leave to chill completely so the ganache can set.

7. Take out of the tin, place onto a serving dish and cut into wedges to enjoy.

Tip: Adding coffee to chocolate enhances the cocoa flavour. But if you want to make this for kids, you can remove the coffee altogether and make as pure chocolate or experiment with extracts, such as vanilla, peppermint, orange and so on.

Recipe from ‘Cook Once Eat Twice’ by Nadiya Hussain (Penguin Michael Joseph, £28).