Mary Berry’s ‘favourite’ chocolate cake recipe is ‘easy’ to make in just 45 minutes
Celebrate World Chocolate Day by making a quick and easy chocolate cake which can be baked from scratch in less than an hour.
Chocolate cake is a classic for a reason as it is creamy and delicious, and incredibly easy to make as long as you have the right recipe.
Mary Berry’s “very best” creamy chocolate cake recipe is perfect for birthday parties, celebrations, afternoon tea or simply as an indulgent treat.
It only takes roughly 15 minutes to prepare this cake plus the decoration and it takes 25 minutes to bake in the oven, so you can make this tasty cake from scratch in less than an hour.
In her cookbook ‘Baking Bible’, Mary said: “This will become your favourite chocolate cake recipe – it is the best!
“It is speedy to make and the easy filling doubles as an icing. The cake is moist and has a ‘grown-up’ chocolate flavour.”
How to make chocolate cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 275g of caster sugar
- 175g of self-raising flour
- 100g of butter (room temperature)
- 50g of cocoa powder
- Six tablespoons of boiling water
- One teaspoon of baking powder
- Three large eggs
For the filling:
- Three tablespoons of apricot jam
- 150g of plain milk chocolate
- 150ml of double cream
Kitchen equipment needed:
- Two deep cake tins
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Method
Preheat the oven to 180C (Fan 160C or Gas 4), grease the two cake tins with butter, then line the base of each tin with baking paper.
In a large mixing bowl, sift in the cocoa powder, add the boiling water, and mix. Add the remaining cake ingredients and beat the mixture until you have a smooth and thick batter.
Divide the cake mix between the two cake tins and evenly level the surface of the batter with either a spoon or a knife.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until the case has risen, then take out the oven and leave to cool in the tins for a few minutes. Once the time is up turn the cakes out of the tins, peel off the baking paper and finish to cool on a wire rack.
To make the icing: Warm the apricot jam in a small pan and then spread it over the bottom of one cake and the top of the other.
Break the chocolate into pieces and gently heat it alongside the cream in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water for around 10 minutes or until the chocolate has fully melted.
To assemble the cake: Remove the melted chocolate from the heat and stir to make sure it has fully melted. Leave it to cool until the point of setting then spread it on top of the apricot jam on both cakes.
Sandwich the cakes together and then use a small knife to smooth the icing on top, then keep in a cool place until your chocolate cake is ready to serve.