chocolate mocha cake with chocolate ganache

Preheat oven at 160°C fan or 180°C conventional ovens. 

Grease and line a 1x 8” baking tin.

Put the milk and cider vinegar in a jug and set aside. 

Sift the flour, cacao, coffee, and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, put the margarine, salt, sugar, and vanilla and mix with a hand mixer on high speed until the mixture is fluffy and pale in colour. This can take six-to-eight minutes.

You now mix the rest of the ingredients into the large bowl, alternating flour and liquid – flour, liquid, flour, liquid, flour.

First, add some of the flour to the butter mix, mixing with the hand mixer. If using a stand mixer, leave it on while adding the ingredients to it.

Once you’ve added and mixed the first bit of flour, add half of the liquid mixture until that is combined. Then add more flour, then the remainder of the liquid, and finally the last of the flour.

Once this is done, use a spatula and go around the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is mixed in and well combined. You should have an airy and smooth cake mixture.

Pour the cake mixture into the cake tin and bake for 45-55 minutes. Check after 45 minutes by inserting a wooden skewer in the middle to see if it comes out dry; if not, it needs more baking.

Once done, remove from the oven and let it cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring it onto a cooling rack. Once cooled cut the cake in half horizontally and leave to cool completely.

Mix the frosting ingredients together, adding the milk bit by bit while mixing with a hand mixer. You want the frosting to be a bit thicker than usual as ganache will be poured over it. When it comes to frosting the centre of the cake, take some of the frosting and add a little milk so its easer to spread.

Place the bottom half of the cake on a stand and frost, then place the top half on and frost the entire cake. Put the cake in the fridge for an hour until the frosting has set, and then start on the ganache.

Roughly chop the chocolate into small pieces or use a food processor and pulse. Transfer the chocolate to a heat-proof bowl and set aside. Your dark chocolate must be 70% or more or it will split.

Over a medium-low heat, put the milk into a wide pan and begin to warm it; you must keep an eye on it as you want it to get to the point before it boils. When you see steam rising, it is time to remove the heat and pour over the chocolate. Do not stir immediately – let it sit for around 30-40 seconds and then use a spatula to stir the mixture until it turns into a glossy ganache.

Leave for five minutes and then pour over the cake.

Finish by sprinkling cacao powder and chocolate shavings over the top of the cake, then setting in the fridge for an hour.