Good Food Ultimate Chocolate cake recipe

[maggiethecat]

Baked this for dd's birthday party today and it is the moistest choc cake I've baked.

Not sure however if coffee in cake is a good thing for kids and I am watching to see how I'll react to it because I don't cope well with caffeine generally - get the shakes.

Can anyone say if the coffee (1 tbsp) helps with moistness or is it flavour - I think I heard someone say it intensifies flavour.

If anyone has used the recipe minus coffee, how did it come out?

I've made this several times and you're right it is amazingly moist! You could probably leave the coffee out without any problems.

I never put I'm the coffee and it turns out yummy!

I always leave the coffee out and its fine. I love that cake. Im going to make it for xmas dessert this year with cream.

How about using decaff coffee?

great! what is it that makes it moist? - do you think it's the amount of liquid (batter very runny) and baked at low temperature for long?

thinking about it, coffee probably doesnt make it moist but perhaps enhance flavour of chocolate.

will leave out next time (but still use the water used to dissolve coffee?) or use decaf.

Definitely still use the same volume of water even if you don't add coffee.

I tried it without the coffee and it was sooo nice :) I guess I could try it with decaf coffee though, would that be OK for kids?

maggie, please could you link so I get the right recipe? I've been looking for a new chocolate cake recipe for ages and it's good to get a recommendation! Thanks.

This is the best cake ever! I have never put in the coffee as no one drinks coffee and seems a waste to buy for a cake. It is lovely without.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3092/ultimate-chocolate-cake

Susannah, hope link above works. Simple recipe but really is moist.

had trouble spreading the ganache - poured it over the top while runny and that was good - smooth and nice shine but getting it on the sides was a faff.
Is it better to wait until a hardened in order to use a spatula to spread ganache on the sides? (know it's not as shiny when hardened but pouring it onto the sides was a bit comical)

Sorry, meant to send link for Teeny

Thanks maggie, I googled and that's the one I'd found, but it's great to be sure that it's the right one!
I'm going to have a go for my birthday in a couple of weeks....

Good luck - it should be great. I would recommend lining sides of tins as well as bits of mine got stuck.

Will do. I've been reading the comments and some recommend baking in two tins rather than trying to cut the cake into 2 or even 3 (which I think would be VERY tricky!) Would you try this or not?

I bake it in 3 tins, cooks faster and no faffing about trying to cut it.

How long do you bake your 3 tins for? I always find that's the tricky bit when altering tin sizes!

I bake in 2 tins takes 50 mins. I also do half plain and half milk chocolate for the cake and the ganache . I cool the ganache in fridge for about 20-30 mins.

Susannah, would regular sandwich tins be ok for the amount of mixture? - definitely would prefer 50 mins to 1hr 20mins.

will also pour ganache over top and use cooled portion to spread on sides. last time I had to cover the patches (bcos cake stuck to sides of tin) with oreo cookies cut in half. stuck them "jauntily' around the side of the cake and the soft ganache was good for this as when it set the oreos got set in.

should not have to deal with patches next time though as I will line tin sides.

I have done in 2 sandwich tins before, however it does rise a little above the edge and you end up with an uneven edge, however with the ganache going over you can't tell.