Chocolate Fudge Cake

This was a terribly not well-planned cake.

Of course I had to run out of vanilla essence, so I only had 1/2 tbsp for the cake mix and none for the frosting. Then I almost forgot about the chilled water only to wonder why the mix seemed so dry. I used self-raising flour instead of the plain flour plus bicarb and all, mostly cos I didn't exactly have plain flour around the house. Then I nearly had to run out to the nearby NTUC to buy icing sugar until I dug around the pantry for a bit and discovered a forgotten (but still usable) pack. Most of the ingredients from Bake King.


Recipe! (Once again taken from Nigella Bites)

For the cake:
400g plain flour
250g golden caster sugar
100g light muscovado sugar
50g best quality cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
3 eggs
142ml/small tub sour cream
1 tbsp vanilla extract
175g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
125ml corn oil
300ml chilled water

For the fudge icing:
175g dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids
250g unsalted butter, softened
275g icing sugar, sifted
1 tbsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 180C
2. Butter and line the bottom of two 20cm sandwich tins.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb and salt. In another bowl or wide-necked measuring jug whisk together the eggs, sour cream and vanilla until blended.
4. Using a freestanding or handheld electric mixer, beat together the melted butter and corn oil until just blended (you’ll need another large bowl for this if using the hand whisk; the freestanding mixer comes with its own bowl), then beat in the water. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix together on a slow speed.
5. Add the egg mixture, and mix again until everything is blended and then pour into the prepared tins. And actually, you could easily do this manually; I just like my toys and find the KitchenAid a comforting presence in itself.
6. Bake the cakes for 50-55 minutes, or until a cake-tester comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their tins on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and then turn the cakes out onto the rack to cool completely.
7. To make the icing, melt the chocolate in the microwave – 2-3 minutes on medium should do it – or in a bowl sitting over a pan of simmering water, and let cool slightly.
8. In another bowl, beat the butter until it's soft and creamy and then add the sieved icing sugar and beat again until everything's light and fluffy.
   
9. Then gently add the vanilla and chocolate and mix together until everything is glossy and smooth.
10. Sandwich the middle of the cake with about a quarter of the icing, and then ice the top and sides, too, spreading and smoothing with a rubber spatula.

Made to the tunes of Ryan Adams' Gold on a Thursday morning