Recipe: dripping chocolaty chocolate cake

The Herald reader Bobby Swanson sent in this recipe for "dripping chocolaty chocolate cake" which looks absolutely wicked. Eat with caution to avoid sugar over-dose! Ingredients (the recipe is for one layer, double or repeat for two layers)

Cake

1 cup plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

¾ cup sugar

½ cup vegetable oil (Bobby uses sunflower oil)

¼ cup of hot coffee (1 teaspoon instant coffee in ¼ cup hot water)

¼ cup milk

¼ cup plain yoghurt

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Assorted chocolates: Bobby a kit-kat chunky, all stars, bar one, snickers, whispers and lunch bar, but use what you like to eat.

1 drinking straw, cut into four equal pieces.

Optional extras: popping candy and gold dust

Chocolate icing

200g unsalted butter at room temperature

Two-thirds of a cup of cocoa powder

200g icing sugar

4-6 teaspoons of hot water

Chocolate ganache icing

2 x slabs plain chocolate

1 x cup whipping cream Method: Grease or line two 20cm cake pans (one per batch) and pre-heat oven to 180 degrees centigrade.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and sugar.

Make a well, add all the wet ingredients one by one then mix well until everything is combined

Pour the batter into tin and bake for 20- 25 minutes or until the cake tester comes out clean. Transfer the cake onto a wire rack to cool.

Place a blob of icing on a plate and then one layer of cake on this to prevent the cake from sliding around.

Generously cover the top of the layer with chocolate icing. Ice the second layer and place the second layer icing side down on top of the sliced chocolate. Then cover the entire double-layer  cake with icing and, using your icing scraper if you have one, run around the sides of the cake to have an even layer and remove all the excess icing.  This is known as the crumb layer.

Pop into the fridge for 30 minutes or until the crumb layer is hard.

Just before the 30 minutes is up, melt the two remaining slabs  of chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until melted (be careful as the chocolate can burn very quickly).

While it is still hot add the cream a little at a time till you get the runny consistency you like, it you want a stiffer ganache icing use less cream and for a runnier version add more cream.

Remove your cake and place it on an even counter.

Pour some ganache onto the top of the cake and using the back of a spoon make waves and gently work the ganache towards the edges of the cake and allow to drip over the side.

Then take your chocolates and cut off a piece from the bottom so that you have exposed some of the soft insides.

Take your straws and cut them roughly into 4 pieces. Take a piece and stick it into the soft part of the chocolate push it nice and deep so that the chocolate is secure and then take the exposed part of the straw that is sticking out from the bottom of the chocolate and stick that part into the cake. This prevents the chocolate from falling over onto the cake.

Assemble your cake. If using popping candy  and gold dust, sprinkle over the top.