Fudgy dark chocolate sponge, the perfect party cake, afternoon-tea cake or any-excuse cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 200g caster sugar
- 200g softened butter
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 200g self-raising flour – swap 2 tbsp of the flour for 2 tbsp sifted cocoa powder (we used Green & Black's)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp milk
For the fudge frosting
- 200ml double cream
- 50g butter
- 3 tbsp clear honey
- 200g dark chocolate (use 70% cocoa solids if you can), broken into pieces
- top with shaved or grated chocolate
Method
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Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Butter two 20cm sandwich tins and line with non-stick baking paper. In a large bowl, beat all the cake ingredients together until you have a smooth, soft batter.
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Divide the mixture between the tins, smooth the surface with a spatula or the back of a spoon, then bake for about 20 mins until golden and the cake springs back when pressed. Turn onto a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.
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For the fudge frosting, heat the cream until it just begins to boil. Take off the heat and add butter, honey and chocolate (broken into pieces).
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Leave to melt for 5 mins, then stir briefly to combine – don't over-mix or it will lose its shine. Sandwich the cakes with a third of the just-warm frosting and spread the rest over the top and sides. Top with shaved or grated chocolate, if you like.