To-die-for Chocolate Cake

So here's the deal; I may be slightly addicted to chocolate. Ok that's an understatement. I absolutely love chocolate in any way, shape or form! From cake to body scrub, if it even smells chocolatey I will ADORE it! So yesterday I decided to make the ultimate chocolate cake...and here's the recipe I used (be warned you need A LOT of different mixing bowls...)

1. Preheat the oven to 180c. Then melt 110g of chocolate in a bowl. You can do this in the microwave but when I first learnt to cook I was told that putting chocolate in the microwave burns it so I always do it the good ol' fashioned way; over a pan of simmering water on the hob. When it's all melted set it aside to cool.

2. I forgot to take a photo of this step...oops. In a jug, whisk 280ml of boiling water with 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder. When that has all dissolved, add in 140ml of buttermilk

3. Sift 280g plain flour, 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt together into another bowl and mix them together. 

4. In yet another bowl (I did warn you!) mix together 340g soft brown sugar, 110g unsalted butter and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. You need to mix these for about 5 minutes until they become really light and fluffy, I used an electric mixer because I have absolutely no upper body strength but I guess you could use brute force and a wooden spoon. Then beat in the eggs until fully combined! 

5. Pour the chocolate you melted earlier into the sugary/buttery mixture and mix in. In the recipe I used they said pour the chocolate in the side of the bowl...I have no idea why but I didn't question it!

6. Mix in the flour and the buttermilk/cocoa mixture into the chocolate. Instead of adding it all at once add the buttermilk in 2 parts and the flour in 3 parts; it just makes it easier to mix in and means you don't end up with a load of flour at the bottom of your bowl. There you go; Maisie's tip of the day! 

7. Bake in the oven at 180c for 25-30 minutes. The recipe is designed to make a three tier cake but I thought that might be slight overkill so I made mine two tiers and then used the leftover mixture to make muffins. Once baked all the way through (you can do the ol' stick-a-skewer in it trick) leave it to cool completely! 

8. To make the ganache icing, melt 225g butter, 285g chocolate and 2 tablespoons of golden syrup in a pan. Once totally melted mix in 240ml of double cream until completely combined. Then leave it to chillax! 

9. Then ice it and make it look beeeeautiful! I decorated mine with Maison Blanc Strawberry Sugar and some chocolate letters! 

Doesn't it just scream "Eat Me" in a very Alice in Wonderland-esque way! It's totally lush.