Michala’s chocolate birthday cake
Description
This is a real family recipe. I created it many years ago, when my daughter Michala was a little girl. She loved chocolate, and especially chocolate cakes. She liked them very dark and rich, unlike most other children. So, I created this easy recipe that has lots of flavour and a soft texture. It is a cake most children would like to eat, and it became Michala’s favourite. The cake can be baked a day in advance; it will keep well.
Ingredients
- 200 g butter (plus more for the tin)
- 150 g chocolate (about 60% cocoa solids, chopped)
- 4 eggs (separated)
- 200 g caster sugar
- 150 g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 100 g desiccated coconut
- 200 ml single cream
- 200 g chocolate (about 60% cocoa solids, chopped)
- 10 g butter
- 50 g desiccated coconut
For the cake
For the icing
Instructions
- 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
- 2
Butter a 28 cm diameter springform tin.- 3
Place the butter in a bowl with the chocolate and place over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water.- 4
Melt the chocolate, then set aside to cool a little.- 5
Beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy, then mix in the cooled chocolate mixture.- 6
Sift the flour, baking powder, and cocoa into a bowl and stir in the desiccated coconut.- 7
Fold the flour mixture alternately with the cream into the batter. Beat the egg whites until stiff, then gently fold them into the batter.- 8
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 50 minutes. Insert a skewer into the centre of the cake; it should emerge clean.- 9
Let the cake cool in the tin on a wire rack.- 10
For the icing, melt the chocolate as before.- 11
Remove from the heat and beat in the butter. Spread the icing over the cake, then scatter over the coconut.- 12
Serve when the icing has set. - 2