chocolatey chocolate chocolate cake with...chocolate

birthday cakes should always be exactly said birthday persons favourite cake, and no one likes a birthday person more than one who likes chocolatey chocolate chocolate cake, with extra chocolate. hell no.

so, this is actually the Magnolia bakery chocolate muffin recipe, but spilt between two 8" cake tins rather than 24 muffin cases..baked cooler for longer. And oh my is it ever lovely! Previous incarnations have involved a covering of chocolate fudge icing and then surrounded in a fence of chocolate fingers...two packs are exactly the right amount if you are interested, so don't do what I did and munch two thinking it won't matter...yes, yes it will. but then all it means is you have more chocolate fingers in the house, and I for one can not see how this is a bad thing.

Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup (226g) butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed soft light brown sugar

4 large eggs, room temp...mine never are and as yet I see no difference...

6oz melted and cooled dark chocolate

1 cup buttermilk..if you can not get buttermilk, just add a tbsp lemon juice to milk and sit for 5 mins..this is waaaaay cheaper then buying actual buttermilk so I just do this anyway

1 tsp vanillla extract

Method

1. Preheat oven to 176C/350F if making muffins, if making the cake then turn it down a jot to about 165/170C, depending on how hot your oven cooks, mine is insane so I put mine lower

2. Line either two 12-cup muffin tins or 2 8" cake tins and set aside

3. Put your chocolate on to melt, in a bowl over simmering water

4. In a large bowl beat the butter until smooth for a few minutes, then add the sugars and beat for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy

5. Add the eggs one at a time, beat each in until well incorporated before adding the next. Your chocolate should be ok to remove form the heat now and leave to chill.

6. Add the cooled chocolate, mixing until well incorporated

7. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. With each addition ensure it is fully incorporated but do not overbeat.

8. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula...I recently bought a silicone one, they are awesome! Make sure all ingredients are blended and the butter is smooth.

9. Spoon into the muffin cases or divide into the cake tins..if making a cake then drop the tins a few times to make sure there is not too much air in the batter or you will have a magic vanishing cake that is all top and no middle

10. Bake the muffins for 20-25 mins and the cake for 30-40 mins, or until a skewer, when inserted, comes out clean

11. Remove from the oven and cool in the tins for 15 minutes before turning out onto a coolin rack to cool completely

Icing - if making muffins you can ice with either vanilla buttercream or chocolate buttercream. As this is chocolatey chocolate chocolate cake I am icing with chocolate ganache, just for that extra chocolate that it may be lacking in.

Chocolate Ganache, as used for filling the chocolate macaroons:

180ml double cream

300g plain chocolate

90g unsalted butter

Heat all the ingredients in a pan until the chocolate is just melted, remove from the heat and whisk until thick. Spread joyously over the cake to sandwich together and cover...any left over ganache you can the roll into balls to make truffles, which can then be used to decorate said cake!