Perfect chocolate cake

Felicity's perfect chocolate cake

I really believe this is the ultimate chocolate cake - fluffy and light enough to eat at tea time, rich enough to serve with a dollop of creme fraiche for dessert if you'd prefer. Most importantly, it actually tastes of chocolate - and that's rarer than you might think.

Ingredients

• 50g dark chocolate, melted and allowed to cool slightly
• 250g butter, at room temperature
• 250g light muscovado sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 100g cocoa powder
• 250g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3 large eggs
• 250ml milk
• 50g chocolate chips

For the buttercream:

• 140g butter, softened
• 50g cocoa powder
• 200g icing sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp milk
• 5 Oreo cookies

  Instructions

  Steps

  • Grease and line the bases of 2 x 20cm springform cake tins with greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan) 350F / gas 4. Cream together the butter and sugar with ½ tsp salt until light and fluffy
  • 2. Sift together the cocoa, flour and baking powder. Add the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time and beat until well combined, then fold in half the dry ingredients followed by the melted chocolate. Fold in the rest, followed by enough milk to give a soft dropping consistency, and then the chocolate chips. Divide between the two tins and bake for about 25–30 minutes until firm in the centre.
  • 3. Allow to cool completely on a rack, then make the buttercream. Beat the butter until fluffy, then add the cocoa, icing sugar and salt and, if necessary, a little milk to loosen the mixture. Put one of the cakes on a serving plate and spread a third of the icing on top. Place the second on top, then spread the rest of the icing over it.
  • 4. Blitz the biscuits to a fine crumb in a food processor and sprinkle them over the cake.

  It's a contentious subject, but what's your favourite kind of chocolate cake: rich and dark, light and fluffy, Devil's food, Curly Wurly or Mississippi mud? Are you an icing or a ganache lover - or should a good cake come unadorned? And just why are so many chocolate cakes more a feast for the eyes than the stomach?