MINI CHOCOLATE MUD CAKE
{Recipe adapted from Exclusively Food}

It’s been a while since I made a cake, one for no particular reason that is. I also can’t remember when I last made a mud cake. Clearly too long. So to right that wrong, I made this little 6 inch darling last weekend, just because.

INGREDIENTS
For the cake…
125g chocolate
125g unsalted butter
2 teaspoons coffee granules
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons water
1 cup + 1 tablespoon plain flour
1 tablespoon + 3 teaspoons cocoa powder
1/3 teaspoon bi-carb soda
1 cup + 3 tablespoons caster sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon oil
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup buttermilk

For the ganache…
150g dark chocolate, chopped
60g unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 140ºC (fan forced).

Grease the base and sides of a 6 inch round cake pan. Line the base and sides with parchment paper, extending the sides by an inch or two
above the rim.

Combine the chocolate, butter, coffee and water in a saucepan over low heat and stir occasionally. When the chocolate and butter has melted, remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder and bi-carb soda into a large bowl. Add the caster sugar, and stir (using a whisk preferably) until well combined.

Place the eggs, oil, vanilla and buttermilk in a glass bowl and whisk gently to combine.

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until well combined.

Now add the chocolate mixture in three parts, stirring after each addition.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and cover with a clean towel and allow to cool in the pan.

Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, remove it from the pan and trim off the uneven crust. Turn upside down if you wish, before covering with ganache.

To make the ganache…
Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl, over a saucepan of simmering water. Once melted remove from the heat and add the melted butter. Stir slowly until combined and glossy.

Using an offset spatula, cover the cake with the ganache any way you like. 

HOT TIP: I will forgive you for thinking ‘what the’ with all those + tablespoons, teaspoons etc. I simply followed Exclusively Food’s ingenious ingredients chart, for scaling down their original recipe (that makes a nine inch cake) so I could make a six inch one.