Filthy, dirty chocolate cakes.

I’m a firm believer that everyone who bakes should have a really good, filthy, chocolate cake in their repertoire….. one of those cakes that makes your eyes roll with the first mouthful….. soft, squidgy and unctuously chocolatey…. a colleague of mine is opposed to chocolate cake because she thinks it’s a waste of chocolate, she prefers her chocolate pure and unadulterated; I can see her thinking, as many chocolate cakes simply don’t deliver…. but oh! how it’s worth finding one that does.

Yesterday I came across a “Coca Cola Chocolate Cake” and reading about it said that it gave the cake something totally different…. that the sugar in the coke caramelises for a rich flavour and the bubbliness ensures that the cake is deliciously moist and I couldn’t resist… I should really have shares in Coca Cola by now anyway, as Diet Coke is my most faithful friend (I know! I know! osteoporosis, sweeteners, over acidity etc….. I do so love it though!) …. so I was intrigued to see how the cake would work out.

I already have a treasured dirty chocolate cake recipe that I think can’t be beaten…. I call it ‘Universe Cake’ because it uses all the chocolate in the universe for just one cake…

here’s one that I made a couple of years ago for Lovely Bestie C’s birthday….. (I only made half the recipe though as I only had one shallow tin at the time… but it’s so rich that it’s fine)

Anyway… the universe cake is actually ‘Mary Berry’s Chocolate Birthday Cake’ (the woman is pure genius!) and you can find the recipe here http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/everyday-value/recipes/mary-berry-s-chocolate-birthday-cake  it has no flour in it but as I remember about 100 eggs that take ages to whisk……. but my is it worth it!

So today I decided that I would bake (which I haven’t done since the Baking Disaster, of which we will not speak) and got everything together for a ‘Coca Cola Chocolate Cake’ and I used this recipe here http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chocolatecolacake_7614

There’s a bit of a mix up in the above recipe, but I just used the top two sections and missed the rest out, where bits have been repeated (and the only bit you miss out is a sauce made out of a chocolate bar, cream and marshmallows…. a bit excessive to use over a cake that already has more butter and sugar than I’ve ever seen, I think, but it’s your call)

The experience of boiling melted butter and coca cola (eewww!) is certainly unique in making icing….. but it worked out ok (if a little lumpy!)

So here it is….

(looks NOTHING like the picture with the recipe!)

I dusted mine in icing sugar, stars and glitter…. partly to try to make it appear less filthy dirty and partly to try to disguise the lumps in my frosting that kind of spoilt the lovely, glossy sheen that it could have :/

But the proof of pudding is in the eating….

and that is some good (big!) chocolate cake….. it is very moist and would make an amazing dessert served warm with ice cream.

…. but my heart remains with Mary I’m afraid….. the universe cake is more chocolatey somehow and the texture of the ground almonds in it is just divine….

Mary Berry’s Chocolate Birthday Cake aka Universe Cake (in my book) remains the undisputed Filthiest, Dirtiest Chocolate Cake Champion (but it’s fun finding out who her challengers might be!)