Apr 11, 2024 7 min read Newsletters

You Need This Recipe - Issue #63

Chocolate mud cake - a must have recipe.

Happy Thursday!

I've been enjoying putting together this newsletter ever since we wrapped up filming our latest video. Tonight, this video has been published, featuring a delectable and effortless recipe that uses basic pantry staples. It's the kind of recipe that'll become your go-to for whipping up all sorts of tasty treats!

Honestly, I got so hungry just writing this that I couldn't resist throwing together a Mocha variation and popping it into the oven. I'll share a pic with you below ;).

In this newsletter, you'll find a whole bunch of fun variations of this recipe to try out, plus a decadent dessert option with an added chocolate mousse. And because we're all about making things look as good as they taste, I've included recipes for ganache and buttercream frosting, along with some inspiring photos of different cakes I've made using this recipe too.

I hope this gets your creative juices flowing and inspires you to try some of your own delicious creations.

Mocha chocolate mud cake with white chocolate coffee buttercream frosting.

In this issue:

Fresh off the press - I Make This Chocolate Cake Recipe Every Week
Recipe variations - Chocolate Mud Cake
What I've made with this same recipe - Chocolate Mousse Cake

Fresh off the Press...(+ Recipes)

Our latest video - I make this chocolate cake recipe every week - has just been published.

In this video I share my favourite chocolate mud cake recipe - it's so good I make it every week!

You might wondering how I can possibly make it every week without getting tired of it? Well, it's so versatile that it never has to be the same.

The beauty of this recipe is that you can create new and exciting flavours with only a few simple tweaks - so it never gets boring! In this video we'll make the basic recipe and 2 other variations of it, in a cake and slab and cupcakes. Best of all it only uses 9 basic ingredients and will stay fresh for the whole week (if it lasts that long!).

Here's the video link...

Chocolate Mud Cake

Makes one 7" round cake

Dry Ingredients:

250g (9oz) self raising flour
35g (1oz) cocoa powder
180g (6oz) sugar
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients:

250ml (9 fl oz) water
125ml (4 fl oz) oil
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
Prepare cake tin with a thin coat of oil based spray and a baking paper disc.
Add the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk to get rid of any lumps.
Add the wet ingredients to a separate mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until fully incorporated.
Pour into cake tin and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake.
Cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:

125ml (4 fl oz) cream (or coconut cream for a dairy free alternative)
250g (9oz) dark chocolate

Method:

Bring the cream to the boil.
Turn off the heat and whisk in the chocolate.
Keep whisking until smooth and glossy - all the chocolate should be completely melted.
Leave to cool and firm up (preferably over night). If it is too solid to spread, melt it gently to spreadable consistency.

White Chocolate Buttercream

Ingredients:

250g (1/2 lb) butter, at room temperature
150g (5 oz) white chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup (5 oz) icing sugar

Method:

Beat the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer (or hand whisk) until light and creamy.
Pour in the melted white chocolate and mix until completely combined. If the chocolate is too hot it will melt the butter, so make sure it's still runny but not hot.
Add the icing sugar bit by bit until it's light and fluffy. The more icing sugar you add, the firmer the icing will be.

Recipe Variations - Chocolate Mud Cake

This chocolate mud cake recipe is so versatile you can completely change the flavours and look of this cake with just a few simple tweaks and additions.

You can also bake this recipe in a cake tin, muffin/cupcake tin or in a shallow slab tin, which opens up lots of added variations to these variations too 😄.

Here are a few ideas to get your imagination going:

Orange chocolate mud cake - Zest an orange in with the dry ingredients. Then squeeze the orange juice into a measuring jug and top up with water to the required water quantity. Ice with chocolate ganache or white chocolate buttercream with added orange zest.
Mocha chocolate mud cake - Add 2 tablespoons of instant coffee powder to the dry ingredients. Ice with a white chocolate buttercream. (For an extra coffee kick add 2 teaspoons of instant coffee powder sifted into the icing).
Vanilla chocolate mud cake - For a light coloured cake substitute the cocoa powder for extra flour.
'Healthier' chocolate mud cake - Substitute 1/2 or 2/3 of the self-raising flour for a wholemeal self-raising flour to add more fibre to the cake. You can also safely halve the sugar, if you don't want it too sweet.
Raspberry chocolate mud cake - Replace the vanilla essence with raspberry essence and mix 1 cup of raspberries (fresh or frozen) through the batter. You can sprinkle a few on top before you pop it in the oven too.
Pineapple/mint/hazelnut chocolate mud cake - You can substitute the vanilla essence for any other essence to give your cake a different flavour. Use the corresponding ingredients to garnish the cake or cupcakes (ie: dried pineapple flowers, grated mint flavoured chocolate, chopped toasted hazelnuts or a nut praline).
Vegan chocolate mud cake - The cake itself is already vegan, but you can make the chocolate ganache vegan too by substituting the cream for coconut cream and use a high cocoa percentage chocolate with no milk solids.

If you try any of these, I'd love to know how you get on and which is your favourite combination.

What I've Made With This Recipe - Chocolate Mousse Cake

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Make one chocolate mud cake recipe in a shallow slice tin.
Once cooled, prepare a high sided loaf tin with a light oil spray and baking paper.
Cut a piece of the slab cake to fit snuggly in the bottom of the loaf tin. (You can drizzle the cake with 1/8 of a cup of sugar syrup, liqueur or sherry if you like).
Make the chocolate mousse.

Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon powdered gelatine
1 tablespoon water
100g (3 1/2 oz) dark chocolate, chopped
35g (1 oz) butter
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup (4 oz) cream
1 1/2 tablespoon icing sugar

Method:

Place gelatine and water into a small bowl to bloom.
Put the chocolate, butter and cocoa powder into a small saucepan. Heat over a medium heat until melted and smooth.
Remove from the heat and stir the gelatine mixture through until it's completely dissolved.
Cool to room temperature (not cold or hot to touch).
Add the yolks, one at a time and whisk through quickly. (If the chocolate is too hot it will cook the egg yolks). Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk the cream until soft peaks form.
In another bowl, whisk the egg whites, gradually adding the icing sugar until thick and glossy.
Gently fold the egg white mixture through the chocolate mixture.
Fold in the whipped cream until completely combined.
Pour onto the cake slab and leave to set in the fridge.
Make chocolate ganache.

Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:

60ml (2 fl oz) cream
125g (5 oz) dark chocolate

Method:

Bring the cream to the boil.
Turn off the heat and whisk in the chocolate.
Whisk until smooth and glossy - all the chocolate should be completely melted.
Leave to cool a little, then pour over the set chocolate mousse and return to the fridge to set completely.
Pop the finished mousse cake into the freezer about an hour before you cut it so that you get a nice crisp cut. (Make sure you use a hot knife and wipe it dry in between cuts for a better presentation).