Recipe: Lily Vanilli’s ultimate versatile chocolate cake
East London’s baking queen shares her method for a gooey chocolate cake that is ideal for whipping out at a dinner party…
Lily Vanilli at her Hoxton cake HQ
Ingredients:
230g unsalted butter, room temperature
540g caster sugar
4 eggs
420g plain flour, sifted
90g cocoa powder, sifted
1 tsp salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
380ml sour cream/full fat natural yoghurt
250ml strong brewed coffee, cooled
To decorate: any buttercream you like
Two 8” round cake tins, greased and lined
Prep Time: 25 mins Cooking Time: 35 mins Serves: 16+
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180˚C fan assisted/gas mark 6.
Cream together the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy for approximately 4 minutes. Then add the eggs and beat on a slow speed, gradually increasing until just evenly incorporated.
Whisk together all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add half to the batter, then the soured cream, then the remaining dry ingredients, keeping beating to a minimum.
Once you have a smooth even batter, gradually add the coffee. The mixture will be very wet, so beat slowly to incorporate.
Divide the mixture between the two prepared cake tins and level out to the edges. Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until a cocktail stick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
You can scale this recipe up or down and make cakes of any sizes. Ice and decorate as you wish. Always fill your cake tin around 3cm deep, and cupcake cases 3/4 full. Adjust the baking time to suit. Cupcakes need 15 minutes, larger cakes around 10 minutes longer – but always test your cake by inserting a toothpick into the batter. When it comes out clean, it is done.