Chocolate fudge cake (13 inch square)

This is the bottom cake of the three tiered wedding cake I’m making for Lorna.  I’ve never made such a huge cake with such huge quantities! Making it took most of the day as I had to leave the melted chocolate mixture – which filled a huge casserole pot – to cool for a good couple of hours!

Ingredients

800g unsalted butter

800g dark chocolate

3 ½ tbsp instant coffee granules

1.6kg caster sugar

525ml water

14 eggs

125ml vegetable oil

350ml sour cream

500g self raising flour

500g plain flour

200g cocoa powder

3 ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method

1. Start by melting the butter, chocolate, coffee, sugar and water in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Once melted, set aside to cool.
2. Grease and double line the 13 inch square cake tin with baking paper. Then line the outside of the tin with newspaper – at least 5 pages folded to about the height of the tin and secured with string or masking tape. 
3. Preheat the oven to 160°C (or 140°C in a fan oven). Place a baking tray on the top shelf and a tray of water on the bottom shelf.
4. Once the chocolate mixture is cool, add the eggs, oil and sour cream and stir well.
5. Sift all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre.
6. Pour the chocolate mixture into well and mix until thoroughly combined.
7. Pour the batter into the lined tin and scoop out the middle, so all the mixture is around the side of the cake tin and you can see the tin at the bottom.
8. Place on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 2 hours 45 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
9. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin.

Based on a recipe from Lindy’s Cakes, a great website with loads of helpful tips for wedding cake making!