Chocolate Confessions
For someone who proclaims that they aren’t a chocaholic, I sure seem to post a lot of chocolate recipes! Am I just in denial? Perhaps somewhere under this hardened exterior lies a sweet, gooey, intense rush of chocolate love?
Maybe I should just take a deep breath, step forward and admit it - my name is Ellie, and I’m a chocaholic.
To be honest, I’m not the world’s biggest chocaholic. I don’t find myself constantly craving it’s cocoa kiss, nor am I driven to seek it out very often. However, when there’s a freshly baked chocolate cake (or a beautiful chocolate truffle) in my vicinity, the smell enters my nose and my eyes roll back into my head with pleasure as my senses are awakened.
Anyone who knows what I’m talking about understands what I mean when I say that chocolate is a beautiful thing.
This being my very last week at my workplace (and Friday being my last day ever), I decided to treat my coworkers by making them this very special chocolate cake. I’ve made this cake for many special occasions before, so I thought it only appropriate for this to be my farewell cake, a nice way to go out with a bang and leave my friends and fans with a final touch of sweetness from me to them 
Though it is super impressive, the beauty of this cake is that it is utterly foolproof and easy enough for even the most inexperienced baker to make. Moist, fluffy, rich, and intensely chocolatey - despite all the other chocolate cake recipes there are in the world (and we know that there are as many of those as grains of sand on a beach!) I know that I need no other than this to last me the rest of my days…
Chocolate Mud Cake
Ingredients
Cake
200g butter, chopped
200g good quality dark cooking chocolate, chopped
30g cocoa powder, sifted
2 tbsp instant coffee powder
60ml (1/4) cup water
1 tsp vanilla essence
220g caster sugar
3 eggs (room temperature)
115g self-raising flour, sifted
Ganache
150g good quality dark cooking chocolate, roughly chopped
125ml (1/2 cup) thin cream
1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees C, then line a cake tin with baking paper (this cake is fragile and moist so you’ll need the paper to be able to remove it from the tin - greasing the cake tin is not enough).
2. Combine butter, chocolate, cocoa, coffee powder, water & vanilla essence in a medium saucepan. Whisk over low heat till smooth & well combined. Set aside mixture till it is lukewarm.
3. Beat sugar & egg together till pale and creamy. Slowly add the lukewarm chocolate mix whilst continually beating with an electric hand whisk, then add the flour and beat till combined and the mixture is light and fluffy.
4. Pour mix into prepared cake tin and bake for 55 mins, or till a skewer inserted into the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it.
5. Set cake out to cool in tin for 15, then remove from cake tin and turn on a wire rack to cool completely.
6. To make ganache, combine chocolate and cream in heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (water should not touch bottom of bowl). Stir occasionally, till mixture is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside for around an hour, stirring occasionally till it has cooled and thickened to a spreadable consistency.
7. Spread ganache over cooled cake. Set aside for 30 mins or till ganache is firm, then serve!
This cake is one that tastes better if slightly aged, so if you are planning ahead then try and make it around 2-3 days before you intend to serve it. You can leave the iced cake in the fridge for up to a week, and just remove it about an hour before you serve it to soften the cake and ganache and bring them to room temperature.
Technorati Tags: baking, chocolate, cakes, recipes, dessert, sweets
Others who have tried this recipe:
- Katie from Apple & Spice
- Thanh from I Eat Therefore I Am
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Comments
Cindy Ooooh, yeah… it’s gotta be ganache, not icing!
I hope the end of this job is bringing with it a new opportunity for you.
Patricia Scarpin Ellie,
You are so sweet! How wonderful of you to bake this fantastic cake for the people at work!
I wish I had coworkers as lovely as you. 
Lisa Awww that’s the nicest thing =) I’ll bet they will really miss you!
This cake looks phenomenal.. and dense and rich and ohhhh so chocolatey! It’s on my list to try - most definitely - still always on the look out for that Ultimate Chocolate Cake recipe.
Hugs sweetie!
xoxo
Helen I would have a chocolate mud bath everyday….my own little spa treatment. That picture almost put me in chocolate coma. Gorgeous. Glad you are back!
Terry B Must be something in the air. I just did a chocolate cake post too–although I didn’t bake mine, my wife did, so I had her write most of the post too [only fair, I think]. It’s her killer, easy, almost flourless chocolate cake.
Your cake sounds tasty–great photos too, Ellie. And your amusing admission to chocoholism reminds me of a great T-shirt I saw: “I’m like a chocoholic, but with booze.”
Tanna Even if you just like chocolate, unless you really dislike it - you love chocolate.
I don’t think I’m a chocoholic but yes I love chocolate.
Beautiful pictures. Great looking cake.
Hope new directions are wonderful for you.
Callipygia Great looking cake, I can practically taste it. Your co-workers are lucky- hope it was a good parting for you.
Emily Hooray, you’re back! I’m sure your coworkers will be thrilled with the cake. Best of luck with your next adventures.
Ellie Kat - Thanks heaps hon
Cindy - You are a woman after my own heart! Bring on the ganache, I say 
Patricia - Thank you sweetheart
Lisa - I’ll miss the cheeky monkeys just as much I think you’ll love this cake - let me know what you think once you give it a whirl!
Helen - Now that sounds like the definition of decadence! Glad you liked the cake and pictures
Terry - I’m thinking that the chocaholic equivalent of that tshirt would sell pretty well! Glad you liked this post
Tanna - Thanks sweetheart
Callipgia - Thanks hon The parting was sad but good in a way as well!
Emily - Hehehe, cheers sunshine!
Peabody - Thanks sweetheart
gilly You’re back, Ellie - yay!
What a fabulous looking (and sounding) cake - rich, chocolate-y… what else does a gal need?
A very kind of you to make for your soon-to-be ex-co-workers - no burning bridges there!
Bron I want some of that cake, I’m a total chocoholic, but I’m also needing to cut back on my indulgences, bother it 
P.S Ellie, if you’re keen on some foodie themed smilies, check out my old collection here http://cuisinedumonde.org/posting.php?mode=smilies
Ellie Gilly - hehehe, definetely not! Once I have access to a working camera, I’ll do many more chocolate delights!
Bron - Sigh, this food blogging business isn’t easy! So much temptation… Thanks for the smilies, but not being too technical, I’ve no idea to install them!
Crystal Meeks Hey I saw an article on simple Ganache that involved no cooking. Any way I can’t seem to find it now and I was wondering if you had heard of it and if so would you send me the recipie. Thank you Crystal
Ellie I’m really sorry, but I’ve never heard of any such thing as ganache with no cooking involved - chocolate will always need to be melted in order to be able to mix it together with cream to create the ganache. There are many different ways of doing this, but they all require the application of heat.
Sorry I can’t be of any more help 
azalea When I made this and tasted the mix, I was worried that it would taste too much like coffee. But it turned out great! I didn’t much like the ganache, but that’s probably because of the chocolate I used. Will probably be making this cake again - it’s rich and moist and luxurious.
mélanie I freaking LOVE this receipe and so does my mother! 
I just made one but only for myself and it’s 1.00am haha I made it half size, with one egg. I also never add the instant coffee powder because I don’t like coffee flavored cakes. It’s still delicious and I hope the one baking will be delicious aswell, because I need some comfort food tonight. 
Thanks a lot for this
Ellie Azalea - I think that when dark chocolate and coffee are mixed together, the chocolate is strong enough to overcome the coffee which ends up just enhancing its flavour Glad to hear that you liked it!
Blender - Thanks hon
Melanie - Thanks babe Hope the cake worked well for you!
I am a chocoholic and this cake is gorgeous! Good job and good luck!