Dark Dutch Chocolate Cake

Credit: Flickr / daulen7788

Dark cocoa powder and Callebaut chocolate glaze give this chocolate cake double the chocolatey goodness

When you’re craving chocolate cake, you want rich, intense, captivating and most of all, overwhelmingly delicious

This cake pretty much wins the cakewalk on all of the above, without being complicated.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Cote d’Azur dark Dutch cocoa powder
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla paste
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 3/4 cup cake flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large free-range eggs

Glaze:

• 1/2 lb. good-quality chocolate, Callebaut or Cacao Barry single origin
• 1/3 cup half and half cream

Instructions

1. Place the cocoa powder in a medium bowl.
2. Pour the boiling water over and whisk until smooth.
3. Add the vanilla paste and set aside to cool.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
5. Grease and flour two 10-inch round cake pans.
6. Sift all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
7. Place the butter in the mixing bowl of an electric mixer.
8. Cream the butter until it is light in colour, about 5 minutes.
9. Slowly pour in the sugar while the mixer is running.
10. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure the mixture is even.
11. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, incorporating each one before adding the next.
12. Add 1/3 of the cocoa mixture, along with 1/3 of the flour mixture, to the bowl and mix.
13. Repeat twice, using 1/3 of each mixture each time.
14. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans.
15. Give the pans a bang on the counter. This will release any air pockets, bringing them to the surface, giving you an even-textured cake without holes.
16. Bake for 40 minutes or until the cake tester comes out clean.
17. Let the cakes cool completely before removing from the pans.
18. Meanwhile, to make the glaze, combine the chocolate and cream in a double boiler and let simmer until the chocolate melts and the glaze is smooth.
19. Let glaze cool slightly.
20. Place both cakes on a serving pedestal and pour the chocolate glaze over top, encouraging it to run down the sides of the cake in uneven dribbles.
21. If you want to step it up a notch, sprinkle the top of the cake with gold flakes!

Serves 8 to 10.

Originally published in TVW. For daily programming updates and on-screen Entertainment news, subscribe to the free TVW e-newsletters, or purchase a subscription to the weekly magazine.