Mary Berry is celebrating her 89th birthday today, and what better way to enjoy the occasion than by treating yourself to a homemade chocolate cake.
In her career, Mary has written over 75 cookbooks but has said nothing is better than the feeling of making a cake for loved ones for a special occasion according to her book ‘Simple Cakes.’
She wrote: “One of the great joys of baking is the satisfaction one gets from the ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ when the finished cake is produced.
“There is nothing better than the smell of freshly baked cake wafting from the kitchen, tempting everyone to come and try what’s on offer and hardly being able to wait for it to cool before eating.”
Whether you are celebrating something special or want an excuse to treat yourself on the Queen of Cakes’ birthday, Mary’s chocolate cake is not only a “very easy” recipe to follow but has been designed to be enjoyed no matter what as it is a “sheer luxury and a complete indulgence!”
READ MORE: Mary Berry’s ‘moist and crunchy’ lemon drizzle is ready to bake in minutes
Instructions
To make the cake:
To begin, Preheat the oven to 160C or Gas Mark 3. Then, lightly grease the sandwich tins and line them with baking paper.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and baking soda into a large mixing bowl, then add the sugar and mix the dry ingredients together.
Make a well into the centre of the dry ingredients and add the golden syrup, eggs, sunflower oil and milk. Beat well using a wooden spoon until you have a smooth batter, then pour into the prepared tins.
Place in the oven and bake for about 35 minutes or until the cake is well-risen. Once ready, turn it out onto a wire rack and then remove the lining paper to cool. Then, cut each cake in half horizontally.
To make the icing:
For the icing, break the chocolate into pieces and place it into a heatproof bowl placed over a pan of hot water over a low heat. Do not let the water in the pan touch the bowl or the chocolate may overheat.
Stir the chocolate occasionally and wait until it is fully melted, then egg in the butter and stir until the butter has melted.
To ensemble:
Place half the cake for the bottom layer on a baking tray to catch any dripping chocolate, then spoon a little of the melted chocolate icing into the middle of the cake.
Repeat for the three other cake layers, then pour the remaining icing on top of the cake. Use a small palette knife to smooth over the icing and make it even, then leave the cake on the countertop or cool place to set. Mary Berry highly recommends not putting the cake in the fridge to set as it can cause it to “lose its shine,”
To make the chocolate waves:
Melt the plain chocolate and white chocolate in two separate small bowls over a pan of hot water. Then, spread the chocolate on four strips of foil around four centimeters wide and 35 centimeters long.
Carefully lay the strips over two ugs placed on their sides on a baking tray to give the cake decoration its wavy shape. Place the tray in the fridge to set, and then peel of the foil.
Use the chocolate waves to decorate the top of the cake once it has set, and your mouth-watering chocolate cake will then be ready to serve.
