The recipe comes from Yotam Ottolenghi, a highly regarded chef and writer, and of the recipe, Tania wrote: “If I could fall in love with a cake recipe, I would”. Now, if my foodie friend raves about a recipe, I gotta believe it’s superb, so I tried it out, because how could I ignore a cake that has been hailed by others as the best chocolate cake in the world, as well as the world’s easiest.
I made it without the chocolate ganache and the espresso cinnamon mascarpone cream, which the recipe says are optional anyway. Even “naked”, the cake was incredible, and very quick and easy to make too – I don’t think it took longer than 10 minutes to prep the ingredients and make the whole cake.
Is it the world’s best chocolate cake? Well, it’s a standout for sure. And the fact that it’s so quick to prepare makes it a keeper. If you’re not ready to make it now, bookmark the recipe. I doubt you’ll ever regret trying it out and I can’t imagine you and your family/friends won’t love it.
You can pour the warm ganache straight over the cake, or let it thicken to a spreadable consistency.
1. Heat oven to 170C. Grease a 23-centimetre round springform tin with butter and line with baking paper, then set aside.
2. Place the butter, chocolate and hot coffee in a large heatproof bowl and mix well until everything is melted, combined and smooth. Whisk in sugar by hand until dissolved. Add eggs and vanilla extract and whisk again until thoroughly combined and smooth. Sift flour, cocoa powder and salt together into a bowl and then whisk this into the melted chocolate mixture. The batter here is liquid.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until the cake is cooked and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean or with just a few dry crumbs attached. The top will form a crust and crack a little, but don’t worry, this is expected. Leave the cake to cool for 20 minutes before removing from the pan, then set aside until completely cool.
6. To make the espresso cinnamon mascarpone cream, place all the ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat for 1 to 2 minutes, until soft peaks form.
7. Peel the parchment from the cake and discard. Transfer to a serving platter and spread the ganache, if using, on top of the cake. Slice into wedges, divide the cake among plates and, if using, spoon the mascarpone cream alongside. With or without icing, the cake will keep well for 4 to 5 days in an airtight container.
I’m making this today. Hoping it is as good as your Red Velvet cupcakes recipe you posted a very long time ago. I still use that one and every time I make it people say it is the best they’ve ever had.