Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Buttercream

 

(and sprinkles!)

I originally started off this post with "There isn't too much to say about this cake", but I quickly scratched the whole past to start again after I remembered what actually happened. Making this cake was absolutely terrible!
After very much enjoying the cake made from the Women's Weekly recipe (see post below), I decided to re-bake it so I could take it to school and share it with my friends. The batter was easy enough to whip up, but once cooked, it yielded a very obvious problem; the cake was about half as high as a normal cake should be. I had once before had this same problem when using a too-large springform pan, but I did not expect this to happen with the smaller-sized springform pan I had since purchased and was using for this cake.
Nevertheless, a cake only a few centimetres high resulted, as my infamous baking-panic set in. The only viable option was to bake another cake, so I proceeded to do so, opting to sandwich the them together with some buttercream.
But of course, the second cake would not be without its fair share of dramas. I had used up the last of the greaseproof paper for the first cake, and assumed a large greasing with ghee would suffice. Nup. The soft cake stuck to the bottom of the pan, and I was forced to salvage what I could and stick it all together. The good news however,was that I don't think this was noticable at all when the cake was actually served.
I quite liked the pairing of the vanilla buttercream with this cake, and a dash of sprinkles gave it a birthday-cake type of quality which is always nice. Despite the drama I experienced, it was a tasy and a very easy to prepare cake which I will definitely be using again. 

The recipe below is for one single, unlayered cake. It can be either split and cooked in two batches (if using a smaller pan), or can be doubled, if a double-layer cake is desired.

Also you might already be aware of my inability to quote how much buttercream is required, so I apologise. Just have as look at the cake and judge how much you'll need. Sorry :(

(Adapted from the Australian Women's Weekly recipe)


Rich Chocolate Cake

For the cake:

• 200g (1 1/3 cups) self-raising flour
• 50g (1/2 cup) cocoa powder
• 125g soft butter
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 275g (1 1/4 cups) caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 160mL (2/3 cup) water

1.  Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and grease and line a 20cm baking pan.
2. Sift the flour and cocoa into a large mixing bowl.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and mix with an electric mixer on low speed until combined.
4. Raise mixer speed to medium and beat for a further three minutes (the mixture should be smooth and creamy, and the colour should lighten slightly)
5. Pour mixture into cake tin and bake for approximately 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
6. Allow cake to cool for five minutes in its tin before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

I used some of the batter to make a few cupcakes, too. They were excellent and confirmed the fact this same recipe can be used to make cupcakes, which is always awesome.