Italian Desserts Recipes - Chocolate Cake (Torta di Cioccolato) Recipe

Ingredients                               

• 100 g/4 oz/1/2 cup unsalted (sweet) butter

• 225 g/8 oz/1 cup light brown sugar

• 30 ml/2 tbsp cocoa (unsweetened chocolate) powder

• 3 eggs, well beaten

• 75 g/3 oz plain (semi-sweet) chocolate, broken into squares

• 150 ml/2/3 cup boiling water

• 400 g/14 oz/3 1/2 cups plain (all­purpose) flour

• 5 ml/1 tsp baking powder

• 2.5 ml/1/2 tsp salt

• 10 ml/2 tsp vanilla essence (extract)

• 175 ml/3/4 cup single (light) cream

• Chocolate Cream Topping

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Method:

1. Cream the butter, sugar and cocoa powder together and add the eggs. Beat well.

2. Melt the chocolate in the boiling water and add to the creamed mixture. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Add the vanilla essence and cream and beat well. Pour into two greased 23 cm/9 in sandwich tins (pans).

4. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 for 25 to 30 minutes until the centers spring back when lightly pressed.

5. Leave in the tins for 5 minutes and turn out on a wire rack to cool completely.

6. Split the cake and fill with half of the topping, spread the remainder over the top of the cake.