Perfect Dark Chocolate Cake for Any Occasion

He says I've gone insane. Have I? Given my weird sleep cycle since the day I returned from the US, he may just be right. Does jet lag usually take long to recover or is it just me? These days I am up and about by 2 or 3 AM and there's nothing I can do about it, other than hoping that it would get better and keeping calm about it. But, every cloud has a silver lining or so I like to see, and thanks to the jet lag, today I totally enjoyed baking this Perfect Dark Chocolate Cake in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

One fascinating thing about life is the people whom we meet; some come and leave without making any lasting impression, but a very few brush that fairy dust against you which instantly works out a magic connection. I too have some such wonderful souls in my life whom I call friends and this cake is for one among them.

A belated anniversary cake for a woman of character and a great friend who always goes that extra mile to make her friends happy. This is also my attempt to help someone who has been away on a medical emergency, bring back that smile and find happiness. Hope she enjoys it and have some quality time with her family.

Back to cake - this is my "go to dark chocolate cake for any occasion", be it birthday, anniversary or get-togethers.  Airy and moist, this comes out perfect every time and also happens to be his favourite. So today, I baked two - one I dressed up a little and the other I left bare (for us).

The cake is decorated with the bare minimum stuff I had; made some cut outs and dusted powdered sugar to get a stencil like effect. I also added two toothpick toppers, again made in a jiffy this morning. The photo is also mobile clicked. So, everything about this cake is downright low profile. :P

For the same reason, if you are looking for a simple foolproof chocolate cake that is as easy as a cake mix then this you will love. Believe me, this is no marketing gimmicks! :-) 

Perfect Dark Chocolate (Original Recipe, as updated in my old blog)

Dark chocolate - 100 gram

Salted butter - 125 gram (if using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt)

Water - 155 ml

Instant coffee powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Cocoa powder - 1 1/2 tablespoon

Granulated sugar - 3/4 cup

Vanilla essence - 1/2 teaspoon

Egg - 1 medium

Flour - 125 gram

Baking powder - 1/2 teaspoon (if using self raising flour, skip this)

Baking soda - 1/2 teaspoon (if using self raising flour, skip this) 

We landed this Wednesday morning after a 3 weeks' vacation and when I made up my mind to bake, I wasn't sure if I had everything I needed. I went over the ingredients list and the only fancy one it asked for was dark chocolate. And that is something any home baker would keep, but I didn't! :P However, I had some Hershey's special dark chocolate mini bars and the difference I adjusted with  dark chocolate coated acai and blueberry, both I picked from the US. I skipped cocoa powder the original recipe called for and substituted with some more of acai and blueberry dark chocolates. That is very unlike of me to throw in whatever I have in hand when it comes to baking, because I usually go by precision. Anyhow, things worked just fine and the cake came out delicious! 

HOW TO:

In a sauce pan, melt together first 6 ingredients in low heat and stirring to ensure lumps are gone. Switch off when chocolate and butter are melted. Transfer to a bowl and let it cool.

Sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda.

Once cool enough, add the egg to the chocolate mixture and beat using electric mixer in medium speed. 

Add the vanilla essence, followed by flour mix portion by portion, making sure to beat after every addition to combine well.

Preheat oven at 160 degree Celsius. Line a square baking pan with butter paper.

Transfer the batter into the baking pan and bake in over for 40-45 minutes. Once done let it cool.