Best ever chocolate cake

It's a bold claim, I know, but this cake is a winner.

There are many kinds of chocolate cakes and all sorts of ways you can doctor them: caramel, oreos, peanut butter, cheesecake, etc. But when all you want is a moist, fudgy, pure chocolate cake experience, this is the one.

It's a one-bowl recipe with a short list of simple store-cupboard ingredients. And it just happens to be eggless, dairy-free and wheat-free. Can you tell? Not even the slightest. This chocolate cake tastes every bit as sinful as it looks. The cake itself is wonderfully light but add that rich and smooth chocolate ganache and those plump, ripe raspberries...you need to try this.

I have to admit, it's weird for me to choose a chocolate cake for my birthday. I know and bake for so many chocoholics that I tend to lean the other way personally. But every baking blog needs a good chocolate cake and here is mine. Last year, I met the little daughter of one of my dad's closest friends for the first time. She was coming to my parents' place for dinner and I'd heard that she was gluten-intolerant and allergic to eggs. It took me back to my childhood straight away, to all the dinner parties where I couldn't eat anything, but also to all the kind aunties who'd made something especially for me. I had to do something. I was short on time that day so the cake wasn't particularly polished or pretty. But the look on that beautiful child's face when she saw it and heard that she could have a slice (or three)... Well, I won't forget it.

Dad's choice of candles :')

Due to all the silly dietary restrictions I talked about in my last post, I looked at a lot of other vegan chocolate cake recipes. But I'm wary of complicated recipes or ones where you have to buy a lot of specialty ingredients. This cake takes all of five minutes to mix together and pour into a pan. I don't know about you, but my favourite pairing for a chocolate cake isn't any kind of buttercream or frosting; to me, nothing beats a silky chocolate ganache. It couldn't be easier. Boil some cream, pour it over chocolate, wait for a few minutes and then mix. Let it cool for a while and it'll thicken until you can pour it over the cake, settling with shine. Or put it in the fridge until it hardens and then whip it into the lightest, dreamiest frosting. To make it dairy-free, I used dairy-free chocolate and coconut milk in place of the cream. Oh my God. If it wasn't every bit as good as the original, it was better.

Some tips for a perfect layer cake. I've always been more of a last-minute baker. I've always spent so much time researching and comparing recipes, I used to make my cakes at the very last minute (3am? Why not!) and this is just a recipe for disaster. You cannot cut or frost a cake while it's still steaming from the oven. Sure, my friends and family have never cared and I will always put taste over presentation, but here are some tips that I'm slowly picking up.

Make your cake the day before and let it cool completely. Wrap it first in clingfilm and then in a layer of aluminum foil and put it in the freezer overnight. Don't worry, it won't dry the cake out at all. If anything, it makes the cake even more moist. The next morning, take it out and do any trimming or cutting. Freezing the cake stops it crumbling all over the place so you can do this neatly and easily. My mum has Wilton's cake leveler, which is magically simple to use, but a nice and sharp serrated knife works just as well. Also do your frosting while the cake is still thawing; again, you don't have to worry about crumbs sticking to your icing and you can get a much better finish this way. Honestly, this makes decorating so much easier and less stressful. If you try this method, let me know how you get on! Either way, make this cake.

Vegan chocolate cake

Recipe adapted from Sue @ allrecipes.co.uk.

INGREDIENTS

• 200g flour (plain, spelt or gluten-free)*
• 200g caster sugar
• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 250ml water*

METHOD

Preheat oven to 175°C. Lightly grease one 20cm or 8" round tin.

Sieve together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add the oil, vanilla, vinegar and water. Mix together until smooth.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Wrap the cake in clingfilm and then again in aluminum foil. Place in the freezer overnight.

In the morning, use a sharp serrated knife to cut the cake into two even layers.

Notes: I used spelt flour for this cake but have used a gluten-free flour blend very successfully before. I totally forgot to do this this time but feel free to replace the water with the equivalent of cooled coffee. This will intensify the chocolate flavour and you won't even taste the coffee.

Chocolate ganache

Enough to cover one 8" cake.

INGREDIENTS

• 250g chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips (dairy-free if needed)
• 250ml cream or canned coconut milk (please don't try to use light coconut milk here)

METHOD

Place the chopped chocolate or chocolate chips in a bowl.

Heat the cream or coconut milk over medium heat until it just comes to a boil.

Pour the cream or coconut milk over the chocolate and leave to rest for five minutes.

Stir well until all the chocolate has melted and dissolved and the mixture is glossy and smooth.

Leave to cool completely and thicken, putting it in the fridge briefly if necessary. It shouldn't be runny or thin but it needs to be loose enough to pour over the cake.

ASSEMBLY

Place one half of the cake onto your serving plate or cake stand.

Take about 1/3 cup of the ganache, or just enough to generously cover the layer, and spread on this evenly over the cake.

Place the second half of the cake over the first.

Pour over the ganache, coaxing it with a spoon or angled spatula until it spills over along the sides. Smooth the top and the sides with the spatula until you're happy with the finish, cleaning up any extra ganache from the serving plate.

Leave to set or put it in the fridge for fifteen minutes if it's a hot day.

Cover the top of the cake with a cup of ripe raspberries and then dust with icing sugar to serve.

Bon appétit!