Simple chocolate cake

This is a very simple chocolate cake. It’s a melt-and-mix number that delivers a nostalgically light, uncomplicated cake. Quite a lot of sour cream in the batter helps keep it lovely and soft, and topped with a simple chocolate icing and sprinkles or dried petal confetti, it’s pure childish delight. In fact, I can be sure that as soon as I get out the scales and chocolate, Kip – my three-year-old – will stop what he’s doing, push his little stool up to the bench and say, ‘Can I help you make a cake?’.

MAKES ONE 22 CM CAKE

Ingredients

200 g self-raising flour
65 g Dutch (unsweetened) cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
220 g caster (superfine) sugar
300 g sour cream
125 ml full-cream (whole) milk
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
125 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
sprinkles or dried edible flowers to decorate (optional)

CHOCOLATE ICING

200 g icing (confectioners’) sugar
30 g Dutch (unsweetened) cocoa powder
25 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons boiling water

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (315°F) fan-forced. Grease a 22 cm (8½ inch) round tin with butter and line the base and side with baking paper.
2. Place the flour in a large mixing bowl. Sift in the cocoa and baking powder, before adding the salt and caster sugar and whisking to combine.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla and melted butter together until smooth. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix gently until the batter is smooth.
4. Spoon the batter into the tin, smoothing the top and tapping the tin gently on the bench a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake in the oven for 55–60 minutes, or until the cake has risen and is cooked through. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin before carefully turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. When the cake is cool, make the icing. Place the icing sugar, cocoa and butter in a mixing bowl. Add the boiling water and stir until smooth. Spread over the cooled cake and top with sprinkles or edible flowers (if using).
5. Store any left-over cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.

Images and text from The Plain Cake Appreciation Society by Tilly Pamment, photography by Tilly Pamment. Murdoch Books RRP $45.00.