Celebration Mud Cake

This cake will feed at least 30 people so is great for those special-event parties. The mixture is very runny and makes a very dense cake. This recipe is supplied by Bev Blanche (West Melton branch of Rural Women New Zealand) as published in A Good Baking Day. 

Ingredients 
500g butter, chopped
350 g dark chocolate, chopped
4 cups caster sugar
2 cups hot water
2 tbsp instant coffee powder
1/3 cup whisky
1/3 cup Irish crème liqueur
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups plain flour
1/2 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup cocoa 

Preheat oven to 150°C. Grease and line a 27cm x 33cm baking dish.  Combine butter, chocolate, sugar, water, coffee, whisky and liqueur in a large saucepan over a low heat. Stir without boiling until chocolate has melted, then cool for 5 minutes and transfer to a very large bowl. Whisk in eggs and sifted dry ingredients. 

 Pour into the prepared dish and bake for about 1¼ hours. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack. Ice with your favourite ganache.

Ganache
300ml cream
300g good-quality dark chocolate

Gently heat the  cream until almost boiing (bubbles will start to appear around the edges of the pot). Remove from heat. Break the chocolate into pieces and add to cream. Stand for a minute then stir until all chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Photography: Lesley McIntosh

   Recipe from A Good Baking Day 
   Rural Women New Zealand, RRP$36.99, Random        House NZ, released: 21 March 2014.

   For Lemon Apricot Slice, click here.

   For Pumpkin Prune and Orange Muffins click here.