Description
This chocolate Christmas celebration cake has become one of my favourite holiday bakes. The coffee quietly deepens the chocolate flavour without making the cake taste like coffee, and the muscovado sugar keeps every slice beautifully soft. Once it’s topped with glossy chocolate ganache, Toblerone shavings, and Maltesers, it looks every bit as festive as it tastes.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 140 g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
- 100 ml vegetable oil
- 140 ml buttermilk, room temperature
- 100 ml hot coffee made with 1 tsp espresso powder
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 5 ml - 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 250 g light muscovado sugar
- 250 g plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 10 ml - 2 tsp baking powder
- 50 g cocoa powder
- 1.25 ml - 1/4 tsp salt
For Decorating
- Chocolate ganache
- Toblerone shavings
- Maltesers
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350⁰F (180⁰C).
- Grease a cake tin with a little unsalted butter and line the base with baking paper. This makes removing the cake much easier later.
- In a small saucepan, gently melt 140 g unsalted butter over low heat.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in 100 ml vegetable oil, 140 ml buttermilk, 100 ml hot coffee made with 1 tsp espresso powder, 2 large eggs, and 1 tsp vanilla extract until smooth.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 250 g light muscovado sugar, 250 g plain flour, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 2 tsp baking powder, 50 g cocoa powder, and 1/4 tsp salt.
- If you notice any lumps in the muscovado sugar, simply rub them between your fingers before mixing. It’s a small step that makes a smoother batter.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients.
- Whisk gently until everything is fully combined and the batter is smooth. Don’t overmix once the flour disappears, or the cake may become slightly dense.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and gently tap the tin on the counter once or twice to release any large air bubbles.
- A 20 cm (8-inch) round cake tin works well for these quantities and helps produce consistent baking results.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cake has risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached.
- Leave the cake in the tin for about 10 minutes, then carefully transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
- Decorating while it’s still warm will cause the ganache to slide off.
- Spread the cooled cake generously with chocolate ganache, then decorate with Toblerone shavings and Maltesers.
- Add a few festive sprinkles if you’d like an extra holiday touch.
Notes
Prepared, tried, and tested by Preshana
