Chocolate and buttermilk slab cake
SERVES 8-10 // PREP TIME 20 MINS // COOK 50 MINS (PLUS COOLING)
This lush cake is a super-simple melt-and-mix number.
Buttermilk plays a role in both the batter, where it creates
an ultra-tender crumb, and in the frosting, where it cuts
the sweetness. This cake is just as good a few days after
baking, but you’ll be hard-pressed to resist it for that long.
280 gm caster sugar
120 gm dark chocolate
(54%-58% cocoa solids),
finely chopped
90 gm butter, diced
225 gm (1½ cups) plain flour
1½ tbsp Dutch-process
cocoa, sifted
¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda
110 ml buttermilk
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
Freeze-dried raspberries,
(optional; see note),
to serve
CHOCOLATE-BUTTERMILK
FROSTING
150 gm dark chocolate
(54%-58% cocoa solids)
100 gm softened butter
120 gm (¾ cup) pure icing sugar
70 ml well-shaken buttermilk
1 Preheat oven to 160°C. Butter
a 15cm x 30cm rectangular cake
tin and line it with baking paper.
Combine sugar, chocolate,
butter and 180ml water in a large
saucepan and stir occasionally
over low heat until melted and
smooth. Remove from heat,
cool slightly, then sift in dry
ingredients and whisk until
smooth. Whisk in buttermilk, egg
and yolk until smooth, pour into
tin and bake until centre springs
back when slightly pressed
(45-50 minutes). Cool in tin.
2 For chocolate-buttermilk
frosting, melt chocolate in
a bowl over a saucepan of
barely simmering water, stirring
occasionally, until smooth. Cool
to lukewarm, then transfer to an
electric mixer, add butter and
beat until flufy (5-6 minutes).
Beat in icing sugar and
buttermilk until smooth, then
spread onto cooled cake and
serve scattered with crumbled
freeze-dried raspberries.
NoteFreeze-dried raspberries
are available from select
supermarkets and delicatessens
or from fresh-as.com.➤This lush chocolate and buttermilk
cake is a super-simple melt-and-mix
number, and is just as good
a few days after baking.Slab cake and mini
bundtsAll props
stylist’s own.