Chocolate Mud Cake

A classic chocolate mud cake recipe which is not too dense or sweet.  This recipe is easy to adapt to a gluten free mixture using a gluten free pre-mixed flour blend.  This receipe is my 'go to' chocolate cake recipe and it can be used to make cute cupcakes or if the recipe is doubled it could become a large tray cake - perfect for parties. Yum!



You will need

• For the cake:
• 3 eggs
• 150ml boiling water 
• 60g couverture dark chocolate
• 120g butter (unsalted)
• 170g castor sugar
• 130g gluten free flour mixture (e.g. Casalare gf flour blend)
• 15g cocoa powder
• 5g soda bi carbonate
• 15ml Rum or Whiskey (or whatever flavour you like) 
• For the Dark Chocolate Ganache?:
• 200ml Thickened cream
• 200ml dark couverture chocolate (chopped)
• 30g unsalted butter
• 30g castor sugar
• 30g liquid glucose

Method - for the cake

• Add the chocolate, butter and sugar into the boiling water and stir to form a smooth ganache.
• Sieve all of the dry ingredients together (flour, bi-carb and cocoa)
• Pour the ganache over the dry ingredients mixing well to combine - you a whisk to avoid lumps.
• Add the eggs one at a time until they are blended into the mixture then add in the Rum/Whiskey.
• Pour the mixture into a lined and greased cake tin until three quarters full.
• Bake at 160degrees for 30-35minutes until a cake skewer comes out clean.
• Leave to cool in tin.  Once removed from tin leave to cool on a wire rack until it is time to decorate.

Method - for the Dark Chocolate Ganache

• Bring the cream to the boil.
• Stir the sugar and glucose into the boiled cream.
• Mix the chocolate into the pan and remove from the heat - stir until all of the ingredients are combined.
• Add the butter at the end when the ingredients are fully combined and the mixture is away from the heat of the stove top. 
• Pour the ganache into a container and chill in the fridge until it is ready for masking (this usually takes an hour or two).
• When the cake is cooled use the ganache to mask the cake and then decorate as you please. 

I included white chocolate highlights and a marzipan rose as additional decorations but you could also keep it simple with chocolate sprinkles or simply leave masked with ganache.