Bake: Katherine Sabbath’s Cienna, Chocolate & Raspberry Cream Fudge Cake

Ingredients: 

• Melted butter or cooking oil spray, for greasing
• 200g butter, chopped
• 200g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 free-range eggs, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup self-raising flour, sifted

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160°C, fan-forced. Grease or line a 17cm or 7in round cake pan. Line the base with non-stick baking paper.
2. Combine butter, chocolate, water, cocoa, vanilla essence and sugar in a medium saucepan. Cook, whisking constantly, over low heat until smooth and well combined. Remove from heat and stand until mixture is lukewarm.
3. Use electric beaters to whisk eggs into chocolate mixture until well combined. Sift in the flour and whisk until combined.
4. Pour the mixture into prepared cake pan and bake in preheated oven for 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
5. Remove from the oven and stand in the pan until cool. Cover the pan with cling wrap and place in fridge for 30 minutes. Once chilled, remove cake from pan and with a long knife, cut cake horizontally into three even layers. Cover and set aside until cake assembly.