Chocolate cake

 Well....

Today was wet. My waterproofs are hanging up in the covered back yard dripping in unison, my boots are quietly steaming by the radiator in the kitchen and my gardening gloves are on the kitchen sink - think they may need a bit of a wash before I next use them. I feel damp and although I have changed, I still feel chilled but the job needed doing and could not be delayed any longer - three weeks of wet Tuesdays was getting beyond a joke.

Any hoo - cake - I need cake ... and a mug of tea. 

Talking of cake, yesterday's  chocolate cake recipe as promised. I'd mistakenly listed it as vegan but it is because it is an 'oil' cake completely forgetting it had eggs in it duh! I remember eating chocolate oil cakes in my childhood, however, I don't remember those cakes being as light and fluffy as this one.

As ever I have adapted an existing recipe - I'll put the link to the original and you can decide whether you want to stick with that or give mine a go.

Chocolate Cake

150ml sunflower oil
50gm cocoa powder - sieved
125ml boiling water
2 tsp vanilla extract
125g self raising flour
1/2 tsp bicarb
pinch salt
200gm sugar
3 eggs

Juice of one lemon

Icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 170°c/  325°f/gas mark 3

Line/grease a 23cm/9" cake tin - I used a square brownie tin so the cooked cake could be cut into squares

• Add sieved cocoa power to your bowl, add boiling water and whisk until smooth, add vanilla extract - allow to cool
• In a second bowl combine flour, bicarb and salt
• In a third bowl (!!) vigorously whisk eggs, oil and sugar until creamy
• add this mix to the cooled cocoa bowl, mix well, then pour into the flour bowl
• Pour the resulting batter into the lined baking tin
• Cook for 40 - 45 minutes - use a skewer to test, the cake should be cooked but still soft and succulent
• Allow to cool before drizzling lemon glace icing across the top
• Scoff!

I iced it with a glace icing using lemon juice and icing sugar. The combination of the super lemony icing and the soft chocolate cake was - how can I emphasise it enough - a mouth watering experience - absolutely delish. 

And as I said before - I have never had such a light and airy cake before! Quick and easy to make, even quicker to eat. 

Hope you enjoy !

Original recipe is by Nigella Lawson and on the BBC Good Food website

#moreblogvember

#52newrecipes

** thanks to Mrs L - I have updated my waffle and taken out my mistake - thank you!