Ingredients, to begin with.
White Sugar, 2 Cups
1-1/2 cups self-rising flour
3/4 cup chocolate powder, unsweetened
Baking soda, 1.5 tablespoons
Baking powder, 1.5 tablespoons
1.25 grams of salt
· 2 eggs
Half a gallon of milk
1/4 cup of olive oil
Two and a half tablespoons of vanilla extract
1 cup of water, brought to a boil
Having all of your ingredients in one place will make adding them much simpler and reduce the likelihood of making a mistake while measuring. Preheating the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit is what I would recommend, but if you have any doubts about how evenly everything will cook, you can always use an oven thermometer to be sure. A pair of 9-inch circular cake pans is also required for this recipe. Prepare the cake tins by greasing them and then dusting them with flour.
The very first thing I do is cream the sugar and oil together. Next, beat in an egg while creaming the oil and sugar. Add the remaining egg and cream it in till there aren’t any more white streaks. Next, stir in the vanilla extract. (The original recipe called for only 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, but I like the taste it imparts to the cake, so I usually add a little more.)
Next, in a another dish, combine the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and cocoa powder with the salt by sifting. Add remaining ingredients to wet ones gradually. To finish, pour in some milk. When everything has been added, continue beating on a low to medium pace for approximately a minute. Following that, gradually include the hot water while stirring.
The batter should be divided evenly between the two pans. (Yes, I do this by sight; I’ve done it so often that I no longer bother with measuring.) If you insist on measuring, I suggest using a cup measurer to transfer the batter, then dividing the contents of the measurer between the two pans.
Most cake recipes call for baking at a temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit for thirty minutes to thirty-five minutes. In order to avoid overbaking the cake, I generally aim for closer to 30.
I would start checking the cake after 30 minutes. My preferred method is to insert a tooth pick and check that it is free of debris when removed.
I suggest letting the cake cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes on a wooden cooling rack. Before removing the cake from the pan, I run a butter knife around the outside to loosen it. The next step is to invert the pan onto a plate, with the cake on top, and tap gently to release the cake. Wait until the cake has cooled completely before attempting to decorate it (or eating it plain, which is delicious in its own right).
And there you have it, cake enthusiasts: my recipe for the ultimate chocolate cake. Enjoy!