Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake
The classic two-layer chocolate cake: soft sour-cream crumb, glossy fudge icing, no decorating skills required. The one for birthdays.
- prep
- 30 min
- cook
- 35 min
- total
- 1 h 5 min
- serves
- 10
- level
- medium
This is the chocolate cake of childhood memory, the one Nigella Lawson argued never needed improving: two soft layers, a glossy icing, and nothing clever.
The batter comes together in a food processor in under a minute, which is the point. It is a cake you can decide to make at four and eat at six.
This dish is one of our top 10 recipes that made Nigella Lawson famous.
method
Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Butter and line two 20 cm sandwich tins.
Put all the cake ingredients in a food processor and blitz to a smooth, thick batter. Scrape down once and pulse again.
Divide between the tins and bake for about 35 minutes, until springy and a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tins 10 minutes, then on a rack completely.
For the icing, melt the chocolate and butter together and let cool slightly. Whisk in the golden syrup, then the sour cream, then the icing sugar until glossy.
Sandwich the layers with a third of the icing and cover the top and sides with the rest, swirling with a spatula.
chef's tips
- Everything at room temperature, especially the eggs and butter, or the processor batter splits.
- The icing firms as it cools. If it gets too stiff to spread, five seconds of gentle heat brings it back.
- Swirls, not smoothness. This cake is meant to look homemade.